PartⅢ Reading Comprehension(45 minutes,25 points)

  Directions:There are 5 passages in this part.Each passage is followed by 5 questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are 4 choices marked A,B,C and D.Choose the best one and mark the corresponding letter with a single bar across the square brackets on your machine-scoring ANSWER SHEET.

  Passage One

  The job was done,and it was time for a last cigarette.Eddie began tapping the pockets of his overalls,looking for the new packet of Marlboro he had bought that morning.It was not there.

  It Was as he swung around tO look in his toolbox for the cigarettes that Eddie saw the lump.Right in the middle of the brand new bright red carpet,there Was a lump.A lump the size of a packet of cigarettes.

  "I've done it again!"said Eddie allgrily."I've left the cigarettes under the carpet!"

  He had done this once before,and taking up and refitting the carpet had taken him two hours.Eddie was determined that he was not going tO spend another tWO hours in this house.He decided to get rid of the lump another way.It would mean wasting a good packet of cigarettes,nearly full,but anything was better than taking up the whole carpet and fitting it again.He turned to his toolbox for a large hammer.

  Eddie didn't want to damage the carpet itself,so he took a block of wood and placed it on top of the lump Then he began to beat the block of wood as hard as he could.He kept beating,hoping Mrs.Vanbrugh wouldn't hear the noise and come to see what he was doing.It would be difficult to explain why he was hammering the middle of her beautiful new carpet....The lump was beginning to flatten out.

  After three or four minutes,thejob Was finally finished.Eddie picked up his tools,and began to walk out to his car.Mrs.Vanbrugh accompanied him.She seemed a little worried about something.

  "Young man,while you were working today,you didn't by any chance see any sign of Armand,did you? Armand is my bird.I let him out of his cage,you see,this morning,and he'S disappeared.He likes to walk around the house,and he usually just comes back to his cage after an hour or so and gets right in.Only today he didn't come back.He'S never done such a thing before,it'S most peculiar..."

  "No,madam,I haven't seen him anywhere,"said Eddie,as he reached to start the Car.

  And he saw his packet of Marlboro cigarettes on the panel,where he had left it at lunchtime...

  And he remembered the lump in the carpet....

  31.What did Eddie Want tO do when he had finished fitting the carpet?

  A. To have a cigarette.

  B.To hammer the carpet flat.

  C. To put back his tools.

  D. To start work in the dining room.

  答案:A

  32.Why didn't Eddie take out the thing under the cmget?

  A.It was impossible for him to take up the carpet once it was fitted.

  B.He didn't need the cigarettes because he had some more in the Car.

  C. It would take too long to take up the carpet and refit it.

  D.He intended to come back and remove the lump the next day.

  答案:C

  33.What did Eddie do with the hammer?

  A. He drove nails into the lump.

  B.He fixed his toolbox.

  C.He retired the carpet.

  D. He flattened the lump.

  答案:D

  34.Mrs.Vanbrugh worried that______________.

  A. her pet was nowhere to be found

  g the carpet would be expensive

  C.Eddie would smoke in the house

  D.Eddie hadn't done a proper job

  答案:A

  35.What was really underthe carpet?

  A.The packet of cigarettes.

  B.Eddie'S hammer.

  C. A lump of wood.

  D.The missing pet.

  答案:D

  Passage Two

  If two scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory are correct,people will still be driving gasoline-powered cars 50 years from now,giving out heat-trapping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere-and yet that carbon dioxide will not contribute tO global warming. The scientists,F Jeffrey Martin and William L.Kubic Jr.,are proposing a concept,which they have patriotically named Green Freedom, for removing carbon dioxide from the air and turning it back into gasoline.

  The idea is simple.Air would be blown over a liquid solution which would absorb the carbon dioxide.The carbon dioxide would then be extracted and subjected to chemical reactions that would turn it into fuel.Although they have not yet built a fuel factory,or even a ype,the scientists say it is all based on existing technology."Everything in the concept has been built,is operating or has a close cousin that is operating,"Dr.Martin said.The proposal does not violate any laws of physics, and other scientists have independently suggested similar ideas.,In the efforts to reduce humanity'S emissions of carbon dioxide,three solutions have been offered:hydrogen-powered cars,electric cars and biOfuels.Biofuels are gasoline substitutes produced from plants like corn or sugar cane.Plants absorb carbon dioxide as they grow,but growing crops for fuel takes up wide strips of land.Hydrogen-powered Cars emit no carbon dioxide,but producing hydrogen requires energy,and if that energy comes from coal-fired power plants,then the problem has not been solved. The problem with electric cars is that they have typically been limited to a range of tens of miles as opposed to the hundreds of miles that can be driven on a tank of gas.

