“Everybody loves a bargain.” One person's useless, ugly, or broken object can be another person's bargain. That is why so many Americans do not throw things away. They put them outside their houses. They put on a “For Sale” sign. And, as simple as that, they have a yard sale.
The sellers put a paid announcement(付费通告)in a local newspaper. It tells when and where the yard sale will take place. These sales are very popular during weekends in spring, summer, and autumn. Early in the morning, all the things to be sold are carried out of the house. Then they sit all day in the sunlight----like tired guests at a party----waiting for someone to take them home.
Just about anything can be sold at a yard sale. Sometimes, there are more clothes than anything else. Cooking equipment is also popular. So are old toys, tools, books, tables and chairs. Then there are objects called “white elephants”. A white elephant is something you think is extremely ugly or useless. It may be an electric light shaped like a fish. You feel a sharp pa
in whenever you look at it. To someone else, however, it might be a thing of beauty and joy.
Some people go to yard sales to find a special thing that they collect. It may be old toy trains, for example, or painting of dogs. Experts say more Americans are collecting old things now than ever before. Most people who go to yard sales, however, are not looking for anything special. They might buy an object simply because it costs so little. They enjoy negotiating(谈判) over prices, even if they really do not need the object. Later, they may hold their own yard to sell all the things they have bought.What kind of things will go to a yard sale?
| A．Cheap and ugly things. | B．Things people no longer use. |
| C．Things out of season. | D．Things of great value. |
A white elephant refers to _________.
| A．something that can cause a feeling of pain |
| B．something disliked by the owners while appreciated by others |
| C．something sold at the lowest prices |
| D．a toy shaped like a fish |
Most people go to yard sales to________.
| A．find valuable paintings | B．look for something special |
| C．find a bargain | D．kill their time |
Which of the following is NOT true about a yard sale?
| A．It may not be held when the weather is very cold. |
| B．It can last for a whole day. |
| C．It is usually held with a party. |
| D．It is held outdoors. |
We can infer from the last paragraph that__________.
| A．people may find something of great value on a yard sale |
B．yard sales only attract those who have a low income |
| C．things on a yard sale can cost people a lot |
| D．most people don’t want to go to yard sales. |
Businesses are expected to cut spending dramatically through much of 2009. A number of economists, including those National City and Wachovia, don’t expect business investment, which make up about one – tenth of US economic activity, to decline through 2009. According to a survey of 679 chief financial officers by Duke University and CFO Magazine this month, US businesses expect to cut capital spending by more than 10% in the next 12 months, a sharp decrease from September, when the CFOs expected business investment to increase slightly.
John Graham, finance professor at Duke and director of the survey, says businesses are finding ways to repair existing machinery and buildings rather than replace equipment or move. They likely won’t increase their spending until they see concrete evidence that the economy is improving.
Those planning meeting for late winter and early spring are either buying fewer or less – expensive items, or they’re not buying at all. One client who usually spends about $ 80,000 on a conference each year is spending half that. Robert Coen, director of forecasting at media – analysis firm Magna, predicts a 4.5% drop in ad spending to $ 259 billion in 2009 on the heels of a 3.2% drop in 2008. “A recovery in US ad budgets will probably not get underway until 2010,” he says. Another negative for 2009: There aren’t any big ad – spending events such as the Olympics or national elections.
Declining business spending will hurt a number of industries but will be especially tough for the manufacturing sector. Nearly two – thirds of manufacturers expect revenue(税收) to be unchanged or lower in 2009 than 2008, a survey from the Institute for Supply Management found.
1.According to John Graham, how did businesses to deal with the economy crisis?
A. They are spending less.
B. By increasing their business spending sharply.
C. By replacing old equipment with the new equipment.
D. By moving into the cheaper offices.
2.Why are the managers buying less – expensive items for their meetings?
A. To save money themselves.
B. To cut down on expenses and save for the companies.
C. To see the concrete evidence that the economy is on the mend.
D. To save money so they spend more on advertisements.
3.It can be inferred that in a year Olympics are held, many companies _________.
A. contribute more money to the poor B. give the participants money
C. spend more money on advertising D. cut down on advertising budgets
4.The best title for the passage is ____________.
