阅读理解1、Steven Stein likes to follow garbage trucks. His strange habit makes sense when you consider that he’s an environmental scientist who studies how to reduce litter, including things that fall off garbage trucks as they drive down the road. What is even more interesting is that one of Stein's jobs is defending an industry behind the plastic shopping bag.Americans use more than 100 billion thin film plastic bags every year. So many end up in tree branches or along highways that a growing number of cities do not allow them at checkouts(收银台) . The bags are prohibited in some 90 cities in California, including Los Angeles. Eyeing these headwinds, plastic-bag makers are hiring scientists like Stein to make the case that their products are not as bad for the planet as most people assume.Among the bag makers' argument: many cities with bans still allow shoppers to purchase paper bags, which are easily recycled but require more energy to produce and transport. And while plastic bags may be ugly to look at, they represent a small percentage of all garbage on the ground today.The industry has also taken aim at the product that has appeared as its replacement: reusable shopping bags. The stronger a reusable bag is, the longer its life and the more plastic-bag use it cancels out. However, longer-lasting reusable bags often require more energy to make. One study found that a cotton bag must be used at least 131 times to be better for the planet than plastic.Environmentalists don't dispute(质疑) these points. They hope paper bags will be banned someday too and want shoppers to use the same reusable bags for years.1.What has Steven Stein been hired to do?A.Help increase grocery sales.B.Recycle the waste material.C.Stop things falling off trucks.D.Argue for the use of plastic bags.2.What does the word “headwinds”in paragraph 2 refer to?A.Bans on plastic bags.B.Effects of city development.C.Headaches caused by garbage.D.Plastic bags hung in trees.3.What is a disadvantage of reusable bags according to plastic-bag makers?A.They are quite expensive.B.Replacing them can be difficult.C.They are less strong than plastic bags.D.Producing them requires more energy.4.What is the best title for the text?A.Plastic, Paper or NeitherB.Industry, Pollution and EnvironmentC.Recycle or Throw AwayD.Garbage Collection and Waste Control2、As we all know, Stephen Hawking writes the book A Brief History of Time that explains the origin of the universe. The book spent 147 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller List and has sold 10 million copies. He is, most agree, very smart.In his recently published autobiography My Brief History, Hawking offers four life lessons on how to become a genius.（1）Don't miss opportunities by being too cool “We showed an air of comp lete boredom and the feeling that nothing was worth making an effort for. One result of my illness has been to change all that. When you are faced with the possibility of an early death, it makes you realize that life is worth living and that there are lots of things you want to do. M Seize the moment, as Oxford would say.(2) Keep it simpleWhen writing A Brief History of Time, he tried to make science understandable for the rest of the US.“I was sure that nearly everyone is interested in how the universe operates, but most people cannot follow mathematical equations(数学公式).” He has troublewith them, too. “This is partly because it is difficult for me to write them down, but mainly because I don't have an inborn feeling for equations. My aim in the book was to describe these mental images in words. It is such an easy book that everybody can understand it. ” The moral: you don’t have to be a genius to know everything.(3) Have funHawking has a long history of being a joker, and he has placed lots of bets with other scientists on the nature of black holes. One was with Cal-Tech scientist John Preskill. After paying off his bet by giving Preskill a baseball encyclopedia, Hawking wrote,“But maybe I should have just given him the ashes.” So lighten up! Geniuses like bad jokes too.(4) Always look for a silver lining （even if you are seriously ill)Hawking's disease has slowly robbed him of the ability to walk, move his arms, even speak But Hawking says. “In some ways I guess my disability has been an assist: I haven't had to lecture or teach students, and I haven't had to sit in meetings. So I have been able to devote myself completely to research.”In other words, Hawking was given lemons，and he made Champagne.1. The passage tells us the facts about A Brief History of Time EXCEPT that.A. it explained the origin of the universeB. it has sold 10 million copies up to nowC. it spent 147 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller ListD. it included Hawking's four life lessons on how to become a genius2. According to the passage, which of the following statements is guiding you to be a genius?A. Place lots of bets with your friends.B. Seize the moment to learn everything.C. Find something good even in bad situations.D. Get to know everything including mathematical equations.3. Hawking shows his viewpoint by .A. making comparisonsB. quoting a famous sayingC. listing the numbers and equationsD. talking about his own experience4. Which of the following statements is true?A. Hawking was unable to walk gradually.B. Hawking tried to make physics understandable.C. Most people think he isn’t smart enough.D. He has been able to devote himself to maths.3、One of the greatest gifts one generation can give to other generations is the wisdom it has gained from experience. This idea has inspired the award-winning photographer Andrew Zuckerman. He interviewed and took photos of fiftyover-sixty-five-year-olds all over the world. His project explores various aspects of their lives. The photos and interviews are now available on our website.Click on the introductions to read the complete interviews.Let us now have a culture of peace.