What is a six-letter word that immediately comes to mind when you need some information on the Internet? You probably thought of Google. But Google wasn’t always the name of the famous search engine. In fact, the original name was BackRub!
BackRub was the name two graduate students gave to the new search engine they developed in 1996. They called it BackRub because the engine used backlinks to measure the popularity of Web sites. Later, they wanted a better name — a name that suggests huge quantities of data. They thought of the word googol. (A googol is a number followed by 100 zeros.) When they checked the Internet registry of names to see if googol was already taken, one of the students misspelled the word by mistake, and that’s how Google was born.
Google is just one example of a name change in the business world. Many other companies have decided to change their names or the names of their products. Here are some more examples:
Jerry Yang and David Filo, two young computer specialists, developed a guide to Internet content in 1994. They called it “Jerry and David’s Guide to World Wide Web.” But they soon realized that this wasn’t a very catchy name, so they searched through a dictionary and found a better one: “Yahoo.”
Sometimes companies change their names because of the popularity of one of their products. In 1962, a young runner named Phil Knight started a company called Blue Ribbon Sports. In 1971, Knight decided to design and manufacture his own brand of shoes. He named the shoes after the Greek goddess of victory — Nike. Nike shoes became so well known that Knight changed the name of the whole company to Nike.
According to the text, Google .
| A．has been famous since 1996. |
| B．is a result of a spelling mistake. |
| C．means a number followed by 100 zeros. |
| D．is the original name of the search engine, |
Jerry and David changed the guide’s name to Yahoo because the original name .
| A．had been registered |
| B．had been forgotten |
| C．was too short |
| D．was not attractive |
The company Nike got its name from .
| A．its founders |
| B．its customers |
| C．its popular products |
| D．its advanced techniques |
Have you got any wonderful plans for your coming winter vacation? Here are some wonderful films for you to kill time.
| Away We Go With a baby on his way, a young couple, Burt and Verona, look at their lives and are puzzled about what they really want. So they hit the road and seek a place to call home. On their journey, they visit a handful of characters and learned a lot. It’s about taking the scenic route in life, preparing for the hope and excitement and fear of new beginnings, while never forgetting to look out of the window. |
Orphan Esther, a bright and well-behaved child, however, is not as innocent as she appears. Soon after being taken home, the peace of her adoptive family is completely changed… You want a good horror film about a child from hell? Then you got one! Do not, in any cases, take children to see it. |
| 500 Days of Summer Tom is in love with Summer from the moment he sees her. Can he accept that she simply likes him for now, not for forever? The movie is about Tom wrestling with that reality. Tom remembers his love, Summer, as a series of joys and bafflements. But Summer is just herself and he cannot have her. Here is a rare movie that begins by telling us how it will end and is about how the hero has no idea why. |
2012 The director Roland Emmerich successfully dresses a corny story with an old Mayan prediction, which is believed by many to happen in the coming 2012 and as a result, attracts millions of people into the cinema. It’s just an entertaining Hollywood blockbuster(大片) with plenty of jokes, instead of a description of what the end of the world is really like. Don’t take it too seriously! |
63. This passage aims to __________.
A. make comments on films for a cinema B. introduce films for a film corporation
C. recommend several films for fun D. advertise several films for a website
64. If you bring your seven-year-old sister to the cinema, which of the following film should you avoid?
A. Away We Go. B. Orphan. C. 2012. D. 500 Days of Summer.
65. Among all the characters mentioned in the passage, who directed films in Hollywood?
A. Roland Emmerich. B. Tom and Summer. C. Burt and Verona. D. Esther.
66. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Orphan is a comedy about Esther adopted by a kind family.
B. 500 Days of Summer is a romance with a happy ending.
C. Away We Go shows beautiful scenery on the young couple’s journey.
D. The ancient Mayan prediction is going to happen in 2012.
第三部分: 阅读理解 (共15小题；每小题2分，满分30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，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
He was an old man who fished alone in a boat in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish. In the first forty days a boy had been with him. But after forty days without a fish the boy’s parents had told him that the old man was now definitely and finally salao, which is the worst form of unlucky, and the boy had gone at their orders in another boat which caught three good fish the first week. It made the boy sad to see the old man come in each day with his skiff empty and he always went down to help him carry either the coiled lines or the gaff (鱼钩) and harpoon (鱼叉) and the sail that was furled around the mast (桅杆). The sail was patched with flour sacks and, furled, it looked like the flag of permanent defeat.