A. Predictions about Buying New Equipment in 2009
B. Predictions about Conference Planning in 2009
C. Predictions about Advertising Spending in 2009
D. Predictions for Business Spending in 2009
A patient came to see me about the stress in her life. She described all the things she had to do －one was to make her bed－from the moment she woke up until she flew out of the door for work. I suggested she experiment by not making her bed for two weeks. She was shocked, probably thinking I’d been raised by wolves in a forest. However, she went along with my idea.
Two weeks later she went into my office beaming. She had left her bed unmade for the first time in 42 years－and nothing bad had happened. “And you know what?” she said. “I don’t dry my dishes anymore, either.”
This woman had made two major breakthroughs (突破). One was discovering that she had choices in her life that she had never seen before. The other was giving herself permission to be less that perfect. This story shows an important principle (原理) about managing time: No one can do it all. Each of us has to make choices and accept trade – offs. The problem is, many people choose in ways that put themselves and their health last. They take better care of their houses and cars than they do of themselves. They put everyone else’s needs ahead of their own.
So what is the solution? There’s an easy way. Decide what you want in your life, and put that first. On a daily basis, that should include regular meals, enough sleep and time with your family. Exercise, leisure, friendships and hobbies should also be regular aspects of life. The point is to do something for yourself every day. The choice is yours: whatever makes you feel good about yourself and your life. Take a nap. Take a walk. Take time to play the piano. Stop bringing your briefcase home from the office. Stop keeping your house as clean as your mother kept hers. Fill more of your time with want – to – dos instead of have – to – dos.What is the solution to the problem of managing time?
| A．Doing more exercises every day. | B．Taking time to visit friends regularly. |
| C．Stopping making bed occasionally. | D．Doing what you want to do first. |
What does the word “beaming” in Line 1, Paragraph 2 probably mean?
| A．Worrying | B．Smiling | C．Depressed | D．Luckily |
What is the major problem of most people managing time?
| A．Most people do not take care of their health. |
| B．Most people put others’ needs ahead of their own. |
| C．Most people cannot keep balance on managing time. |
| D．Most people do not take time to relax themselves. |
What is the author’s attitude toward people’s problems in the passage?
| A．Matter – of – fact. | B．Negative. | C．Indifferent. | D．Worried. |
Do you know the cold?
Everybody knows what happens when you catch a cold. First you sniffle(抽鼻涕) or get a more throat. Then you sneeze. After coughing and blowing your way through the next few days it’s over---until next time
Do you know what causes a cold, how it is spread or how to help prevent it? And which of the many medicines is best for your cold?
There is no known cure for the common cold. Once you catch a cold, your body usually produces antibodies(抗体) to the virus which caused the cold. These antibodies help the body develop resistance（抵抗力) to the virus if you catch it again. Unfortunately, over 200 different viruses cause the common cold. These viruses may change over time, so your resistance to them reduces. The large number of viruses and the fact that they change help explain why there is no cure for the common cold and why you will suffer colds in the future.
The colds increase in winter(usually between Septenber and March) but Not because of the cold! Cold weather has not been shown to increase the number of colds. People spend more time indoors in winter. They are therefore more likely to come into physical contact with each other and spread the disease. All these ideas remain to be proven. No one has been able to discover what really causes these colds
Common colds are spread by sneezes or by direct contact with a cold sufferer, usually when two people’ hands touch or an object is passed from one person to another. Sneezing spreads colds when someone sneezes near other people, or sneezes on objects which others later touch. A cold virus can survive up to three hours on hard surfaces.
The simplest and most effective way to lower the risk of catching a cold is to wash your hands frequently. Another important step in cold prevention is for cold sufferers to get rid of used tissues immediately after use.
1.From the passage, we can know____________.
A. a cold virus can survive up to four hours
B. most of people know how to cure a cold
C. there are more colds in November than in May
D. all of us catch more than one cold a year
2.According to the passage, people tend to catch a cold___________.
A. because they don’t take exercise in winter
B.if they stay outdoors in freezinf cold winter
C. if they stay indoors more often in winter
D.because the viruses of colds usually exist in winter
3.We can know colds sre spread through____________.
