Manycenturiesago,birthdayswere

更新 2022-09-03
科目英语
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Many centuries ago, birthdays were considered a time when the bad spirits were able to harm you. It was believed that you should have your friends and family around you so that their good wishes and present-giving would keep the bad spirits away. People also believed that, by lighting candles, they were sending a signal or wishes to the gods.
Later on, candles started to be used on birthday cakes. One story about the beginnings of the birthday cake is that it started with the Greeks, who made round cakes standing for the full moon for their moon goddess（女神）. They also placed candles on the cake to make it light, again like the moon.
However, the Germans are said to have first used cakes and candles. They used a sweet cake and they put a large candle in the centre of the cake to mean “the light of life”.
The “Happy Birthday” song is more than a hundred years old. The music was written in 1893 by two sisters, Patty and Mildred Hill, who were schoolteachers in Louisville, Kentucky. The music was first used as a morning greeting to their students with the title, “Good Morning To All”. In 1935, the words legally belonged to the Hill sisters, and the copyright（版权）has been bought and sold for millions of dollars ever since. The present copyright is owned by Warner Communications. They bought it in 1989 for more than $22 million.
The text mainly talks about .

A．the ways of making cakes

B．the customs of lighting candles

C．the beginnings of birthdays

D．the history of the birthday song

People celebrated birthdays many centuries ago to .

A．have a great dinner

B．get birthday presents

C．light birthday candles

D．keep the bad spirits away

Why did the Greeks put candles on the cake?

A．To light up the dark room.

B．To make the cake beautiful.

C．To see where the cake was.

D．To make it look like the moon.

When was the music written?

A．In 1893.	B．In 1913.
C．In 1935.	D．In 1989.

Who is the present owner of the song “Happy Birthday”?

A．Patty and Mildred Hill.

B．Warner Communications.

C．A Greek cake company.

D．A German schoolteacher.

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What causes traffic jams? Too many cars, right? No! Some Brits are now saying that traffic lights are to blame for much of the congestion（交通拥挤）. They suggest that traffic lights be removed at busy roads. They believe people are a better judge of when it’s safe to go, not a traffic light programmed by an absent regulator.
A report from the Institute of Economic Affairs, a UK think tank（智囊团）, argues that abolishing traffic signals would decrease congestion, reduce exhaust emissions（废气排放）and improve safety.
The report said that removing lights should also prevent other bad behavior caused by signals, such as speeding up to catch a green light. It would also avoid the wasted time when drivers have to sit at a red light even if no one is using the green.
The idea may sound strange, but it’s not new. Seven cities and regions in Europe are experimenting with no-lights roads.
Drachten in the Netherlands has got rid of 16 of its traffic light crossings and changed the other two to roundabouts under a “shared space” scheme. At crossings, cyclists dutifully raise their arm when they want to make a turn, and drivers follow a first-arrived, first-through approach and communicate by hand signs, nods and waving.
The result? Typical journey time has been cut in half, and accidents and congestion have mostly disappeared.
There have been small collisions but no problem, said Hans Monderman, creator of the scheme. “We want small accidents, in order to prevent serious ones. It works well because it’s dangerous. The driver has to be responsible for his or her own risk.
“The many rules take away the ability to be considerate,” Monderman added. “We’re losing our responsibility for socially responsible behavior.”
So far, Drachten’s locals have called the experiment a success. “I am used to it now,” said Helena Spaanstra, 24. “You drive more slowly and carefully, but somehow you seem to get around town quicker.”
Tony Ooostward, 70, was equally enthusiastic. “I am a walker and now you are the boss at the crossroads, everyone waits for you. But at the same time walkers wait until there are a number of people wanting to cross at the same time.”
Owen Paterson, UK’s Shadow Transport Minister, visited Drachten. He said Britain should learn from the model. “The idea is to create space where there is mild anxiety among everyone so they all behave cautiously. No one drives fast along a busy street thinking that they have right of way.”
60.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A. Don’t Count On Traffic Lights              B. New Traffic Systems Needed
C. Turn Those Traffic Lights Off         D. Let People Have More Say In Traffic
61.According to the report from the Institute of Economic Affairs, abolishing traffic lights would NOT lead to ____.
A. more time being saved                   B. reduction of traffic jams
C. improvement of the environment    D. right of way being taken for granted
62.The underlined word “collision” in Paragraph 7 means closest to ____.
A. jam     B. accident     C. trouble     D. congestion
63.From the passage we can see that the experiment in Drachten worked well because ____.
A. walkers have become the boss of the crossroads
B. cyclists, walkers and drivers each have specially designed routes
C. everyone finds that they have to do their share in regulating traffic
D. drivers are more careful and wait for eyclists or walkers to pass first

