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第二部分 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。
Where is that noise coming from? Not sure? Try living with your eyes closed for a few years. Blind people are better at locating sounds than people who can see, a new study says, without the benefits of vision the ears seem to work much better.
Previous studies have shown that blind people are better than others at reaching out and touching the sources of sounds that are close by. Researchers from the University of Montreal wanted to see if blind people were also better at locating sounds that are far away. Twenty-three blind people participated in the study. All had been sightless for at least 20 years. Fourteen of them had lost their vision before age 11. The rest went blind after age 16. The experiment also included 10 people who could see but were wearing blind-folds.
In one task, volunteers had to pick the direction of a sound coming from about 3 metres away. When the sound was in front of them or slightly off center in front, both groups performed equally well.
When sounds came from the side or the back, however, the blind group performed much better than the blindfolded group. The participants who had been blind since childhood did slightly better than those who lost their sight later.
Recognizing the locations of distant sounds can be a matter of life-or-death for blind people,say the researchers. Crossing the street, for instance, is much harder when you can’t see the cars coming.
Still, the researchers were surprised by how well the blind participants did, especially those who went blind after age 16. In another experiment, the scientists also found that parts of the brain that normally deal with visual information became active in locating sound in the people who were blind by age 11. These brain parts didn’t show sound-location activity in the other group of blind people or in the sighted people. The scientists now want to learn more about the working of brains of “late-onset” blind people.
36. The recent study shows blind people are better at telling ________________.
A. The sources of loud sounds. B. the locations of distant sounds
C. the direction of sharp sounds D. the distance of a sound in front of them
37. Which would be a proper title for the passage?
A. A Research on Blind People B. Where is That Noise Coming from?
C. Hearing Better in the Dark D. What If Living Without Your Eyes?
38. If people were asked to tell the direction of a sound from the side, who would perform best?
A. Those who are blind. B. Those who have gone blind since children.
C. Those who went blind at age 16. D. Those who are blindfolded.
39. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Whether to be able to locate the sounds can be of vital importance for the blind.
B. All the volunteers in the experiment are sightless.
C. All the participants did equally well when picking sounds from whatever direction.
D. The later people become blind, the better they can perform in telling the direction of sounds.
40. What do we know about that parts of brain dealing with visual information are active in locating sounds?
A. This happens in almost all the testers.
B. This only occurs in the people who were blind after age 16.
C. It remains nothing new to the scientists any more.
D. It remains a mystery why it is so.
Losing a baby tooth can be fun for a kid. You can put it under your pillow and look forward to finding some money there in the morning. And then you can watch your new permanent(永恒的) tooth grow in its place.
But if a permanent tooth falls out, that’s a problem. There isn’t another one under the gum(齿龈)that can replace it. Unfortunately, this happens to some older people. And if permanent teeth fall out or need to be pulled, an older person might need dentures.
Dentures, known as false teeth, are a set of replacement teeth for any teeth that are missing. There are partial dentures, which take the place of only a few teeth and prevent the others from changing position. If all the teeth are gone, the person would need complete dentures, which replace every tooth in the mouth.
Dentures can cause pains at first and take little time to get adjusted to. They also need special care. They should be brushed daily with a special denture brush and cleanser and soaked in denture solution when not in the mouth.
Dentures are important for older folks because, without teeth, it’s hard to smile, talk, and eat properly. But it can be a little weird if you see someone take out his or her dentures. It can also be strange to see someone, like a grandparent, without dentures in because he or she won’t have any teeth. Try not to make fun of the person because this could cause hurt feelings.
People usually lose their permanent teeth due to periodontal disease, or gum disease, which is caused by bacteria that attacks the gums. Diseased gums aren’t strong and healthy, so teeth can get loose and fall out. Older people often have many cavities(洞)that have been filled over the years, and these fillings can weaken over time, leading to more tooth decay.
67.If one of your baby teeth falls out, you .
A.should have a false tooth fixed in its place
B.have to put it under your pillow at once
C.will gain a permanent tooth in future
D.can exchange it for some money
68.A person wearing dentures .
