Itwaslateintheafternoon,andIwa

更新 2022-09-03
科目英语
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It was late in the afternoon, and I was putting the final touch on a piece of writing that I was feeling pretty good about. I wanted to save it, but my cursor(光标) had frozen. I tried to shut the computer down, and it seized up altogether. Unsure of what else to do, I yanked (用力猛拉) the battery out.
Unfortunately, Windows had been in the midst of a crucial（紧要关头） undertaking. The next morning, when I turned my computer back on, it informed me that a file had been corrupted and Windows would not load. Then, it offered to repair itself by using the Windows Setup CD.
I opened the special drawer where I keep CDs. But no Windows CD in there. I was forced to call the computer company's Global Support Centre. My call was answered by a woman in some unnamed, far-off land. I find it annoying to make small talk with someone when I don't know what continent they're standing on. Suppose I were to comment on the beautiful weather we've been having when there was a monsoon(季风) at the other end of the phone? So I got right to the point.
"My computer is telling me a file is corrupted and it wants to fix itself, but I don't have the Windows Setup CD."
"So you're having a problem with your Windows Setup CD." She has apparently been dozing and, having come to just as the sentence ended, was attempting to cover for her inattention.
It quickly became clear that the woman was not a computer technician. Her job was to serve as a gatekeeper. Her only duty, as far as I could tell, was to raise global stress levels.
To make me disappear, the woman gave me the phone number for Windows' creator, Microsoft. This is like giving someone the phone number for, I don't know, North America. Besides, the CD worked; I just didn't have it. No matter how many times I repeated my story, we came back to the same place. She was calm and polite.
When my voice hit a certain decibel (分贝), I was passed along, like a hot, irritable potato, to a technician.
"You don't have the Windows Setup CD, ma'am, because you don't need it," he explained cheerfully.
"Windows came preinstalled on your computer!"
"But I do need it."
"Yes, but you don't have it." We went on like this for a while. Finally, he offered to walk me through the use of a different CD, one that would erase my entire system. "Of course, you'd lose all your e-mail, your documents, your photos." It was like offering to drop a safe on my head to cure my headache. "You might be able to recover them, but it would be expensive." He sounded delighted. "And it's not covered by the warranty (产品保证书)!" The safe began to seem like a good idea, provided it was full.
I hung up the phone and drove my computer to a small, friendly repair place I'd heard about. A smart, helpful man dug out a Windows CD and told me it wouldn't be a problem. An hour later, he called to let me know it was ready. I thanked him, and we chatted about the weather, which was the same outside my window as it was outside his.
Why did the author shut down her computer abruptly?

A．She had saved what she had written.

B．She couldn't move the cursor.

C．The computer refused to work.

D．The computer offered to repair itself.

Which of the following is the author's opinion about the woman at the Global Support Centre?

A．She sounded helpful and knowledgeable.

B．She was there to make callers frustrated.

C．She was able to solve her computer problem.

D．She was quick to pass her along to a technician.

According to the passage, the solution offered by the technician was_________________.

A．effective

B．economical

C．unpractical

D．unsatisfied

"It was like offering to drop a safe on my head to cure my headache" in the last but one paragraph means that_____________________.

A．the technician's proposal would make things even worse

B．the technician's proposal could eventually solve the problem

C．files stored on her computer were like a safe

D．erasing the entire system was like curing a headache

It can be inferred from the passage that the differences between the Global Support Centre and the local repair shop lie in all the followings except ________________.