—Federico Mayor Zaragoza,SpainFederico Mayor Zaragoza obtained a doctorate in pharmacy(药学) from the Complutense University of Madrid in 1958. After many years spent in politics, he became Director-General of UNESCO in 1987. In 1999,he created the Foundation for a Culture of Peace, of which he is now the president. In addition to many scientific publications, he has published four collections of poems and several books of essays.Writing is a discovery.—Nadine Gordimer,South AfricaDue to a weak heart, Nadine Gordimer attended school and university briefly.She read widely and began writing at an early age. She published her first short story at the age of fifteen, and has completed a large number of works, which have been translated into forty languages. In 1991, Gordimer won the Nobel Prize for Literature.Jazz is about the only form of art today.—Dave Brubeck,USADave Brubeck studied music at the University of the Pacific and graduated in 1942. After World War Two he was encouraged to play jazz. In 1951, he recorded his first album(专辑). Brubeck’s 1959 album has become a jazz stan dard. He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996.1.Why did Andrew Zuckerman choose the fifty elders for his project?A.Because their wisdom deserves to be passed on.B.Because they are physically impressive.C.Because their accomplishments inspired him.D.Because they have similar experiences.2.According to the web page, Federico Mayor Zaragoza_____.A.has won many awards for his work in politicsB.has served as the president of a universityC.has devoted all his life to the field of scienceD.has made achievements in different areas3.Who most probably said “My education has been the library and books” in theinterview when reflecting on his/her experience?A.Andrew Zuckerman.B.Federico Mayor Zaragoza.C.Nadine Gordimer.D.Dave Brubeck.4.What is the main purpose of this web page?A.To show Zuckerman’s awards.B.To publicize Zuckerman’s project.C.To spread the wisdom of the three people.D.To celebrate the achievements of the three people.4、A world-famous Canadian author, Margaret Atwood, has created the world's first long-distance signing device(装置), the LongPen.After many tiring book-signing tours from city to city, Atwood thought there must be a better way to do them. She hired some technical experts and started her own company in 2004. Together they designed the LongPen. Here's how it works: The author writes a personal message and signature on a computer tablet(手写板) using a special pen. On the receiving end, in another city, a robotic arm fitted with a regular pen signs the book. The author and fan can talk with each other via webcams(网络摄像机) and computer screens.Work on the LongPen began in Atwood’s basement(地下室). At first, they had no idea it would as hard as it turned out to be. The device went through several versions, including one that actually had smoke coming out of it. The inventing finally completed, test runs were made in Ottawa, and the LongPen was officially launched at the 2006 London Book Fair. From here, Atwood conducted two transatlantic book signings of her latest book for fans in Toronto and New York City.The LongPen produces a unique signature each time because it copies the movement of the author in real time. It has several other potential applications. It could increase credit card security and allow people to sign contracts from another province. The video exchange between signer and receiver can he recordedon DVD for proof when legal documents are used.''It's really fun," said the owner of a bookstore, who was present for one of the test runs. "Obviously you can't shake hands with the author, but there are chances for a connection that you don't get from a regular book signing."The response to the invention hasn't been all favorable. Atwood has received criticism from authors who think she's trying to end book tours. But she said, "It will be possible to go to places that you never got sent to before because the publishers couldn't afford it."1.Why did Atwood decide to invent the LongPen?A.To set up her own company.B.To win herself greater popularity.C.To write her books in a new way.D.To make book signings less tiring.2.How does the LongPen work?A.It copies the authors signature and prints it on a book.B.It signs a book while receiving the authors signature.C.The webcam sends the authors signature to another city.D.The fan uses it to copy the author's signature himself.3.What do we know about the invention of the LongPen?A.It has been completed but not put into use.B.The basement caught fire by accident.C.Some versions failed before its test run.D.The designers were well-prepared for the difficulty.4.How could the LongPen be used in the future?A.To draft legal documents.B.To improve credit card security.C.To keep a record of the author's ideas.D.To allow author and fan to exchange videos.5.What could be inferred from Paragraphs 5 and 6?A.Atwood doesn’t mean to end book tours.B.Critics think the LongPen is of little use.C.Bookstore owners don't support the LongPen.D.Publishers dislike the LongPen for its high cost.5、The British live on a small island. They are surrounded by the sea, so it