The old man was thin and gaunt with deep wrinkles in the back of his neck. The brown blotches（斑点）of the skin cancer the sun brings from its reflection on the tropic sea were on his cheeks. The blotches ran well down the sides of his face and his hands had the deep-creased scars from handling heavy fish on the cords. But none of these scars were fresh. They were as old as erosions in a fishless desert.
Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated.
“Santiago,” the boy said to him as they climbed the bank from where the skiff was pulled up. “I could go with you again. We’ve made some money.”
The old man had taught the boy to fish and the boy loved him.
“No,” the old man said. “You’re with a lucky boat. Stay with them.”
“But remember how you went eighty-seven days without fish and then we caught big ones every day for three weeks.”
“I remember,” the old man said. “I know you did not leave me because you doubted.”
“It was papa who made me leave. I am a boy and I must obey him.”
“I know,” the old man said. “It is quite normal.”
“He hasn’t much faith.”
“No,” the old man said. “But we have. Haven’t we?”
“Yes,” the boy said. “Can I offer you a beer on the Terrace and then we’ll take the stuff home.”
“Why not?” the old man said. “Between fishermen.”
56. The boy left the old man and went in another boat to fish because .
A. the old man preferred to fish alone
B. the old man was unlucky
C. the boy’s parents ordered him to
D. the old man’s sail suggested a permanent defeat
57. After reading this passage, we may safely conclude that .
A. the old man was insistent and not afraid of failure
B. the boy’s papa had confidence in everything
C. the old man caught big fishes during eighty-seven days
D. the boy obeyed his father because he had some doubts about the old man
58. What might happen after the last paragraph?
A. The old man and the boy might go to fish with other fishermen.
B. The old man might go to have a drink with the boy.
C. The old man and the boy might go to enjoy beer at the old man’s home.
D. The old man might go to tell the boy’s papa about the secrets between fishermen.
The Friday after the American holiday of Thanksgiving is called Black Friday. It’s said that it’s the day that store ledgers(分类账)move into the black and companies become profitable. On that day, retailers slash prices to get consumers to buy. It is also a time when many Americans start their Christmas shopping. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee tells us how the economy may affect consumers on that bargain day.
“It’s just the deals, the sales and everything you can get for a lesser price,” said Sandy Thomas, a shopper. But it’s a nightmare for others. “I think it’s crazy. I’ve done all of my shopping throughout the week so I don’t have to go out on Friday,” she said. It’s called Black Friday, the start of the traditional Christmas shopping season in the United States. Every year it’s the day after the Thanksgiving holiday. Stores open before sunrise and there are deep discounts everywhere you look.
While the lead up to Christmas is known as the season of giving, Black Friday can get ugly.
Last year a crowd of bargain-hunters killed a Wal-mart worker in a New York suburb. This year, many stores are increasing security while they slash prices. “This is a huge time for the retail stores,” said Fred Joutz from George Washington University. “This is when they begin making their profits for the year.”
Economics professor Fred Joutz says how Americans spend the weekend after Thanksgiving is a good indication of how consumers feel about the future.
With the unemployment rate above 10 percent, Joutz says Americans are saving more and spending less. “Credit is still strictly controlled whether through credit cards or through borrowing from banks,” he said. Some retailers are attracting consumers by opening on Thanksgiving Day, when shops are traditionally closed. Other stores open their doors anywhere from midnight to four in the morning.
And shoppers will be lining up in front of the doors in order to be one of the first ones to walk through and get a big discount. Electronics like flat screen TVs are usually the first items to go. Sandy Thomas says it’s an annual family tradition and well worth it. “I just save maybe half of what I would have spent on a regular, you know, shopping trip,” she said.