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第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，满分40分）
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。
“BANG!” the door caused a reverberation(回声). It was just standing there, with Father standing on one side, and I on the other side.
We were both in great anger. “Never set foot in this house again!” stormed Father. With tears welling up in my eyes, I rushed out of the flat and ran along the street.
The street lights were shining rather desolately(凄凉的). I wandered aimlessly.
A young father who held a child in his arms walked past me. I felt as if I saw my childhood from another space: happy and harmonious.
But now… I don’t know whether it is because I have grown up or because dad is getting old. We differ in our ways of thinking. He always imposes his opinions and codes of behavior on me. Whenever I do something wrong, he never admits it. We are just like two people coming from two different worlds. It feels like there is an iron door between us that can never be opened.
I wandered the streets, without a destination in mind. My heart was frozen on this hot summer night. As I walked on there were fewer and fewer people on the streets, until I had only the street lights to keep me company. When I finally reached the high-rise apartment block in which I lived, I saw that the light was still on.
In fact, it was nothing. Perhaps, dad was throwing away some of his old stamps. Perhaps he thought they were useless. I never had the courage to tell him that I liked collecting stamps. I can’t stand his outrageous(蛮横的) words: “ I can throw you away, let alone these old papers.”
All the lights were off except father’s.
Dad was always like this. Maybe he didn’t know how to express himself. After shouting at me, he never showed any mercy or any moments of regret. After an argument he has the habit of creeping up in my sleep and then tucking me underneath the covers.
This was how he always was. He has been a leader for so long that telling everyone else what to do has become his second nature.
The light was still on. “Am I wrong?” I whispered, maybe… With the key in hand, I was as nervous as I had ever been. At last, I decided to open the door. As soon as I opened the door, tears ran down my cheeks. I suddenly realized that the iron door that I had imagined between us did not exist at all. Love – is second to none.
56.Decide which is the best order of the following according to what happened in the passage.
a. I opened the door and entered the house.
b. Sadly I ran out into the street.
c. I reached the place where I lived and saw my house still brightly lit.
d. I thought of my father’s kindness towards me.
e. I walked about in the street without any aim.
A. b, e, d, c, a B. b, e, c, d, a C. b, e, a, c, d D. b, e, c, a, d
57.What made the writer think of his childhood?
A. The sight of the desolate street lights.
B. The sight of the empty street.
C. The sight of a father with a child in his arms.
D. The sight of light in his own house.
58.Why do you think the father often shouts at his son?
A. Perhaps the father is getting older and older.
B. Perhaps the son has already grown up.
C. Perhaps they never agree with each other.
D. Perhaps the father has got used to doing that.
59.What conclusion can you draw after reading the passage?
A. The father is actually kind to his son.
B. The father treats his son in an unfair way.
C. The father is neither kind nor cruel to his son.
D. The father is always finding fault with his son.

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If you feel at present that you don’t have enough friends in your life, one reason may be that you have let yourself become too busy to make time for the relationships you already have. Starting and keeping friendship requires effort and commitment.
Many of us let our lives become so busy with work and other commitments that we don’t get around to scheduling time for pleasure and renewal（叙旧）with the friends, relatives and acquaintances we already have.
Making the effort to call your friends more regularly and to accept more of the invitations you receive from others can improve your social life in a hurry!
Are there any people you could call right now and be assured of a pleasant welcome? Are there people that you could count on to help you in time of difficulty? Can you have close talks with them? Do you have fun when you are together? Are you happy to have them in your life?
If you haven’t seen much of them lately, is it because you have become too busy? Have you grown apart? Was there an argument?
If the main reason you haven’t been getting together with the people you already know is that you have got too busy, take a good look at how you spend your time. Compare it with your real values and priorities（优先考虑的事）in life. Is your busy lifestyle really bringing you the quality of life that you want?
If you have become too busy for friends, why has this happened? Are you seeking material toys in your life at the expense of relationships with other human beings? Have you allowed your time to be over-committed because you never say “No” to anyone? Do you insist on doing things yourself that could be appointed to others? If so, why? Do you believe that everything depends on you?
Examine whether the way you are now spending your time accurately reflects your deepest values and priorities. Make sure that you schedule adequate time for the things that are truly most important to you.
If you really want to keep friends in your life, make a space in your schedule, and a space in your heart for them.
72.In this passage the author mainly discusses ____.
A. how to balance friendship and work
B. how to spend our spare time
C. whether we should keep friendship
D. whether we should invite friends to dinner
73.Which of the following doesn’t indicate a good relationship?
A. You have someone to count on when you are in trouble.
B. You have someone to have close talks with.
C. You have fun when you are with someone.
D. You feel depressed with others in life.
74.The reason why you have become too busy for friends may be the following EXCEPT that ____.
A. you spend too much time seeking material toys in your life
B. you feel it difficult to keep friendship
C. you stick to doing everything all by yourself
D. you never refuse whatever other people ask you to do
75.Which would be the best title for the text?
A. Too Busy for Friendship? B. Too Busy with Work?
C. How to Spend Your Time D. How to Make New Friends