is not surprising that the sea has always played an important role in their lives. After the development of large, ocean-going sailing ships in the fifteenth century, the sea became even more important to the country’s development. Ships set sail from England determined to extend Britain’s territories, its wealth and its knowledge of the world. Ships returned to England bringing goods, people and new ideas from foreign places. By the nineteenth century, Britain had the largest, most powerful navy in the world.The great sailing ships were so much a part of British life that they even affected the language. Many English expressions we use today were originally nautical (航海的)terms, although most people no longer realize this. For example, people commonly describe an honest and fair business deal as being ’’aboveboard". This expression was originally used in sailing ship times when secretive, dishonest ship’s business would be carried out below decks (i. e. below the "boards" ) out of public view. On the other hand,honest business was always conducted on deck (above the boards) , in the open where everyone could see what was going on.’’"Pipe down !",meaning ” Be quiet!", is anothe r common expression that has nautical origins. The ship’s boatswain (水手长)would blow a whistle,or pipe,at the end of the day to indicate (表明)to the sailors it was time to quieten down and go to sleep.Most native English-speakers have heard the expression "not enough room to swing a cat" , but few know that the "cat" does not refer to a small furry animal with four legs and a tail. The " cat" is actually a short form of " cat of nine tails'* — a whip with nine, knotted (打结的)tails. A boatswain needed a lot of space in order to swing the whip properly when lashing (鞭打)a poor sailor under his control!1.The British have been strongly influenced by the sea because .A.they occupied more land around the worldB.they got more wealth from the seaC.they live on an island surrounded by the seaD.they had the largest navy ever2.If someone is open and aboveboard, it means he is .A.secretiveB.honestC.cheerfulD.dishonest3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?A.You need to go to sleep when asked to pipe down.B.You will be whipped if you do business below decks.C.A poor sailor may be whipped nine times a day.D.There is no spare room to raise cats on ships.4.The passage is mainly about .A.the business on British sailing shipsB.the influence of British sailors’ language on EnglishC.the sailing history of EnglandD.the sailing story of British sailors6、There are many beautiful places in Europe worth visiting. Among them Greece is right at the top. A vacation to Greece will give you everything you ever want in a holiday. The attractive hot springs, beautiful villages, rich history, delicious seafood and beautiful beaches are all here. The streets are always alive with music, fireworks and celebrations. Winter is the time to enjoy some great skiing, with so many mountains around here that offer this sport.Spain is the second largest tourist destination (目的地) in the world. It’s one of the first countries in the world to develop summer beach vacations. Spain, along with Italy, officially has the most world heritage sites, 42 to be exact. Withso many mountains regions, Spain is big when it comes to the winter vacation. Lastly, for great nightlife, you’d love to be in Barcelona or Madrid.Switzerland is the most popular winter destination in the world. It has 15,000 miles running through mountainous regions. The Swiss Alps attract people from all over the world. If you think Switzerland is only a winter holiday destination, you're mistaken. The same places are popular in summer too. Hiking is popular in summer. Switzerland is also proud of Jungfraujoch - the highest train station in Europe. Switzerland has developed an amazing transport network, and each and every mountain village can be got to by some kind of public transport.Venice of Italy is another great destination. It has an amazing history and is famous for its beautiful architecture. There are many old churches worth visiting. Venice is also filled with many art galleries. The Grand Canal is a long canal that runs right through the city. This is referred to as the most beautiful street in the whole of Venice. The city, made up of 117 small islands, is amazingly linked by 400 bridges over 150 canals.1.We can know from the passage that .A.the highest train station of the world is in SwitzerlandB.the old churches are the most beautiful places in VeniceC.Spain is perfect for the winter vacation thanks to its mountainsD.Spain is the first country to develop summer beach vacations2.Acco rding to the passage, if you are quite interested in works of art, you’d better go to .A.GreeceB.SpainC.SwitzerlandD.Venice3.In which countries do mountains make great contributions to their tourism?A.Greece and Spain.B.Switzerland and Venice.C.Spain and Venice.D.Spain and Switzerland.4.Where would you most probably find the passage?A.A book review.B.A government document.C.A travel guide.D.A fashion magazine.7、Four cinemas in the UKThe Kinema, LincolnshireIt's a wooden building on the outside and a two-screen cinema on the inside,all nesting among pine trees in a tiny village. The Kinema showed its first film in 1922 and the first six rows were deckchairs(折叠帆布躺椅). Today, it’s more richly decorated.