Economists say U.S. consumers will spend money this Black Friday, but they will spend it more carefully.
59. The underlined word “slash” in the first paragraph probably means _________.
A. reduce B. raise C. increase D. change
60. The sentence “This day should be a shopper’s dream.” should be placed between ________.
A. paragraph two and paragraph three B. paragraph one and paragraph two
C. paragraph three and paragraph four D. paragraph five and paragraph six
61. Why are many stores increasing security according to the passage?
A. Because there are too many people saving more and spending less.
B. Because it’s a time when they begin making their profits for the year.
C. Because last year a crowd of bargain-hunters caused an accident.
D. Because many stores open their doors from midnight to four a.m.
62.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Christmas shopping is traditional time and this year it is no exception.
B. Electronics like flat screen TVs are usually least discounted.
C. The economy only affects consumers on that bargain day.
D. Thanksgiving is a good indication of how consumers feel about the future.
What is your favorite color? Do you like yellow, orange or red? If you do, you must be an optimist, a leader, and an active person who enjoys life, people and excitement. Do you prefer gray and blue? Then you are probably quiet, shy and you would rather follow than lead. If you love green, you are strong-minded and determined. You wish to succeed and want other people to see you are successful. At least this is what a psychologist tell us, and we are also told that we don’t choose our favorite color as we grow up. If you happen to love brown, you did so as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly.
A yellow room makes us feel more cheerful and more comfortable than a dark green one, and a red dress brings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day. On the other hand, black is depressing. Light and bright colors make people not only happier but also more active. It is a fact that factory workers work better, harder, and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or dark gray.
Remember, then, that if you feel low, you can always brighten your day or your life with a new shirt or a few colorful things. Remember also that you will know your friend and your enemies better when you find out what colors they like and dislike. And don’t forget that anyone can guess a lot about your character when you choose handkerchiefs or a lampshade.
60. According to this passage, ________.
A. one can choose his color preference B. one is born with his color preference
C. one’s color preference is changeable D. one has to choose his favorite color any time
61. “I am feeling black” means _______.
A. I’m feeling well B. I am in high spirits
C. I am excited D. I am unhappy
62. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A. An active person who enjoys life probably likes red, yellow and orange.
B. A person preferring gray and blue is probably quiet and shy.
C. Finding out what color he likes and dislikes, you can know your friend better.
D. When we grow up, we choose which color we like best.
63. What can be the best title for this passage?
A. Color Preference and Its Effect. B. Different Colors in Our Life
C. Light and Bright Colors. D. Favorite Colors Change Our Mind.
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，满分40分）
请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
The story is about a 92-year-old lady. She is fully dressed each morning by eight, with her hair fashionably done and makeup perfectly applied. She is moving to a nursing home today. Her husband recently passed away, making the move necessary.
After waiting for many hours patiently in the lobby（大厅） of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As she maneuvered（操作） her walker to the elevator, I provided a description of her tiny room. “I love it,” she stated with childlike enjoyment.
“Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room yet. Just wait,” I said.
“That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” she replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged. It depends on how I arrange my mind, I have already decided to love it before I see it. It’s a kind of decision I make every morning when I wake up.”
“I have a choice： I can spend the day in bed counting the difficulties I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve shored away.”
“Life is like a bank account from which you withdraw（提取） what you’ve put in. so, my advice to you would be to deposit（存） a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories. Thank you for your part in filling my memory bank. I am still depositing.”
56. Mrs. Jones has to move to a nursing home probably because _______.
A. she needs others to do her hair B. she wants to visit a friend there
C. she is not willing to become homeless D. she has no family to take care of her
57. What makes Mrs. Jones satisfied with her new room?
A. Her own decision. B. The size of the room
C. The author’s description D. The arrangement of the furniture
58. According to the passage, the old lady _______.
A. has a positive attitude towards life B. has a lot of money in her bank account
C. is very lonely and in fact not happy at all D. is self-centered and never takes others’ advice
59. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A. How to Live Economically. B. Life Like a Bank Account
C. Always Smile to Others. D. New Life in the Nursing Home
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