A.should brush them with a special denture brush every few days
B.will take a very long time to adjust himself or herself to them
C.will experience unpleasant feelings at the beginning of fixing them
D.should use denture solution to soak them in his or her mouth
69.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A.Partial dentures can prevent the remaining teeth from changing position.
B.Old people will find it hard to smile, talk, and eat properly without teeth.
C.A person’s teeth will possibly get loose if diseases strike his gums.
D.It is hard for a person to wear dentures if all his teeth have fallen out.
70.What does the underlined word “weird” mean in the fifth paragraph?
A.inconvenient B.excited C.uncomfortable D.impolite
With smart phones taking the world by storm, a phone that can only send and receive voictcal1s and text messages may seem like a relic from a bygone age. Yet in East Africa, simple phones like these are changing the face of the economy, thanks to the mobile money services that are spreading across the region. Using the text--messaging function built into the GSM system(全球通) used by most cell phone networks, these services al1ow people without a bank account or credit card to use their/phone as an electronic wallet that can he used to store, send or receive cash.
It works like this: you pay cash to your loca1 agent who then tops up your mobile money account using a secure form of text messaging. That money can be transferred to another person by sending a message to their cell Phone account.
Fur some the system is a lifeline. ''If I didn’t have my mobile Phone, I would be very poor," says Neyasse Neemur, a mother of four chi1dren who lives in northern Kenya. .”Now I can sell fish.” Neemur took up fishing in Ju1y last year, but making money from it was a little tricky, especially as Turkana peop1e do not usually eat fish. A truck from Ethiopia to Tanzania passes through her vi1lage once a week, and she arranged to have the driver transport the fish several hundred ki1ometers south to market in Kisumu, where relatives sell the fish.
"I get the money transfer immediately.” says Neemur . "Then I can pay for my children to go to school and for vegetables and beans," she adds, "so I don't need to eat fish."
According to the Central Bank of Kenya, payments worth around l billion Kenyan shillings($13 million) per day were transferred through Kenya’s mobile money systems in 2009, equaling the country’s credit card transactions(业务). The bank expects mobile money transfers to overtake credit cards in 2010.
63. In Paragraph l the author uses "simple phones" to _______________________.
A. make a comparison B. introduce a topic C. describe a scene D. offer an argument.
64. What can we learn about the simple phones in East Africa?
A. They might help the local peop1e apply for a bank account.
B. They will replace the banks completely in the near future.
C. They Provide a safe means for the locals to do business.
D. They can do nothing except send and receive calls or messages.
65. The word “It” in the third paragraph refers to _____________________.
A. the GSM system B. the mobile money service
C. the credit card service D. the cell phone networks
66. The story of Neyasse Neemur suggests that ___________________.
A. the mobile money service plays a key role in the locals life
B. Neemur uses her mobile phone to contact her customers
C. her relative' tricks Turkana people to eat the fish they sell
D. the Bant of Kenya helps her improve her living condition
Gloria is a famous hostess of a TV station. When she was 15, she happened to walk into a bookstore in her hometown and began looking at the books on the shelves. The man behind the counter, John Smith, asked if she'd like a job. She needed to start saving for college, so she said yes.
Gloria worked after school and during summer vacations, and the job helped pay for her first year of college. During college she would do many other jobs: she served coffee in the student union, was a hotel cleaner and even made maps for the Forest Service. But selling books was one of the most satisfying jobs.
One day a woman came into the bookstore and asked Gloria for books on cancer. The woman seemed anxious. Gloria showed her practically everything they had and found other books they could order. The woman left the store less worried, and Gloria has always remembered the pride she felt in having helped her customer.
Years later, as a television hostess, Gloria heard about a child who was born with problems with his fingers and hand. His family could not afford an operation, and the boy lived in shame, hiding his hand in his pocket all the time.
Gloria persuaded her boss to agree to let her do the story. After the story was broadcast, some doctors called, offering to perform the operation for free.
Gloria visited the boy in the hospital after the operation. The first thing he did was to hold up his repaired hand and say, "Thank you. " What a sweet sense of satisfaction Gloria felt!
At Smith's bookstore, Gloria always realized she was working for the customers, not the store. Today it's the same. The TV station pays her, but she feels that she should work for the people who watch the programmes, helping them understand the world better.
