Part Ⅰ Reading Comprehension Directions: There are four passages in this part. Each of the passage is followed by five questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the best one and mark your answer on the ANSWER SHEET with a single line through the center.
Passage One Britons are increasingly entertaining guests at home with dinner, film and karaoke nights, inspired by television shows on cookery and home entertainment, according to a survey. More than half (53 percent) of the respondents to a poll of 1,000 Britons across the country said they now prefer to spend quality time with family and friends by inviting them over to their homes rather than meeting in bars and restaurants,the survey by mobile phone operator T-Mobile showed. Popular television shows such as "Come Dine With Me" where amateur chefs attempt to show each other with their cooking skills. "Master Chef" where ordinary people compete to cook to Michelin standards and a number of celebrity cookery shows have inspired Britons to entertain at home. The poll showed that nearly a third of respondents had splashed out cash for home entertainment improvements such as sofas, dining tables, games consoles and bigger televisions to impress the guests. "Over the last couple of years, my clients have increasingly asked for home parties rather than ones at independent venues," party planning expert Liz Brewer said in a statement accompanying the poll's results. "This is not only due to the recession but because many have become increasingly house-proud and keen to show off their cooking skills, in addition to their latest home entertainment purchases." Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver was the top choice for dream host of respondents, while Prime Minister Gordon Brown was one of the least favored, alongside his rival Conservative leader David Cameron.
1. What does the word "entertain" mean?
A.Host.
B.Enjoy.
C.Enroll.
D.Recruit.
A B C D
A
[解析] 本题为猜词题。由定位处“Britons are increasingly entertaining guests at home with dinner, film and karaoke nights, inspired by television shows on cookery and home entertainment”可知A选项Host“招待”最符合语境。故答案为A。
2. What does the phrase "quality time" mean?
A.Precious time.
B.Much time.
C.Good quality time.
D.Limited time.
A B C D
A
[解析] 本题为猜词题。“…Britons across the country said they now prefer to spend quality time with family and friends by inviting them over to their homes rather than meeting in bars and restaurants”由此句可知是他们更愿意花宝贵的时间邀请他们的家人和朋友来家里而不是去饭店或酒吧。可知A最符合语境。
3. Which of the following is NOT true?
A.Many respondents involved in the poll prefer inviting guests to meeting in bars and restaurants.
B.Haft of the respondents in a poll said they now like to spend quality time with family and friends.
C."Come Dine with Me" involved cooking skills.
D."Master Chef" inspired Britons to welcome gusts at home.
A B C D
B
[解析] 本题为细节判断题。“More than half (53 percent) of the respondents to a poll of 1,000 Britons across the country said they now prefer to spend quality time with family and friends by inviting them over to their homes rather than meeting in bars and restaurants”由原文中“More than half (53 percent) of the respondents”可知是多于一半的人。故B项错误。
4. What does the "splash out" most probably mean?
A.Crush.
B.Waste money.
C.Ash.
D.Blush.
A B C D
B
[解析] 本题为猜词题。由“The poll showed that nearly a third of respondents had splashed out cash for home entertainment improvements such as sofas, dining tables, games consoles and bigger televisions to impress the guests.”并根据语境可知splashed out是“浪费金钱”的意思。
5. Over the last couple of years, why do clients have increasingly asked for home parties rather than ones at independent venues?
A.Recession and their willingness to show their cooking skills.
B.It is more healthy to eat at home.
C.It is cleaner to eat at home.
D.It can create harmonious atmosphere.