A．efficiency

B．location

C．setup CDs

D．attitude

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In the 1880s, Mark Twain established and operated his own publishing firm. He also became interested in various investments, especially an elaborate typesetting machine. He lost almost $200,000 in investments in the machine between 1881 and 1894. Also, his publishing company declared bankruptcy (破产) in April 1894. Thus, in January 1895, Mark Twain found himself publicly shamed by his inability to pay his debts.
Mark Twain eventually recovered from his financial difficulties, through his continued writing and a successful lecture tour in 1895 and 1896. During this much-publicized tour, Twain lectured in such places as India, South Africa and Australia. By the time he returned, he had become an international hero. Twain enjoyed this attention, and his habits of smoking cigars or a pipe and wearing unconventional white suits contributed to his showy image. He also made use of his position as a public figure to criticize the US foreign policy.
Although he was recovering from his financial problems by 1898, Mark Twain had begun to experience tragedy in his personal life. Suzy, his oldest daughter, died of meningitis (脑膜炎) in 1896, while her parents and sister Clara were abroad. In 1903, Mark Twain sold the beloved house in Hartford, which had become too closely associated with Suzy’s death. His wife, Olivia, who had developed a heart condition, died on June 5, 1904. His youngest daughter, Jean, died on Dec. 24, 1909.
64. Which is not the reason why Mark Twain found himself in debt?
A.Because he devoted all his energy to his writings.
B.Because his publishing firm bankruptcy.
C.He lost almost $ 200 000 in investments in the machine between 1881 and 1894
D.Because he lost a large quantity of money in various investments.
65. How did Mark Twain pay off his debts?
A. By borrowing money from the bank.
B. By investing in foreign countries.
C.By writing articles and a successful lecture tour.
D.By printing his own articles and selling them for money.
66. It can be inferred that Mark Twain ________________.
A.hated smoking cigars
B.liked wearing black clothes
C.hated the US foreign policy at that time
D.hated giving lectures in the foreign countries

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第三部分阅读理解（共两节，满分50分）
第一节：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（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
Canada is a very large country. It is the second largest country in the world. By contrast it has a very small population. There are slightly over 30 million people there. Most Canadians are of British or French origin, and French is an official language of Canada as well as English. About 45% of the people are of British origin, that is, they or their parents or grandparents, etc., come from Britain. Nearly 30% are of French origin. Most of the French-Canadians live in the province of Quebec.
Over the years, people have come to live in Canada from many countries in the world. They are from most European countries and also from China, besides other Asian countries.
However, Canada was not an empty country when the Europeans began to arrive. Canadian Indians lived along the coast, by the rivers and lakes and in forests. Today there are only about 350 000 Indians in the whole country, with their own languages. In the far north live the Inuit. There are only 27 000 Canadian-Inuit. Their life is hard in such a difficult climate.
56. About_______________live in Quebec.
A. 30% of the French-Canadians     B. 45% of the Canadians
C. 29 000 000 people              D. 9 000 000 French-Canadians
57. The underlined word “origin” in Paragraph One means____________.
A. 血统         B. 后裔            C. 先驱         D. 猿人
58. About 23% of people came from____________
A. China         B. England        C. France
D. some other countries except France and Britain
59. Which of the following is true according to this passage?
A. There are 27 000 Canadian-Indians in Canada.
B. More than 13 million people have come from Britain and France in recent years.
C. There are nearly 30% of the populations whose parents or grandparents come from France.
D. There are no people when the Europeans began to arrive in Canada.