56. When did Gloria get her first job?
A. A few years before college. B. Several years after college.
C When she was studying at college. D. When she was working in the TV station.
57. In which part-time job did Gloria feel the happiest?
A. Cleaning in the hotel. B. Selling books in the bookstore.
C. Serving coffee in the student union. D. Making maps for the Forest Service.
58. How did Gloria help the child get the operation he needed?
A. Her boss agreed to raise money. B. She paid for the operation herself.
C She allowed the boy to show on TV. D. Her news report affected some doctors.
59. What particularly gives her the feeling of pride?
A. Helping people through her work. B. Reporting interesting stories.
C Being able to do different jobs well. D. Paying for her college education herself.
The sun shone in through the dining room window,lighting up the hardwood floor. We had been talking there for nearly two hours.The phone of the“Nightline”rang yet again and Morrie asked his helper.Connie,to get it .She had been taking down the callers’names in Morrie’s small black appointment book .It was clear 1 was not the only one interested in visiting my old professor—the“Nightline”appearance had made him something of a big figure—but I was impressed with.perhaps even a bit envious of,all the friends that Morrie seemed to have
“You know.Mitch,now that I'm dying,I've become much more interesting to people.I’m on the last great journey here——and people want me to tell them what to pack.”
The phone rang again.
“Morrie,can you talk?”Connie asked .
“I’m visiting with my old friend now,”he announced.“Let them call back.”
I cannot tell you why he received me so warmly.I was hardly the promising student who had left him sixteen years earlier.Had it not been for“Nightline,”Morrie might have died without ever seeing me again.
What happened to me?
The eighties happened .The nineties happened.Death and sickness and getting fat and going bald happened.I traded lots of dreams for a bigger paycheck,and I never even realized I was doing it .Yet here was Morrie talking with the wonder of our college years,as if I'd simply been on a long vacation
“Have you found someone to share your heart with?” he asked .
“Are you at peace with yourself?”
“Are you trying to be as human as you can be?”
I felt ashamed,wanting to show I had been trying hard to work out such questions.What
happened to me? I once promised myself I would never work for money,that I would join the
Peace Corps,and that 1 would w*w^w.k&s#5@u.c~o*mlive in beautiful,inspirational places.
Instead, I had been in Detroit for ten years,at the same workplace,using the same bank,visiting the same barber .I was thirty-seven,more mature than in college,tied to computers and modems and cell phones.I was no longer young,nor did I walk around in gray sweatshirts with unlit cigarettes in my mouth.I did not have long discussions over egg salad sandwiches about the meaning of life.
My days were full,yet I remained,much of the time,unsatisfied .
What happened to me?
56.When did the author graduate from Morrie’s college?
A.In the eighties. B.In the nineties.
C.When he was sixteen D.When he was twenty-one.
57.What do we know about the“Nightline”?
A.Morrie started it by himself B.It helped Morrie earn a fame.
C.The author helped Morrie start it. D.It was only operated at night.
58.What can we infer from the passage?
A.Both the author and Morrie liked travelling.
B.Morrie liked helping people pack things for their journeys.
C.The author envied Morrie’s friends the help they got from him.
D.The author earned a lot of money at the cost of his dreams.
59.What’s the author’s feeling when he writes this passage?
A.Regretful. B.Enthusiastic. C.Sympathetic. D.Humorous.
Suppose you work in a big firm and find English very important for your job because you often deal with foreign businessmen. Now you are looking for a place where you can improve your English, especially your spoken English.
Here are some advertisements about English language training from newspaper. You may find the information you need.
Global English Center
﹡General English in all four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
﹡3-month (700 yuan), 6-month (1,200 yuan) and one-year (2,000 yuan) courses.
﹡Choices of morning or evening classes, 3 hours per day, Mon-Fri.
﹡Experienced college English teachers.
﹡Close to city center and bus stops.
Tel: 67705272 Add: 105 Ahongshan Road, 100082
Modern Language School
﹡Special courses in English for business, travel, banking, hotel management and office skills.
﹡Small classes(12-16 students) on Sat. &Sun. from 2:00-5:00 p.m.
﹡Native English teachers from Canada and the USA.
﹡Language lab and computers supplied.
﹡3-month course: 1,050 yuan; 6-month course: 1,850 yuan.