A. air and touching B. coughs and objects C.two people D. a person and his hands
I fell in love with England because it was quaint (古雅) — all those little houses, looking terribly old-fashioned but nice, like dolls’ houses. I loved the countryside and the pubs, and I loved London. I’ve slightly changed my mind after seventeen years because I think it’s an ugly town now.
Things have changed. For everybody, England meant gentlemen, fair play, and good manners. The fair play is going, unfortunately, and so are the gentlemanly attitudes and good manners —people shut doors heavily in your face and politeness is disappearing.
I regret that there are so few comfortable meeting places. You’re forced to live indoors. In Paris I go out much more, to restaurants and nightclubs. To meet friends here it usually has to be in a pub, and it can be difficult to go there alone as a woman. The cafés are not terribly nice.
As a woman, I feel unsafe here. I spend a bomb (a lot of money) on taxis because I will not take public transport after 10 pm. I used to use it, but now I’m afraid.
The idea of family seems to be more or less non-existent in England. My family is well united and that’s typically French. In Middlesex I had a neighbour who is 82 now. His family only lived two miles away, but I took him to France for Christmas once because he was always alone.The writer doesnt like London because she _________.
| A．is not used to the life there now |
| B．has lived there for seventeen years |
| C．prefers to live in an old-fashioned house |
| D．has to be polite to everyone she meets there |
Where do people usually meet their friends in England?
| A．In a café. | B．In a restaurant. |
| C．In a nightclub. | D．In a pub. |
The underlined part it (in para. 4) refers to_________.
| A．a taxi | B．the money |
| C．a bomb | D．public transport |
The writer took her neighbour to France for Christmas because he _________.
| A．felt lonely in England |
| B．had never been to France |
| C．was from a typical French family |
| D．didnt like the British idea of family |
It must have been around nine o’clock when I drove back home from work because it was already dark． As I came near to the gates I turned off the head lights of the car so as to prevent the beam from swinging (摆动) through the window and waking Jack, who shared the house with me． But I needn’t have done so． I noticed that his light was still on, so he was awake anyway—unless he had fallen asleep while reading． I put the car away and went up the steps．
Then I opened the door quietly and went to Jack’s room． He was in bed awake, but he didn’t even turn towards me．
“What’s up, Jack﹖” I asked．
“For God’s sake, don’t make a noise,” he said．
The way he spoke reminded me of someone in pain who is afraid to talk in case he does himself serious injury．
“Take your shoes off, Neville,” Jack said．
I thought that he must be ill and that I had better give way to him to keep him happy． “There is a snake here,” he explained． “It’s asleep between the sheets． I was lying on my back reading when I saw it．I knew that moving was out of the question． I could not have moved even I’d wanted to．” I realized that he was serious． “I was depending on you to call a doctor as soon as you came home,” Jack went on． “It has not bitten me yet but I dare not do anything to upset it． It might wake up． I’m sick of this,” he said．“I took it for granted that you would have come home an hour ago．”
There was no time to argue or apologize for being late．I looked at him as encouraging as I could and went to telephone the doctor．When he got home, Neville found that ＿＿＿＿＿．
| A．Jack had fallen asleep while reading | B．Jack had been reading for some time |
| C．Jack’s light was not turned off | D．Jack was ready to answer the doctor |
The underlined phrase in Paragraph 6 means ＿＿＿＿＿．
| A．impossible | B．no problem | C．no doubt | D．without difficulty |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage﹖
| A．Neville and Jack lived in the same house． |
| B．Neville thought that Jack had fallen ill． |
| C．Neville really believed that Jack was not making a joke． |
| D．Neville refused to argue or to make an apology for being late． |
The reason why Neville thought that Jack must be ill is that Jack ＿＿＿＿．
| A．asked Neville to take off his shoes |
| B．made a gesture to show the presence of the snake |
| C．was afraid to upset the snake sleeping between the sheets |
| D．behaved strangely as if he were badly hurt |
According to the passage, Neville should have been home at ＿＿＿＿．
| A．7 p．m． | B．8 p．m． | C．9 p．m． | D．6 p．m． |
The film stars out as a normal day at a typical American high school. Friends chat in the dining room and boys play football. But there's big surprise when the movie ends with two students going crazy in the school-shooting and killing people.