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Americans hope Two-Thousand-Two will be happier than Two-Thousand-One. New York suffered terrible losses in the terrorist attacks on September Eleventh. However, the city is continuing with its New Year's Eve traditions in Times Square for the ninety-seventh year.
The tradition began in Nineteen-Oh-Four. That year, the owners of the building at Number One Times Square held a party on top of the building. Today, the New Year's Ball falls from the top of the same building. The ball contains thousands of pieces of lighted cut glass. It looks like burning stars as it falls through the darkness. When it reaches the ground, people in Times Square dance and sing. They throw tiny pieces of colorful paper into the air. Many people in the United States also watch this event on television.
Other cities also have New Year celebrations. For example, Chicago has a fireworks show. The fireworks are launched from the Navy Pier, a land area that extends into Lake Michigan. Some people like to watch the fireworks from a boat on the lake. The boat serves a special meal on New Year's Eve. People drink a special wine called Champagne to celebrate the clock striking midnight.
Many young people in Chicago celebrate New Year's Eve at the Lincoln Park Zoo. Children wear funny hats as they wish the animals a good New Year.
Many other Americans celebrate New Year's Eve with parties at home. Or they celebrate at public eating and drinking places. These events are usually noisy. People shout and sing. They often blow on small noise-makers when the New Year arrives at midnight. They kiss their husband or wife or the person they are with. They dance to broadcast music, records or live bands.
Some people drink too much alcohol at New Year's Eve celebrations. This can lead to tragic results if a person drinks too much and then drives a car. The National Safety Council says hundreds of people die in road accidents during the holiday.
In recent years, the danger of accidents has resulted in a new tradition called the "designated driver." One person among a group of friends drinks little or no alcohol during New Year's Eve celebrations. Then this designated driver can safely drive the other people home. Many American cities also offer free taxi service on New Year's Eve to take people home safely.
Other Americans observe the coming of the New Year at events without alcohol. More than two-hundred American cities hold these First Night celebrations. Artists in Boston, Massachusetts, started the tradition of First Night celebrations in Nineteen-Seventy-Six. They wanted to observe the coming of a New Year. But they did not want to hold noisy drinking parties. So they organized music, art and other events to observe the holiday.
66.What does the tradition refer to in the passage?
A. The celebration of New Year’s Eve.        B. The New Year’s Ball.
B. The fireworks show.                    D. The parties at home.
67.Why does the New Year’s Ball contain pieces of lighted cut glass?
A. To attract people in the square.            B. To light the Times Square
C. To give people atmosphere of a festival     D. To make people interested in the festival.
68. What is the passage mainly about?
A. To hope people remember the terrible suffering in the terrorist attacks
B. The colorful life of Americans.
C. The hopes of Americans in the coming new year.
D. The celebrating activities on New Year’s Eve in America.
69. How do Americans feel to the coming new year after the terrorist attacks?
A. sad, excited and hopeful             B. sad, excited and happy
C. happy, excited and hopeful           D. complicated, excited and hopeful.
70. The change people hope most to see in their tradition is __________
A. Less noise                        B. Drinking less alcohol
C. Fewer road accidents                D. Less tragedy

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Most Americans are turning to charm school to gain an advantage over competitors in a job market stricken by the longest economic slowdown since the Great Depression.
Etiquette (礼节) trainers report business growing from clients who believe that good manners could be the key selling point that helps them get hired or keeps them off the unemployment line.
“People are prepared to do whatever it takes to keep their job”, said Gloria Starr, an adviser on image, etiquette and communications in North Carolina. Starr, who says business is up 40 percent in the past year at her school, said people were “realizing that it takes more than just ability and knowledge” to keep or win a job.
Peggy Newfield, who had been teaching etiquette for 30 years and runs a charm school, said business was “booming.” “When the economy is down etiquette training will always be up. They’re focusing on‘What I can do to survive, I really have to keep up my game because the competition is keen.’”
Proper business manners, however, extend far beyond greeting or thanking a would-be employer. Etiquette classes deal with the basics of presentation in an interview, including what to say and how to dress.
“It’s so much more than writing the thank-you note at the end,” Newfield said. “It’s about walking in for the job interview, every hair is in place, your clothes are perfectly pressed, your shoes are polished, you’re groomed to the nines, you speak the part, and your English is correct.”
It’s great that we have seen this renewal in etiquette and manners and self respect.
Studies have shown that 85 percent of the reason a person gets a job, keeps a job and moves up is related to their personal skills. There are very few jobs out there where your manners, where your socials skills, are not a big piece of being successful. If you have manners you can walk into any business or social situation.
Teaching etiquette has become a tougher task. Some people point to bad public behavior by athletes and celebrities as a factor in ruining good manners in US society. Hotel owner Paris Hilton, actress Lindsay Lohan and singer Britney Spears are among those who have been charged with setting a poor example, especially for children and adolescents. Hilton is infamous for a sex tape that became an Internet hit, Lohan has long been gossip stuff due to her quarrels with the law and Spears was photographed partying without underwear.
61. The writer wants to tell the readers____________.
A. the etiquette training in America         B. the ways to avoid failure
C. good manners count in keeping a job      D. how to keep business up
62. From the passage we learn that the charm school____________.
A. helps those who are unemployed        B. deals with moral problems
C. becomes more popular with people      D. does good to the economy
63. The underlined sentence “you’re groomed to the nines” probably means “you’re ____________”.
A. dressed in the best way               B. fully understood
C. greeted with good manners            D. very concerned
64. We can infer from the last paragraph that ____________.
A. good examples contribute to etiquette teaching
B. good public behavior doesn’t exist any more
C. teaching etiquette has become a tougher task
D. some famous people don’t have good manners
65. Which of the following can you NOT learn in Peggy Newfield’s charm school?
A. How to dress in a job interview
B. How to hack into the company central database.
C. How to maintain an edge over other competitors in the job market.
D. How to improve your communicative skills with your colleagues.