Write or phone: Modern Language School, 675 Park Road. 100056
Tel: 67353019
The 21st Century English Training Centre
﹡We specialize in effective teaching at all levels.
﹡We offer morning or afternoon class, both three months and a half at a cost of 800 yuan.
﹡We also have a six-week TOEFL preparation class during winter and summer holidays.
﹡Entrance exams: June. 1 and Dec. 1
﹡Only 15-minute walk from city centre.
Call 67801642 for more information
The International House of English
﹡Three/Six- month English courses for students of all levels at a very low cost: 60 yuan for 12 hours per week: convenient class hours: 9:00-12:00 a.m. and 2:00-5:00 p.m.
﹡A 4-month evening programme specially for developing speaking skills (same cost as day classes).
﹡Free sightseeing and social activities
﹡Very close to the Central Park. For further information call 67432308
67. You work from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every day. Which school will you choose?
A. Global English Center and Modern Language School.
B. Global English Center and the International House.
C. Modern Language School and the 21st Century.
D. The 21st Century and the International House.
68. The 21st Century is different from the other three schools in that______.
A. its teaching quality is better B. it is nearest to the city centre
C. its courses are more advanced D. it requires an entrance examination
69. You will probably prefer to go to the International House because it _________.
A. offers free sightseeing and social activities B. has a special course in spoken English
C. costs less than the other schools D. has native English teachers
70. If you take the evening programme at the International House, you will pay about _______.
A. 60 yuan B. 240 yuan C. 720 yuan D. 960 yuan
Just as mankind has always had a desire to fly, the human race has wanted to swim under the water since prehistoric times. Pictures of primitive devices to enable people to breathe underwater have been found dating from 3000 years ago, but our dream of moving freely beneath the ocean waves for long periods of time was only realized about 60 years ago, when French diving legend Jacques Cousteau developed the first practical Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus(SCUBA). Since then the sport of SCUBA diving has gone from strength to strength.
Lovers of SCUBA diving like the feeling of weightlessness, the peace and quiet under the water, the ability to move in three dimensions and the sense of adventure they get while on a dive. SCUBA divers often travel to some of the most beautiful and remote places in the world in the search for rare underwater flora and fauna(动、植物). Palau, The Red Sea, The Maldives and Hawaii have many of the most popular diving sites, but recreational divers often have to make do with less exotic local destinations, like the North Sea in Britain.
SCUBA diving is not without its dangers, however. The mixture of nitrogen and oxygen divers breathe underwater, combined with the pressure under the water can be deadly if a diver rises too quickly to the surface, causing a condition called ‘the bends’. Divers can also get lost or trapped when diving on wrecks, and fatalities(死亡)are particularly common in cave diving, where divers add to the dangers of diving by swimming through underground caves filled with water. Diving can also be harmful to the underwater environment. However with proper precautions diving can open up a whole new world, far from the stresses of daily life.
63. What is the writer trying to do in the text?
A. Advertise some popular diving sites.
B. Describe how to dive underwater.
C. Warn people against diving in the sea.
D. Give information about SCUBA diving.
64. What can the reader learn from the text?
A. There is uncertainty about SCUBA diving safety.
B. Divers have caused a lot of damage to the environment.
C. SCUBA diving is an old sport with a long history.
D. Divers always face the pressures in their life.
65. How might the writer describe SCUBA diving?
A. Interesting. B. Relaxing. C. Frightening D. Unpleasant.
66. What do you think the author is most likely to suggest if he continues to write?
A. Getting out to dive underwater. B. Stopping damaging environment.
C. Making better use of SCUBA. D. Getting over the troubles of daily life.
七.阅读理解 (20分)
When did you see a polar bear ? On a trip to a zoo, perhaps ? If you had attended a winter activity in New York a few years ago, you would have seen a whole polar bear club. These “Polar Bears” are people who meet frequently in the winter to swim in freezing cold water. That day, the air temperature was 3 degrees. And the water temperature was a little higher. The members of the Polar Bear Club at Coney Island, New York are usually about the age of 60. Members must satisfy two requirements. First, they must get along well with everyone else in the group; this is very important because there are so many different kinds of people in the club. Polar Bears must also agree to swim outdoors at least twice a month from November through February.