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“ONLY A COKE WILL DO”
“We don’t necessarily believe that new advertising, which might make consumers feel better about the Coke brand or better about the ads themselves, will actually result in consumers consuming more of the product,” Morgan Stanley’s Bill Pecoriello wrote in a research note the day after the investor meeting. But Coke is optimistic it can regain its old magic, and is banking on a new slogan: “Welcome to the Coke side of life.”
BREAKTHROUGH HIT?
With PepsiCo about to surpass Coke as the beverage king on Wall Street – Pepsi’s market capitalization has soared in recent years to $97.9 billion, putting it less than a billion dollars behind its rival(对手) – the heat is on Coke. It’s set to launch a new marketing campaign in March, 2006. And having taken a quick look at Coke’s investor presentation on Dec. 7 in New York, my sense is that Coke may be moving in the right direction.
Given the continued shift by consumers away from soda – Coke’s stronghold – and into alternative beverages like juice, tea and water, Coke badly needs a breakthrough hit. And given that shift away from soda, some analysts wonder whether even the catchiest new ads will be enough to put the fizz back into Coke.
SAME OLD, UPDATED.
The new flavors of PowerAde sports drink will probably enable Coke to continue stealing market share from PepsiCo’s Gatorade brand. And Coke is getting a little more creative with packaging, including new, aluminum bottles of Coke that will be sold in nightclubs, and an 8.4-ounce “100 calorie” version of its flagship Coke that will appeal to women who want fewer calories and will like the fact that the small can will fit in their purse. I doubt whether other new products will be successful, including a new coffee-flavored soda called Coke-Cola Blak that I tried. Think carbonated coffee. But I’m not sure if the product, which Coke is pitching as an afternoon pick-me-up for the 35-and-over set, is going to pull people away from their afternoon Frappucino fix. And my opinion is that Vault, an orange-flavored energy drink, will have just as much trouble unseating Mountain Dew among teens as did Coke’s last attempt, a product called Surge.
If there is one concern I have about the fresh offerings Coke plans to launch this year, it appears that many of them are simply new brands, not new products.
68.According to the passage, we can know that ____.
A. Coke mainly depends on new products recently
B. nowadays Coke is comparatively less popular
C. PepsiCo has taken the place of Coke
D. Coke has few new brands
69.The underlined word “soared” means ____.
A. achieved B. dropped C. increased D. failed
70.When the middle-aged people feel tired, what would they prefer to drink in order to continue their work?
A. Vault. B. Surge. C. Coke-Cola Blak D. Frappucino.
71.What is the best title of the passage?
A. Troubles in Coke Company
B. Varieties of New Products
C. The Importance of New Advertisements
D. The Relationship Between Coke and Pepsi

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For photographers lacking training, experience and even the ability to click a shutter button, they produce remarkable pictures. Under the sea, deep in the woods and high in the sky, furry, feathery and leathery-skinned creatures are opening up vistas（远景）by taking cameras where no human can go.
This is the world of animal-borne imagine celebrated last month at a conference sponsored(supported) by the National Geographic Society for the 20th anniversary of its Crittercam, the device that started it all.
Since its debut（首次公开露面）in 1987 on the back of a turtle, the Crittercam and similar devices developed by others have grown smaller and more powerful.
“It’s more than just a camera now,” said Greg Marshall, the marine biologist and now filmmaker who invented the Crittercam. “We are now including more instruments to gather more data while at the same time reducing everything in size.”
The idea of attaching video cameras to animals came to Mr. Marshall in 1986 on a dive off Belize when a shark apporached him. When the animal quickly turned away, he noticed a shark with a sucker fish on its belly. He came up with the idea that putting a camera in place of the sucker fish would allow people to witness the shark’s behavior without disturbing it.
Crittercams have been attached to sharks, sea lions and other marine animals, and, more recently, to land animals.
Birds are a new addition, Mr. Marshall said. Dr. Christian Rutz of Oxford recently reported on tiny cameras called feathercams that monitor the crows in the South Pacific. It has discovered that crows are smarter than anyone knew they not only use twigs（嫩枝）and grass stems as tools to root out food, but they also save their favorite tools to use again.
Tracey L. Rogers, director of the Australian Marine Mammal Research Center in Sydney, said crittercam was a powerful tool in her work with leopard seals（豹斑海豹）in Antarctica. “In studying animals,” Dr. Rogers said at the meeting, “you want to see how our animal models align（与……一致）with reality. With a camera, you actually see what they do. You don’t have to guess.”
64.What’s the text mainly about?
A. The advantages of crittercam.
B. The development of Crittercams in the past 20 years.
C. How crittercam was invented.
D. How crittercam works.
65.What inspired Marshall to invent crittercam?
A. The sight of sucker fish clinging to a shark on a dive.
B. The thought of how to photograph animals better.
C. Noticing a shark eating a sucker fish on a dive.
D. Seeing a shark with a camera on its belly on a dive.
66.According to Dr. Rogers, crittercam ____.
A. can clear up all your doubts about animals
B. is the most powerful tool in studying animals
C. enabled her to observe the crows in the South Pacific closely
D. helped a lot with her research on leopard seals in Antarctica
67.All of the following are improvements of crittercams EXCEPT that ____.
A. the size is becoming smaller
B. more instruments are involved to gather more data
C. they allow researchers to see where and how animals live
D. they are able to be applied to smaller animals such as birds

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