This is Elephant. It stars real school kids. American director Gus Van Sant had no ready-made lines. The student actors made up their own dialogue, with Van Sant asking them to base their characters on their own lives.
Although it may not sound very high quality, the film won the Palme d'Or (金棕奖) for Best Film and the award for Best Director at the Cannes film festival.
The film is based on the shootings at a high school in the US, where two boys killed 13 people and then themselves in 1999.
The title of the movie refers to the old expression about a problem that's as hard to ignore as an elephant in the house.
The film takes a close look at a few hours in the lives of the victims and the killers. It shows how high school is a different experience for everyone---fun and friendly, or hard and lonely.
In many ways, the two boys, who carry out the shooting, act like ordinary kids. They joke around with one boy's mother as she serves them cakes and play the piano.
But there're hints of the anger they feel inside. One of the boys is bullied (欺负) at school. The other plays violent video games. But Van Sant isn't blaming their killings on either bullying or violent games. In fact, the film doesn't offer any reason for why school violence happens.
"I didn't want to explain anything. It's up to the audience to draw its own conclusions," said the 51-year-old director.The lines of the film were ________.
| A．given by the director |
| B．created by student actors |
| C．thought out by the director during the acting |
| D．carefully designed by professional people |
The film doesn't tell why school shootings happen________.
| A．so as to leave room for the audience to think and judge |
| B．because life itself is the problem maker |
| C．because the mental problems of students are hard to explain |
| D．but there are some hints of the reasons |
The film is named Elephant because ________.
| A．an elephant is always gentle and never causes trouble |
| B．an elephant is a symbol of big problems in American schools |
| C．elephant is used to suggest that the school crime is a big problem |
| D．the two boys liked elephants when alive |
What’s the passage mainly about？
| A．It shows American school life. |
| B．It introduces the film Elephant. |
| C．It tells people to be careful while in peace. |
| D．It reports a school killing in a US school. |
As you grow older，you’ll be faced with some challenging decisions--like whether to cut class or try cigarettes．Making decisions on your own is hard enough，but when other people get involved and try to pressure you one way or another it can be even harder．People who are your age，like your classmates，are called peers．When they try to influence how you act，to get you to do something，it’s called peer pressure．
Peers can have a positive influence on each other．Maybe another student in your science class taught you an easy way to remember the planets in the solar system．Maybe you got others excited about your new favorite book，and now everyone’s reading it．These are examples of how peers positively influence each other．
Sometimes peers influence each other in negative ways．For example，a few kids in school might try to get you to cut class with them; your soccer friend might try to convince you to be mean to another player and never pass him the ball．
It is tough to be the only one who says “no” to peer pressure，but you can do it．Paying attention to your own feelings and beliefs about what is right and wrong can help you know the right thing to do．
You’ve probably had a parent or teacher advising you to “choose your friends wisely．” Peer pressure is a big reason why they say this．If you choose friends who don’t cut class，smoke cigarettes，or lie to their parents，then you probably won’t do these things either，even if other kids do．
If you continue to face peer pressure and you’re finding it difficult to handle，talk to someone you trust．Don’t feel guilty if you’ve made a mistake or two．For whom is the passage most probably written?
| A．Students |
| B．Parents |
| C．Teachers |
| D．Doctors |
In the last three paragraphs，the author mainly_____．
| A．explains why friendship is so important |
| B．gives advice on how to deal with peer pressure |
| C．discusses how peers influence us |
| D．shows how to make more good friends |
Which of following may help handle peer pressure?
| A．Spending more time with classmates． |
| B．Taking up more relaxing hobbies． |
| C．Choosing friends with no bad habits． |
| D．Helping others who are in trouble． |
What is the topic of the passage?