Doctors don’t agree about the medical effects of cold-water swimming. Some are worried about the dangers of a condition in which the body’s temperature drops so slow that finally the heart stops. Other doctors, however, point out that there is more danger of a heart attack during summer swimming because the difference between the air temperature and the water tempreature is much greater in summer than in winter.
The Polar Bears themselves are satisfied with the benefits of cold-water swimming. They say that their favorite form of exercise is very good for the circulatory system (循环系统) because it forces the blood to move fast to keep the body warm. Cold-water swimmers usually turn bright red after a few minutes in the water. A person who turns blue probably has a very poor circulatory system and could not try cold-water swimming.
The main benefits of cold-water swimming are probably mental. The Polar Bears love to swim all the year round; they find it fun and relaxing. As one 70-year-old woman says, “When I go into the water, I pour my troubles into the ocean and let them float away.”
1. Doctors _________ .
A. have different ideas about the medical effects of cold-water swimming
B. believe swimming is helpful both in summer and in winter
C. enourage people to take part in cold-water swimming
D. point out the possible danger of blood illness during cold-water swimming
2. According to the passage, some doctors believe it is true that _______ .
A. Polar bears are bears swimming in freezing water
B. cold-water swimming can make the body temperature dangerously high
C. you are healthy if cold-water swimming turns your skin color blue
D. cold-water swimming causes more heart attack in summer than in winter
3. The Polar Bears like to swim year-round, for _______ .
A. it is an easy way to keep the body warm in winter
B. they can stay young
C. they find it enjoyable and interesting
D. they might meet fewer troubles in life
4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the text ?
A.The Polar Bear is a club in which people swim to protect polar bears.
B. The club members are all over 60 years old.
C. There is no woman in the club.
D. None of the above.
5. This passage is mainly about _______ .
A. the requirements of the Polar Bear Club
B. a group of cold-water-swimming lovers
C. the Polar Bears’ life in New York
D. doctors’ ideas about cold-water swimming
I really love my job because I enjoy working with small children and like the challenges and awards from the job. I also think my work is important. There was a time when I thought that I would never have that sort of career.
I wasn’t an excellent student because I didn’t do much schoolwork. In my final term I started thinking what I might do and found I didn’t have much to offer. I just accepted that I wasn’t the type to have a career.
I then found myself a job, looking after two little girls. It wasn’t too hard at first. But the problems began when I agreed to live in, so that I would be there if my boss had to go out for business in the evening. We agreed that if I had to work extra hours one week, she’d give me time off the next. But unfortunately, it didn’t often work out. I was getting extremely tired and fed up because I had too many late nights and early mornings with the children.
One Sunday, I was in the park with the children and met Megan who used to go to school with me. I told her about my situation. She suggested that I should do a course and get a qualification if I wanted to work with children. I didn’t think I would be accepted because I didn’t take many exams in school. She persuaded me to phone the local college and they were really helpful. My experience counted for a lot and I got a part-time course. I had to leave my job with the family and got work helping out at a kindergarten.
Now I have got a full-time job there. I shall always be thankful to Megan. I wish I had known earlier that you could have a career even if you aren’t top of the class at school.
47. What is the author’s present job?
A. Working part-time in a college. B. Taking care of children in a family.
C. Helping children with their schoolwork. D. Looking after children at a kindergarten.
48. When staying with the two girls’ family, the author _______.
A. was paid for extra work B. often worked long hours
C. got much help from her boss D. took a day off every other week
49. What has the author learned from her own experiences?
A. Less successful students can still have a career.
B. Qualifications are necessary for a career.
C. Hard work makes an excellent student.
D. One must chose the job she likes.
50. What does the underlined sentence probably mean?
A. The boss didn’t go out to work very often.
B. The boss often failed to keep his agreement with the writer.
C. The writer couldn’t go out to find another job.
D. The writer seldom had any chance to work outside.
Clothes play a critical part in the conclusions we reach about who people are, who they are not, and who they would like to be. They tell us a good deal about the wearer′s background, personality, status, mood, and social outlook.