  Gasoline,it turns out,is an almost ideal fuel(except that it produces carbon dioxide).If it Can be made OUt of carbon dioxide in the air,the Los Alamos concept may mean there is little reason to switch,after all.

  "It's definitely worth pursuing,"said Martin I. Hoffert,a professor of physics at New York University."It has a couple of pieces to it that are interesting."Other scientists also said the proposal looked promising but could not evaluate it fully because the details had not been published.

  36. What is most remarkable about the proposal,made by the tWO scientists?。

  A.It is given a patriotic name.

  B.No law of physics is violated.

  C. It is based on existing technology.

  D. Carbon dioxide Can be converted into fuel

  答案:D

  37. What is the biggest problem with hydrogen-powered cars?

  A.There is no cheap source of hydrogen.

  B. There might be a safety problem in hydrogen production.

  C.They may still be a cause of global warming.

  D.They are not suitable for long-distance travel.

  答案:C

  38.If what is proposed by the two scientists becomes true,___________________.

   pollution will,become a thing of the past

   will be no need for gasoline substitutes

  C. people will be able to use much cheaper engergy

   will be no more biofuel-powered vehicles

  答案:B

  39. Which of the following Call best describe the attitude of Martin I Hoffert to the proposal?

  A.Indifferent. B. Positive. C.Suspicious.D.Critical.

  答案:B

  40. The passage is mainly written to________________。

  A. introduce a new concept

  e different energy sources

   the importance ofgasoline

  SS solutions tO global warming

  答案:A

  Passage Three

  In her international bestselling Talk to the Hand,author Lynne that common courtesies such as saying"Excuse me"are practically extinct.There are certainly plenty who would agree with her.

  Is it really true?We decided to find out by experiments.In dozens of American cities,our reporters performed two experim6rits:"door tests"(would anyone hold one open for them?);and"document drops"(who-would help them retrieve a pile of"accidentally"dropped papers?).Along the way,the reporters encountered all types:men and women of different races,ages,professions,and income levels.

  While 90 percent of the people passed the door test,only 55 percent passed the document drop.Are people less likely to help others when doing so takes extra effort or time? Not always,he reporters found.Take the pregnant woman who thought nothing of bending down to help us with our papers.Or the woman named Liz who balanced two coffees,her keys and her wallet on a takeout tray with one hand,while picking up papers off the wet pavement with the other.Her reason for helping?"I was there,"she said.

  Overall,men were the most willing to help,especially when it came to document drops.In those,men offered aid 63 percent of the time,compared to 47 percent among women.Of course,men weren't entirely democratic about whom they'd help.All of them held the door for the female reporter,and were more than twice as likely to help her pick up fallen papers than they were to help our male reporter.

  By far,the most common reason people cited for being willing to go out of their way to help others was their upbringing."It'S the way I was raised,"said one young woman who held a door open despite struggling with her umbrella on a rainy day in Brooklyn.

  We realize this isn't a rigorous scientific study,but we believe it is a reasonable real-world test of good manners around the globe. And it's comforting to know that in a place where millions of people push one another each day tO get ahead,they're able to do it with a smile.Hey,if they Can make nice here,they can make nice anywhere.

  41.Which of the following is the best wold to describe the experiments?

  A.Scientific. B.Biased. C.Revolutionary. D.Realistic.

  答案:D

  42.The examples of the pregnant woman and Liz are used to show that some people___________________.

   take the trouble to help others

  B. Won't take the trouble to help others

  p others save time

  't help others save time

  答案:A

  43.According to the experiments,________________.

   are more careful.

   are more likely tO need help

   are more ready

  D. men are more democratic in helping others

  答案:C

  44.Helping others is a behavior that is largely influenced by_______________.

   norm

   education

  C. pecifie situation

  al character

  答案:B

  45.The results of the experiments have shown that common courtesies_______________.

   still with us

   disappearing

  C. vary with professions

  D. need rigorous study

  答案:A

  Passage Four

  Within a large concrete room,Cut out of a mountain on a freezing-cold island just 1,000 kilometres from the North Pole,could lie the future of humanity.

  The room is a vault(地下库)designed to hold around 2 million seeds,representing all known varieties of the world'S crops.It is being built to safeguard the world'S food supply against nuclear War,climate change,terrorism,rising sea levels,earthquakes and the collapse of electricity supplies。"If the worst came to the worst,this would allow the world to reconstruct agriculture on this planet,"says Cary Fowler,director of the Global Crop Diversity Trust,an independent international organisation promoting the project.