| A．Friendship |
| B．Making decisions |
| C．Self-confidence |
| D．Peer pressure |
阅读下列短文,选出最佳选项。 Three-year-old Teddy Lasry was sleeping in his cowboy outfit (套装) yesterday at his family’s Fifth Ave．apartment when he shot up in bed screaming．A 3-foot-long black-and-white snake twisted around his left arm and had just bitten his little finger．
“The babysitter (a person taking care of children while their parents are away for a short time) was frightened to death,” said Teddy’s father, David Lasry, who, along with his wife, Evelyn, was at work when the snake appeared about 4:00 pm．
The horrified babysitter called 911 and the building’s doorman．The doorman and two cable TV workers helped take the snake off the boy’s arm and put it in a garbage bag．Police rushed Teddy to Mount Sinai Medical Center, where he spent two hours attached to a heart monitor as a precaution in case the snake was poisonous．It wasn’t．Experts at the snakebite treatment center at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, where policemen took the snake, found out it was a non-poisonous California king snake．
But how did it end up in Teddy’s bed?
A little detective work determined that the snake had escaped two weeks ago from its cage in the apartment of a doctor whose family lives four floors below the Lasrys．The apologetic owner said his son’s pet snake likely traveled up the water pipes and into his neighbor’s apartment．“It’s a very gentle, very harmless snake,” he said．“It’s handled by our family all the time．”
David Lasry believed the pet was simply hungry after two weeks of wandering．Evelyn said her son seems to have overcome his fright by thinking of himself as a hero cowboy as he rode in the back of the police car to the hospital．
“I told Teddy he’s a pretty snake, a nice pet snake who got out of his cage,” Evelyn said．“But he asked, ‘Why did he bite my finger, Mamma?’ And I said, ‘Because he saw that you are a big boy, Teddy, in your cowboy outfit and he got scared．’”
What did the babysitter do after Teddy was bitten by a snake?
| A．She ran out of the apartment． |
| B．She called the TV company． |
| C．She made an emergency call． |
| D．She took the snake off Teddy’s arm． |
We can learn from the passage that the snake _______．
| A．was poisonous |
| B．was kept in a cage by its owner |
| C．was deserted by its owner |
| D．escaped to the apartment |
From the passage, we know _______．
| A．Teddy needed a heart machine to stay alive for two hours |
| B．Teddy was awake when the snake arrived |
| C．Teddy’s mother was at home when the snake turned up |
| D．the snake was used to being touched |
Teddy probably believed he was attacked because _______．
| A．his parents weren’t at home |
| B．he was asleep the snake |
| C．was scared of him |
| D．the snake was hungry |
B
| Populations and Land (1987) |
||||
| |
Area in |
Percent |
Population |
Percent |
| |
Square miles |
Cultivated |
In millions |
forested |
| United States |
3615104 |
20 |
243.8 |
28 |
| Canada |
3851792 |
5 |
25.9 |
33 |
| United Kingdom |
94525 |
29 |
56.8 |
9 |
| Australia |
2967896 |
6 |
16.2 |
14 |
| India |
1269340 |
51 |
800.3 |
21 |
| China |
3705390 |
11 |
1062.0 |
14 |
Which two countries are the closest to each other in area?
| A．The US and Canada | B．The US and China |
| C．China and Canada | D．India and China |
_____ has the highest population density(密度), and _____ has the second highest.
| A．China, India | B．India, China |
| C．India, the US | D．China, the US |
Which two countries have the closest percentage of cultivated land?
| A．The US and the United Kingdom. |
| B．The US and China |
| C．Australia and Canada． |
| D．Australia and China |
There are _____ countries whose cultivated land percentage is larger than the forest percentage.
| A．2 | B．3 | C．4 | D．5 |
For those who make journeys across the world, the speed of travel today has turned the countries into a series of villages. Distances between them appear no greater to a modern traveler than those which once faced men as they walked from village to village. Jet plane fly people from one end of the earth to the other, allowing them a freedom of movement undreamt of a hundred years ago.
Yet some people wonder if the revolution in travel has gone too far. A price has been paid, they say, for the conquest (征服) of time and distance. Travel is something to be enjoyed, not endured . The boat offers leisure and time enough to appreciate the ever-changing sights and sounds of a journey. A journey by train also has a special charm about it. Lakes and forests and wild, open plains sweeping past your carriage window create a grand view in which time and distance mean nothing. On board a plane, however, there is just the blank blue of the sky filling the narrow window of the airplane. The soft lighting, in-flight films and gentle music make up the only world you know, and the hours progress slowly.