Since clothes are such an important source of social information, we can use them to influence people′s impression of us. Our appearance takes on particular significance in the initial phases of interaction. An elderly middle-class man or woman may be alienated (疏远) by a young adult who is dressed in an unconventional manner, regardless of the person′s education, background, or interests.
People tend to agree on what certain types of clothes mean. Adolescent girls can easily agree on the lifestyles of girls who wear certain outfits (套装), including the number of boyfriends they likely have had and whether they smoke or drink. Newscasters and announcers on TV are considered to be more convincing, honest, and competent when they are dressed conservatively. College students who view themselves as taking an active role in their interpersonal relationships say the costumes they wear change the way they feel about themselves and how they act. Perhaps you have used clothing to gain confidence when you face a stressful situation, such as a job interview, or a court appearance.
In the workplace, men have long had well-defined role models for achieving success. It has been otherwise for women. A good many women in the business world are uncertain about the appropriate mixture of “masculine”(男性)and “feminine”(女性)characteristics they should convey to men.
Male administrators tend to judge women more favorably for managerial positions when the women display less “feminine” grooming (打扮)— shorter hair, moderate use of make-up, and plain tailored clothing. As one male administrator confessed, “An attractive woman is definitely going to get a longer interview, but she won′t get a job.”
57. According to paragraph two, an elderly middle-class man and unconventionally-dressed young man are unlikely to____.
A. understand each other's lifestyle
B. share the same background or interests
C. influence their impressions of each other
D. interact in a positive way
58. The author uses the newscasters' example to show the idea that____.
A. certain clothing gives people more confidence
B. clothes have nothing to do with one's abilities
C. we tend to label people by their clothes
D. competent people always dress conventionally
59. Men's professional clothing can best be described as "_____".
A. conventional B. individualistic
C. out-of-date D. changeless
60. How should professional women dress according to the passage?
A. They must be dressed conservatively.
B. They don't have a certain dressing style to follow.
C. They choose either masculine or feminine clothing.
D. They can't wear unconventional outfits.
There are several reasons for hair loss in women. However, in most cases, treatment is quite effective. Female hair loss patterns in women are not as easily recognizable as they are in men. A woman may experience it temporarily due to pregnancy or illness, although they may experience it for other reasons.
Hair loss can be due to a variety of factors, including a genetic tendency (which is not genetically linked to just one parent—both parents contribute to the tendency to lose hair).
Women who are experiencing hair problems seem to have more limited choices than men. There are some female hair loss treatments that are available such as the Tricomin System which is a topical treatment that is nutrition based. Shen Min for Women is another natural treatment that contains herbs (药草) that are said to stimulate(刺激) hair growth and even restore hair that is graying to its natural color.
The majority of the popular, proven hair loss treatments are only intended for men and are not suitable for women. True, a woman’s hair issue is different from a man’s. The biological makeup is different and the needs are different. Women have different needs and their bodies react in different ways to environmental changes, physical illness and even the treatments that are available. There are many natural treatments such as vitamin and mineral supplements that are said to stimulate hair growth, but, for the most part, these claims are currently unproven.
One of the first and most important factors to effectively treating is to get a diagnosis from a doctor. Talk to your doctor about any symptoms that you may be experiencing in addition to the thinning hair. Stress, weight loss or gain, illness and depression, all of these can be contributing factors.
50. It can be learned from the 1st paragraph that ___________.
usually hair loss is hard to heal
B . female hair loss is more common than the men’s
women tend to suffer from hair loss during the pregnant period
only illness contributes to hair loss
51.Which of the following statements matches the text about the two treatments?
A. Both are to solve the problem of male hair loss.
Tricomin System is effective in speeding the growth of the new hair
Shen Min is an updated way of treating hair loss
D. The former is nutrition-based, while the latter is medicine-based.
52. The reasons for the differences between the female and male hair loss problems do not include _______.
A. The biological structure and composition of the hair
The wants and needs
The reactions and responses to the outside changes
The approach to taking exercise
53. The natural treatments __________.
include vitamin and mineral supplements
B. are applied to keep the hair healthy
C. have been proved useful
D. are the most commonly-used ways
One hundred and thirteen million Americans have at least one bank-issued credit card. They give their owners automatic credit in stores, restaurants, and hotels, at home, across the country, and even abroad, and they make many banking services available as well. More and more of these credit cards can be read automatically, making it possible to withdraw or deposit money in scattered locations, whether or not the local branch bank is open. For many of us the “cashless society” is not on the horizon---it’s already here.