“People come here because it’s a fantastic experience,” says manager Philip Jones. “Many rooms in the Kinema are simple and not attractive,but we try to remain everything that makes it special. ’’The Cube, BristolIt’s not really a cinema. It is a not-for-profit cooperative run by volunteers,which has been operating for the last 15 years.They are “ unique for what we do,which is to operate seven nights a week and with no funding. ’’ They make many things themselves,such as cola and yogurt. The Broadway, NottinghamA cinema has been here since the 1960s, when local fashion designer Paul Smith would come to see arty foreign films,which heavily influenced his career choice. Later,he designed the stripy(条纹的) sofas.The Broadway was previously used as a church, but locals love it for its independent,art house,and DIY spirit. The Broadway also has a right-on restaurant, with locally sourced vegetables and salads, and even serves its own beer.The Rex, HertfordshireIt opened to the public in 1938 and has been named the most beautiful cinema in the UK. There's a varied programme with different films every night. Hot dogs and popcorn are banned. And a real person answers the phone when you call.People speak very highly of the Rex. So do go, if only once,to see just howa cinema should be run.1.In Philip Jones’ opinion, the Kinema may attract people who______.A.live in the nearby villagesB.are fond of rich decorationsC.are interested in wooden structuresD.want to experience something special2.We know from the text that the Broadway ______.A.was built in 1960B.owns a restaurantC.is next to a churchD.was designed by Paul Smith3.The Cube and the Broadway are similar in the way that they both ______.A.are nonprofit cooperativesB.show arty foreign filmsC.offer homemade drinkse stripy sofas4.Which of the following has the longest history?A.The Kinema.B.The Cube.C.The Broadway.D.The Rex.8、Today’s Britain is full of TV shows like Fame Academy, which claim to offer young hopefuls an instant passport to fame and riches. But a very different kind of academy may provide a new generation of Brits with a slower, steadier path to wealth.A pig academy in the east of England is aiming to train up new pig farmers to help promote local agri culture and meet the UK’s growing demand for pork. Last year consumption of pork products increased by 6,000 tonnes. But British farmers have not benefited from this rise in demand. A combination of increasing feed prices, competition from cheaper imports and an outbreak of foot and mouth disease have all eaten into their profits. Pig numbers in the UK have actually almost halved in the last decade.Now, Fresh Start Pig Academy in Lincolnshire is launching a course which intends to redress(修复）the balance. They say pig husbandry (养猪业）is a growth industry and newcomers are welcome. For those of you who fancy getting your hands dirty, the course will teach you everything you need to know, from keeping pigs healthy to raising the capital needed to start up.Pig farmer Anne Longthorp followed her father into the industry and believes that farming pigs is very rewarding work. “They're great, curious animals to work with. Just watching their behavior it’s really interesting work. There is a lot more to pig farming than people give us credit for. It’s very scientific.”So，while most of Britain's young people may continue to dream of overnight stardom(明星的地位）， others who hope for a more traditional career will help them bring home the bacon(熏猪肉）.1. The second paragraph is mainly about the pig academy came into being.A. whyB. howC. whenD. where2. Which is NOT the contribution to the decrease in pig farmers' enthusiasm?A. Growing demand for pork.B. Increasing feed prices.C. Competition from cheaper imports.D. Outbreak of foot and mouth disease.3. From the passage, we can infer that the pig academy will .A. lead the youth to riches faster than the fame academyB. provide great help for whoever attends the courseC. be more popular with young people than other academiesD. make some young people overnight stars4. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?A. Anne Longthorp’s loves the job of farming pigs.B. Anne Longthorp’s family all like raising pigs.C. Most young people in Britain will like the career of farming pigs.D. People who farm pigs are allowed to bring home much bacon.9、 As Internet users become more dependent on the Internet to store information, are people remembering less? If you know your computer will save information, why store it in your own personal memory, your brain? Experts are wondering if the Internet is changing what we remember and how.In a recent study, Professor Betsy Sparrow conducted some experiments. She and her research team wanted to know the Internet is changing memory. In the first experiment, they gave people 40 unimportant facts to type into a computer. The first group of people understood that the computer would save the information. The second group understood that the computer would not save it. Later, the second group remembered the information better. People in the first group knew they could find the information again, so they did not try to remember it.In another experiment, the researchers gave people facts to remember, and told them where to find the information on the Internet. The information was in a specific computer folder (文件夹). Surprisingly, people later remembered the folder location (位置) better than the facts. When people use the Internet, they do not remember the information. Rather, they remember how to find it. This is called "transactive memory (交互记忆)"According to Sparrow, we are not becoming people with poor memories as a result of the Internet. Instead, computer users are developing stronger