Then there is the time spent being “processed” at a modern airport. People are conveyed like robots along walkways; baggage is weighed, tickets produced, examined and produced yet again before the passengers move again to another waiting area. Journeys by rail and sea take longer, yes, but the hours devoted to being “processed” at departure and arrival in airports are luckily absent. No wonder, then, that the modern high-speed trains are winning back passengers from the airlines.
Man, however, is now a world traveler and can not turn his back on the airplane. The working lives of too many people depend upon it; whole new industries have been built around its design and operation. The holiday maker, too, with limited time to spend, patiently endures the busy airports and limited space of the flight to gain those extra hours and even days, relaxing in the sun. Speed controls people’s lives; time saved, in work or play, is the important thing—or so we are told. Perhaps those first horsemen, riding free across the wild, open plains, were enjoying a better world than the one we know today. They could travel at will, and the clock was not their master.What does the writer try to express in Paragraph1?
| A．Travel by plane has speeded up the growth of villages． |
| B．The speed of modern travel has made distances relatively short． |
| C．The freedom of movement has helped people realize their dreams． |
| D．Man has been fond of travelling rather than staying in one place． |
How does the writer support the underlined statement in Paragraph2?
| A．By giving instructions. |
| B．By analyzing cause and effect. |
| C．By following the order of time. |
| D．By giving examples. |
According to Paragraph 3, passengers are turning back to modern high-speed trains because______．
| A．they pay less for the tickets |
| B．they feel safer during the travel |
| C．they can enjoy higher speed of travel |
| D．they don’t have to be “processed” |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Air travel benefits people and industries． |
| B．Train Travel has some advantages over air travel． |
| C．Great changes have taken place in modern travel. |
| D．The high speed of air travel is gained at a cost. |
When I was a child, I often dreamed of the time when I could leave home and escape to the city. We lived on a farm and, in the winter especially, we were quite cut off from the outside world. As soon as I left school, I packed my bags and moved to the capital. However, I soon discovered that city life has its problems too.
One big disadvantage is money---it costs so much to go out, not to mention basics like food and housing. Another disadvantage is pollution. I suffer from asthma(哮喘), and at times the air is so bad that I am afraid to go outside. Then there is the problem of travelling round. Although I have a car, I seldom use it because of the traffic jams. One choice is to go by bicycle, but that can be quite dangerous.
Of course there are advantages. First, there is so much to do in the city, whatever your tastes in culture or entertainment. Besides, there are wonderful jobs and greater chances of moving to a more important job or position. Finally, if you like shopping, the variety of goods is very surprising---and, what is more, shops are often only a short walk away.
Is life better then, in the city? Perhaps it is, when you are in your teens(十几岁) or twenties. However, as you get older, and especially if you have small children, the peace of the countryside may seem preferable. I certainly hope to move back there soon.What was the writer always thinking about when he was a child?
| A．Staying on the farm |
| B．Moving to the countryside |
| C．Leaving home for the city |
| D．Running away from the school |
Which of the following is true about the writer?
| A．He is very old now. |
| B．He is in good health. |
| C．He prefers driving a car. |
| D．He lives in the city now. |
In the passage, the writer tries to _______.
| A．express his opinions about way of life |
| B．describe his life in the countryside |
| C．show an interest in the outside world |
| D．persuade the reader to live in the city |
How is the passage mainly developed?
| A．By inferring | B．By comparing |
| C．By listing examples | D．By giving explanations |
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项. 选项中有两项为多余选项. 请将答案涂在答题卡上.
71 Because, from what I could see, it seemed that grown-ups often forgot. I never wanted to forget --- I wanted to be able to remind other adults and myself when the time came. I began consciously(有意识地) thinking this at quite an early age.
As soon as I was fully aware (意识到) of myself, I regarded me as a little person and liked adults who thought of and treated me the same way. I didn’t have a doll and I didn’t want one. I wanted animal toys, even a single animal. Why wouldn’t my parents give me the one thing I wanted? 72
Instead, my dad somehow managed to buy me a full set of encyclopedia(百科全书) and books with maps and color pictures long before I could read. Well, guess what? I learned to read without realizing it! Later, I found out when I started school and it all came so easy especially geography. 73 Because of all the books my father bought me, I knew a lot of words that other children didn’t know at my age.