While computer offer these conveniences to consumers, they have many advantages for sellers too. Electronic cash registers can do much more than simply ring up sales. They can keep a wide range of records, including who sold what, when and to whom. This information allows businessmen to keep track of their list of goods by showing which items are being sold and how far they are moving. Decisions to reorder or return goods to suppliers can then be made. At the same time these computers record which hours are busiest and which employees are the most efficient, allowing personnel and staffing assignments to be made accordingly. And they also identify preferred customer for promotional campaigns. Computers are relied on by manufacturers for similar reasons. Computer analyzed marketing reports can help to decide which products to emphasize now, which to develop for the future and which to drop. Computers keep track of goods in stock, of raw materials on hand, and even of the production process itself.
Numerous other commercial enterprises, from theaters to magazine publishers, from gas and electric utilities to milk processors, bring better and more efficient services to consumers through the use of computers.
49.According to the passage, the credit card enables its owner to .
A. withdraw as much money from the bank as he wishes
B. obtain more convenient services than other people do
C. enjoy great trust from the storekeeper
D. cash money where he wished to
50. From the last sentence of the first paragraph we learn that .
A. in the future all the Americans will use credit cads
B. credit cards are mainly used in the United States today
C. nowadays many Americans do not pay in cash
D. it is now more convenient to use credit cards than before
51. The phrase“ring up sales”most probably means .
A. make an order of goods B. record sales on a cash register
C. call the sales manager D. keep track of the goods in stock
If you are in charge of a project, the key to success is getting everyone to want to help you. As a director, I point, I suggest. I gently push the actors in the direction I want them to go. In the 1986 movie, “Nothing in Common”, Jackie Gleason’s character, Max Basner, gets fired from his job as a clothing salesman. The scene, shot on a boat, shows Max’s despair about being out of work. I was looking for some gesture that would allow Max to show his feelings.
Jackie had far more experience at everything than I did, and at first I was frightened. What could I possibly tell “The Great One” about acting? Finally I decided to direct by suggestion, and sat down with Gleason to talk about the scene. “So Max is sad, right?” I said.
Gleason nodded.
“And he’s probably still carrying his pens with name on them—the ones he used to hand out to his customers, right?”
Gleason nodded.
“So what would you want to do with the pens after you were fired?”
He was silent for a moment. “Why don’t I throw them overboard?”
I stood up and turned up and turned toward the crew. “Hey, everybody, Jackie has a wonderful idea. Let’s shoot it.”
After filming the scene, Gleason called me over and said with a smile. “Garry, what kind of wonderful idea am I going to have tomorrow?”
You and your team can discover the answers to problems together. When there are no prizes or gold stars for who gets the solution first, you’ll all benefit when everything turns out right.
61.According to the writer, to succeed in a project you are in charge of , you should______.
A. make everyone work for you B. get everyone willing to help
C. let people know you have the idea D. keep talking to them
62. “The Great One” in Paragraph 2 refers to______.
A. Gleason B. the director himself C. Max D. Max’s boss
63. After filming the scene, Gleason called the director over and smiled at him. That’s because Gleason________.
A. thought the director gave him a good idea
B. formed the habit of thinking of ideas while talking
C. was not confident about his acting
D. appreciated the director’s directing skill
64. The most suitable title for the passage is “_______”.
A. Directing a Film B. The Key to Success
C. A Wonderful Experience D. Working with Film
It is a typical case. A young professional has just moved to a new city. She is very active in her new job but wishes to meet people socially outside of work. How does she do this?
Signing up for a night class is always a good starting point. Not only is it an ideal way to meet like-minded people,it can also be a great new learning experience. Pubs and clubs can be a good meeting place but can be a bit hard if you are on your own.