  The Norwegian(挪威的)government is planning tO create the seed bank next year at the request of crop scientists.The $3 million vault will be built deep inside a sandstone mountain on the Norwegian Arctic island of Spitsbergen.The vault will have metre-thick walls of reinforced concrete and will be protected behind two airlocks and high-security doors.

  The vault'S seed collection will represent the products of some 10,000 years of plant breeding by the world'S farmers.Though most are no longer widely planted,.the varieties contain vital genetic properties still regularly used in plant breeding.

  To survive,the seeds need freezing temperatures.Operators plan to replace the air inside the vault each winter,when temperatures in Spitsbergen are around-18℃.But even if some disaster meant that the vault Was abandoned,the permanently frozen soil would keep the seeds alive.And even accelerated global warming would take many decades to penetrate the mountain vault.

  "This will be the world's most secure gene bank," Says Fowler."But its seeds will only be used when all other samples have gone for sOme reason."

  The project comes at a time when there is growing concern about the safety of existing seed banks around the world.Many have been criticized for their poor security, ageing refrigeration(冷藏)systems and vulnerable electricity supplies.

  The scheme won UN approval at a meeting of the Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome in October 2005.A feasibility study said the facility"would essentially be built to last forever".

  46.The Norwegian yault is important in that_________________.

   seeds in it represent the rarest varieties of world'S crops

  B. the seeds in it could revive agriculture if the worst thing should happen

   is built deep in a mountain on a freezing-cold Arctic island

   is strong enough against all disasters caused by man and nature

  答案:B

  47.The seed bank project was proposed by_____________.

   Norwegian government B.Norwegian farmers

  C. Spitsbergen residents D. agricultural scientists

  答案:D

  48. The seeds in the vault will be stored___________________.

   samples of world crop varieties

  B. as produc of world plant breeding

   their valuable genetic properties

   their resistance to plant diseases

  答案:A

  49.For the seed bank project to be successful,the most important factor is probably______________.

  ucting tight airlocks

  B. maintaining high security

  g freezing temperatures

  g large quantities of seeds

  答案:B

  50.Which of the following statements is true?

  A.The Norwegian vault models after existing seed banks.

  B.The Spitsbergen seed bank is expected to last 10,006 years.

  C. The existing seed banks have potential problems.

  D.The UN financed the Spitsbergen seed bank.

  答案:C

  Passage Five

  Probably the hardest part of setting goals is the first step of actually deciding to take action!The first barrier facing most people is the incorrect assumption that goals are only for business people.The reality is everyone sets goals mentally throughout the day.There are always occasions where something has to be done at a particular time Or in a particular place.Simple examples could be getting up at a certain time in order to be at work,or to meet with a friend for a leisure activity.

  The beauty of having goals is the each one to'the goal setter.

  Whether it is personal,financial,business or spiritual,they are all specific to that person and their circumstances.

  The most important part initially is to write them down.Having goals mritten down gives you incredible power while helping you to focus on this area.

  Aim for something that will stretch you while remaining achievable.If you achieve your goal too easily,it is not high enough to make any significant change in your life and needs to be adjusted.On the other hand,if you consistently miss the goals,re-evaluate,and consider setting them a little lower as you will only get discouraged and probably give up. The aim is to keep growing,and moving into a more satisfactory position for your particular circumstances.

  As you obtain the levels that you have set for yourself,always include a small reward at each point.This might only be a small thing in the early days like a meal out or a weekend vacation.

  Remember that these changes will not happen overnight and there will be a period of time when nothing seems to be happening.This is why the goals need to be detailed and as specific as possible with a consequence and benefit.

  Allow some time on a daily basis to educate yourself on how to make the necessary adjustments in your life.This could include listening to a CD,or reading a book on motivation etc.

  A simple method to start with could be one goal in the main areas of life to be achieved in one month,six months,twelve months or five years.Break that down further into a daily,weekly and monthly system.Stay focused and disciplined t0 achieve all that you desire.

  51.The simple examples in Paragraph 1 convey the message that___________.

   are setmostlyforimportantthings

  B. most people know when it is time to set goals

   set goals tO get things done all the time

   is necessary tO set goals occasionally

  答案:C

  52.The charm of having goals is that each goal is______________.

  A. important ted l ual

  答案:C

  53.A good goal is one that________________.

   growing all the time

   high enough yet attainable

  C. moves one into a satisfactory position

   evaluated from time to time

  答案:B

  54.Goals have to be detailed SO that people____________________.

   know their achievements ateach stage

   eventually reach the levels set for themselves

   get small rewards such as a meal out

   adjust them on various occasions

  答案:A

  55.For a goal to be achieved,one has to_____________.

  e in what he is doing

   oneself to new changes

   from routine sometimes

  trate on it until it is attained

  答案:D