I love words. They opened up new worlds for me. 74 Parents, please make sure your kids have a computer. Let them explore — as safely as possible— let them do their own things and discover the world.
Now, most kids lead a happy life. They can get what they want from their parents. But children should learn to be independent. 75 Be independent to do your own things.
| A．Because of them, I read and thought, and today, I write. |
| B．When I was a child, I promised myself to try to remember as much as I could. |
| C．I listened and heard everything, even if I didn’t understand everything. |
| D．I nearly knew every place on the map like the teacher. |
E. But more than anything, it made me feel uncomfortable and I knew it wasn’t nice.
F. Later, I knew we didn’t have much money, but how expensive could a toy be?
G. Be independent to learn some useful knowledge.
Why does night fall but never break and day break but never fall?
Why are people who ride motorcycles called bikers and people who ride bikes called cyclists?
In what other language do people drive in a parkway and park in a driveway?
In what other language do they call the third hand on the clock the second hand?
Let’s face it: English is a crazy language. There is no egg in an eggplant, neither pine nor apple in a pineapple and no ham in a hamburger. Sweet-meats are candy, while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat.
We take English for granted. But when we explore its paradoxes (探讨它的矛盾), we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, public bathrooms have no baths in them.
And why is it that a writer writes, but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce, and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn’t the plural of booth be beeth? One goose, two geese — so one moose, two meese?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell the next?
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of human beings. That’s why, when stars are out, they are visible; but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it; but when I wind up this essay, I end it. According to the passage ______.
| A．sweet-meats and sweetbreads are different things |
| B．there should be egg in an eggplant |
| C．pineapples are the apples on the pine tree |
| D．boxing rings should be round |
Which of the following includes two items which have the similar meaning?
| A．A wise man and a wise guy. |
| B．Overlook and oversee. |
| C．Quite a lot and quite a few. |
| D．Hot as hell and cold as hell. |
The underlined words “wind up” in the last paragraph probably mean “______”.
| A．blow | B．roll up | C．get hurt | D．finish |
Through the many paradoxes in the English language, the writer wants to show that human beings are ______.
| A．clever | B．crazy | C．lazy | D．dull |
第三部分：阅读理解（共10小题；每小题2分，满分20分）
请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
In meditation（冥想），people sit quietly and focus their attention on their breath. As they breathe in and out, they attend to their feelings. As thoughts go through their minds, they let them go. Breathe. Let go. Breathe. Let go.
According to a recent study at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, three months of training in this kind of meditation causes a marked change in how the brain allocates attention. It appears that the ability to let go thoughts that come into mind frees the brain to attend to more rapidly changing things and events in the outside world. Expert mediators are better than other people at catching such fast-changing stimuli, like facial expressions.
The study provides evidence for changes in the workings of the brain with mental training. People can learn and improve abilities of all sorts with practice, everything from driving to playing the piano. The study has shown that meditation is good for the brain. It appears to reduce pressure and promote a sense of well-being.
In an experiment, 17 volunteers with no meditation experience in the experimental group spent three months meditating 10 to 12 hours a day. A control group also with no meditation experience meditated for 20 minutes a day over the same period. Both groups were then given the tests with two numbers in a group of letters. As both group looked for the numbers, their brain activity was recorded.
Everyone could catch the first number. But the brain recordings showed that the less experienced mediators tended to grasp the first number and hang onto it, so they missed the second number. Those with more experience gave less attention to the first number as if letting it go, which led to an increased ability to grasp the second number. This shows that attention can change with practice.
Just ask Daniel Levision, who meditated for three months as part of the study.” I am a much better listener,” he said. “I do not get lost in my own personal reaction to what people are saying.”
56. The underlined word “them” in Paragraph 1 refers to ________.
A. feelings B. minds C. people D. thoughts
57. Meditations manage their daily tasks better because they ________.
A. are given less pressure B. allocate their attention better
C. have more stimuli for life D. practice them more frequently
58. The study proves that ________.
A. meditation improves one’s health B. brain activity can be recorded
C. human attention can be trained D. mediators have a good sense of hearing
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