Join a gym
GL-14 health club in Manchester city centre is a gym which also has lots of member activities outside the gym from charity fashion shows to dinner dances giving members a chance to socialize away from the treadmill(繁忙的工作). Or if you want a gym with a difference,try a“Green Gym”for people who want to exercise but wish to be outdoors and doing something that will benefit the environment at the same time. The“work out”could involve such activities as practical conservation or gardening work. It’s a great way to get people’s heart and muscle working. And many agree that meeting other people and having a matter and a laugh is a big attraction of the scheme.
Reading groups
In the Reading Groups,Jenny Hartley suggested that there may be as many as 50,000 people in reading groups in the UK. They range from informal groups of friends or colleagues who meet in someone’s home or at the local pub,to discuss a book. If you want something a bit more structured,lots of libraries have reading groups and could have a broader group of members.
Statistics
The BBC recently conducted a survey called Going solo:single life in the 21st century. You can look at the overall results or search by area. It found that:
*69% of people thought that the gym was a good place to meet new
*Pubs or clubs were considered to be good meeting places by 58% of people in the UK
*68% thought that work was a good place to meet people
*72% thought that internet chat was not an ideal way to meet people
( )56.“Green Gym”in Paragraph 3 refers to an activity in which you can________.
A.have night classes with like-minded people
B.do something good for the environment on your own
C.discuss a book with other members at a pub
D.benefit the environment while doing outdoor exercise
( )57.Which of the following is a Green Gym activity?
A.Gardening work. B.Chatting on the Internet.
C.A charity fashion show. D.A dinner dance away from the treadmill.
( )58.What’s the most popular place to meet new people outside of work?
A.Pubs or clubs. B.The Internet. C.The working place. D.The gym.
Everywhere you look, large quantities of information in the world are pouring. This data flood is already starting to transform business, government, science and everyday life. It has great potential for good — as long as consumers, companies and governments make the right choices about when to restrict the flow of data, and when to encourage it.
A few industries have led the way in their ability to gather and take advantage of the data. Credit-card companies monitor every purchase and can identify cheats with a high degree of accuracy. Stolen credit cards are more likely to be used to buy hard liquor than wine, for example, because it is easier to overlook. Insurance firms are also good at combining clues to spot doubtful claims: dishonest claims are more likely to be made on a Monday than a Tuesday, since policyholders (保险客户) who stage accidents tend to assemble friends as false witnesses over the weekend. By combining many such rules, it is possible to work out which cards are likeliest to have been stolen, and which claims are untrue. By analyzing “basket data”, supermarkets can make promotions to appeal to particular customers’ preferences. The oil industry uses supercomputers to help them before drilling wells.
But the data flood also poses risks. There are many examples of databases being stolen: disks full of social-security data go missing, laptops loaded with tax records are left in taxis, credit-card numbers are stolen by online purchase. The result can be privacy made public, identity stolen and cheats permitted large space. Rather than owning and controlling their own personal data, they very often find that they have lost control of it.
The best way to deal with the data flood is to make more data available in the right way, by requiring greater transparency in several areas. First, users should be given greater access to and control over the information held about them, including whom it is shared with. Google allows users to see what information it holds about them, and lets them delete their search histories or modify the targeting of advertising, for example. Second, organizations should be required to disclose details of security breaches (安全漏洞), as is already the case in some parts of the world, to encourage bosses to take information security more seriously. Third, organizations should be subject to an annual security check, with the resulting grade made public (though details of any problems exposed would not be). This would encourage companies to keep their security measures up to date.
64. What is the best title for this passage?
A. Information Flood B. Benefits of Data Flood
C. Harms of Data Flood D. How to Use Data in a Right Way
65. From the passage we can infer that _____.
A. lots of data are lost because of hardware problems
B. online purchases are becoming more and more popular
C. credit cards are not so secure to use and will go out of use very soon
D. insurance firms have to investigate before they confirm their policyholders’ claims
66. Which of the following is the writer’s opinion about how to deal with the data flood?
A. Personal information should be used for public benefits.
B. The users should be given the right to access public information.
C. Companies should update their measures to guarantee their data safety.
D. Organizations should keep their resulting grade of security checks unknown to the public.
67. From the passage we can conclude that _____.
A. the data flood makes peoples’ life less convenient and more expensive
B. companies and insurance firms are responsible for the data flood
C. the information flood is more useful to organizations than to individuals
D. the information flood has both positive and negative influence on modern life