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PART THREE READING COMPREHENSION
Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A.B.C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage.
NEW YORK(Reuters)----The Internet and advances in technology are transforming fashion, making it easier for designers to create collections and less expensive for them to show and sell their work, experts say.
Instead of spending tens of thousands of dollars on a runway(T形台)show at New York Fashion Week, some designers presented collections for spring and summer 2010 online, while others are expanding the reach of their brand by making it easier for shoppers to buy their clothes online.
Designer Norma Kamali and Polo Ralph Lauren Corp both have applications for Apple Inc’s iPhone that allows shoppers to buy clothes from their phone.
“This is the technology that’s changing our lives,” said Kamali, who displayed her spring and summer 2010 collection as well as exclusive lines (专卖品) for eBay Inc and Walmart.com at the Apple store in Manhattan’s Soho neighborhood.
Kamali’s iPhone application has a “Try Before You Buy” option, which allows clothes to be sent overnight to a customer, who provides her credit card information, so she can try them on at home before deciding to buy.
Menswear designer Miguel Antoinne and womenswear designer Marc Bouwer both put on virtual fashion shows, while models at fashion designer Vivienne Tam’s show carried a laptop computer adorned(装饰) with a Tam design.
Mazdack Rassi, co-founder and creative director of Milk Studios, a downtown space that showed about 70 collections during New York Fashion Week, and was considering projecting shows on the side of a building so people at nearby park could watch.
With cable TV and the Internet, designers know that their shows can be seen by many more people than just the editors and media who attend.
Designers are finding that technology can also help the actual design work by allowing artists to explore new ideas and processes.
But Simon Collins, the dean of fashion at Parsons----the new school for design, said even though technology is helpful, there is still no substitute for talent and hard work. “Absolutely, there’ll be people out there that have successful businesses that don’t know the first thing about draping(剪裁) and construction, just think it up, put it on the computer, fire it off the factory and it works,” Collins said. “But they’re the exception, not the rule.”
56. According to the passage, one advantage of the Internet is that it allows the designers to____________.
A. share their collections with other designers
B. display their work at a lower cost
C. receive information about the popular fashion trend
D. inform the editors and media of their collections
57. Which of the following is TRUE about Kamali?
A. She’s aware of the importance of the Internet.
B. She’s against buying clothes online.
C. She thinks New York Fashion Week will attract fewer and fewer people.
D. She’s considering holding a show on the side of a building.
58. We can infer from the passage that ____________.
A. it’s difficult to become a well-known designer
B. it’s dangerous to do online shopping
C. few people pay attention to virtual fashion shows
D. designers are finding various ways to make their shows known to the public
59. According to the last paragraph, we know that Collins ____________.
A. is a successful businessman
B. does not agree that technology is helpful in designing works
C. pays more attention to people’s natural gift and hard work
D. does not understand the fashion of actual design work
60. The purpose of the writing is to ____________.
A. celebrate the success of New York Fashion Week
B. stress the role of technology in fashion
C. introduce the activities in New York Fashion Week
D. advertise New York Fashion Week

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