transactive memories; that is, people are learning how to organize huge quantities of information so that they are able to access it at a later date. This doesn't mean we are becoming either more or less intelligent, but there is no doubt that the way we use memory is changing.1.The passage begins with two questions to ______.A.introduce the main topicB.show the author's altitudeC.describe how to use the InternetD.explain how to store information2.What can we learn about the first experiment?A.The Sparrow's team typed the information into a computer.B.The two groups remembered the information equally well.C.The first group did not try to remember the information.D.The second group did not understand the information.3.In transactive memory, people ______.A.keep the information in mindB.change the quantity of informationanize information like a computerD.remember how to find the information4.What is the effect of the Internet according to Sparrow's research?A.We are using memory differently.B.We are becoming more intelligent.C.We have poorer memories than before.D.We need a better way to access information.10、You get anxious if there is no Wi-Fi in the hotel or mobile phone signal up the mountain. You feel upset if your phone is getting low on power, and you secretly worry things will go wrong at work if you're not there. All these can be called “always on” str ess caused by smartphone addiction.For some people, smartphones have freed them from the nine-to-five work. Flexible working has given them more autonomy (自主权）in their working lives and enabled them to spend more time with their friends and families. For many others, though, smartphones have become tyrants (暴君）in their pockets, never allowing them to turn them off, relax and recharge their batteries.Pittsburgh-based developer Kevin Holesh was worried about how much he was ignoring his family and friends in favour of his iPhone. So he developed an app — Moment to monitor his usage. The app enables users to see how much time they're spending on the device and set up warnings if the usage limits are breached (突破）.“Moment’s goal is to promote balance in your life,” his website explains. “Some time on your phone, some time off it enjoying your loving family and friends around you.”Dr Christine Grant, a psychologist at Coventry University, said, “The effects of this ‘ always on， culture are that your mind is never resting, and you're not giving your body time to recover, so you're always stressed. And the more tired and stressed we get, the more mistakes we make. Physical and mental health can suffer.”And as the number of connected smart phones is increasing, so is the amount of data. This is leading to a sort of decision paralysis (瘫痪）and is creating more stress in the workplace because people have to receive a broader range of data and communications which are often difficult to manage. “It actually makes it more difficult to make decisions and many do less because they're controlled by it all and feel they can never escape the office，”said Dr Christine Grant.1. What's the first paragraph mainly about?A. The popularity of smartphones.B. I he progress of modern technology.C. The cause of smartphone addiction.D. The signs of “always on” stress.2. Kevin Holesh developed Moment to .A. research how people use their mobile phonesB. make people better use mobile phonesC. help people control their use of mobile phonesD. increase the fun of using mobile phones3. What’s Dr Christine Grant’s attitude towards “always on” culture?A. Confused.B. Positive.C. Doubtful.D. Critical.4. According to the last paragraph, a greater amount of data means .A. we can make a decision more quicklyB. we will become less productiveC. we will be equipped with more knowledgeD. we can work more effectively11、Just in a few years out of law school, I decided that I wanted to write fiction. The only thing I had ever published before was a law-review article. I had made great efforts to write when I came home at night after work, but I was too tired. I decided to quit my job.I began my new life on a February morning. I sat down at my kitchen table at 7 : 30 am and made a resolution. Every day I would write until lunchtime. Then I would lie down on the floor for 20 minutes to rest my mind. After that, I would return to work for a few-more hours.In my first year, I sold two stories. Then I wrote a novel, but I thought it wasn’t good enough,so I ended up putting it in a drawer. My second novel,Billy Lynns Long Halftime Walk, was published with glowing(热情赞扬的) reviews and received the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction.My success sounds like a familiar story, but actually it was far from suddenness. I quit my job, and for every story I published in those years, I had at least 30 rejections. The novel that I put away in the drawer took me four years. My breakthrough came in 2006, 18 years after I first sat down to write at my kitchen table.Sometimes genius(天赋) is just the thing that comes out after 20 years of working at your kitchen. Also,doing something truly creative requires the energy of youth. Orson Welles made his masterpiece, Citizen Kart, at 26. T. S. Eliot wrote The Love Song of J. Afred Prufrock at 27.1.When did the author decide to devote himself fulltime to writing fiction?A.When he was tired of his work.B.Straight alter graduation from law school.C.On being informed his law-review article came out.D.When his hobby was disturbed by his work.2.We can infer from the second paragraph that the author _________.A.led a wealthy life。