A B C D
A
[解析] 本题为细节题。题干定位处为“Over the last couple of years, my clients have increasingly asked for home parties rather than ones at independent venues”答案定位在“This is not only due to the recession but because many have become increasingly house-proud and keen to show off their cooking skills, in addition to their latest home entertainment purchases.”。本句中的递进结构词为“not…but…”即强调句子but后面的内容。而but后面的内容中还有in addition这个原因,所以综合可知答案为A。
Passage Two In November 1965, New York was blacked out by an electricity failure. The authorities promised that it would not happen again. Pessimists were certain that it would occur again within five years at the latest. In July 1997, there was a repeat performance which produced varying degrees of chaos throughout the city of eight million people. In 1965, the failure occurred in the cool autumn and at a time of comparative prosperity. In 1997, the disaster was much more serious because it came when unemployment was high and the city was suffering from one of its worst heat waves. In 1965, there was little crime or looting during the darkness, and fewer than a hundred people were arrested. In 1997, hundreds of stores were broken into and looted. Looters smashed shop windows and helped themselves to jewelry, clothes or television sets. Nearly 4,000 people were arrested but far more disappeared into the darkness of the night. The number of policemen available was quite inadequate and they wisely refrained from using their guns against mobs which far outnumbered them and included armed men. Hospitals had to treat hundreds of people cut by glass from shop windows. Banks and most businesses remained closed the next day. The blackout started at 9:30 p.m., when lightning hit and knocked out vital cables. Many stores were thus caught by surprise. The vast majority of New Yorkers, however, were not involved in looting. They helped strangers, distributed candles and batteries, and tried to survive in a nightmare world without traffic lights, refrigerator, elevators, water and electrical power. For twenty-four hours, New York realized how helpless it was without electricity.
1. From the first paragraph, we know that ______ were right.
A.the authorities
B.the pessimists
C.both the authorities and the pessimists
D.neither the authorities nor the pessimists
A B C D
D
[解析] 本题为细节题。由“The authorities promised that it would not happen again.”及“Pessimists were certain that it would occur again within five years at the latest. In July 1997, there was a repeat performance”可知这场大事故又发生了。所以两者都是推断错了,故答案为D。
2. In what way was the blackout of 1997 NOT really a repeat performance?
A.There was much more disorder.
B.This time the electricity supply failed.
C.It was quite unexpected.
D.It did not occur within five years of 1965.
A B C D
A
[解析] 本题为细节题。题干意思为1997的断电事故中哪个不是出现的相同的状况? A项为混乱状态更多。由“the disaster was much more serious because it came when unemployment was high and the city was suffering from one of its worst heat waves.”可知因为到1997年的时候失业人口更多,所以这一混乱局面更为严重。故答案为A。
3. As far as maintaining the peace was concerned, conditions in 1997 were comparatively ______
A.more favorable
B.less favorable
C.uncharged
D.improved
A B C D
B
[解析] 本题为推理题。题干意思是,鉴于对维护和平的考虑,1997年的状况较之前的那次停电更为______。由“In 1997, the disaster was much more serious because it came when unemployment was high and the city was suffering from one of its worst heat waves.”中的“was much more serious”可知2007年的停电事故更糟糕,更为混乱,所以选择B。
4. What caused the blackout in July 1997?
A.Excessive heat probably made people switch on too many electrical appliances.
B.Because of unemployment, some machines were not in proper working order.
C.During a storm, lightning damaged supply cables.
D.The passage does not mention the cause.
A B C D
C
[解析] 本题为细节题。由“The blackout started at 9:30 P.m., when lightning hit and knocked out vital cables.”可知由于闪电击中而将重要电缆烧断致使停电事故发生。
5. Why did many looters escape at last?
A.The police could not see them in the dark.
B.Many of the looters were armed with guns.
C.There were not enough policemen to catch them all.
D.They were hidden inside big buildings.
A B C D
C
[解析] 本题为细节题。原题定位处为“Nearly 4,000 people were arrested but far more disappeared into the darkness of the night.”原因为“The number of policemen available was quite inadequate”,所以可知答案为C。
Passage Three Greece, economically, is in the black. With very little to export other than such farm products as tobacco, cotton and fruit, the country earns enough from "invisible earnings" to pay for its needed, growing imports. From the sending out of things the Greeks, earn only $285 million; from tourism, shipping and the remittances of Greeks abroad, the country takes in an additional #375 million and this washes out the almost $400 million by which imports exceed exports. It has a balanced budget. Although more than one drachma out of four goes for defense, the government ended a recent year with a slight surplus—$66 million. Greece has a decent reserve of almost a third of a billion dollars in gold and foreign exchange. It has a government not dependent on coalescing incompatible parties to obtain parliamentary majorities. In thus summarizing a few happy highlights, I don't mean to minimize the vast extent of Greece's problems. It is the poorest country by a wide margin in Free Europe, and poverty is widespread. At best an annual income of $60 to $70 is the lot of many a peasant, and substantial unemployment plagues the countryside, cities, and towns of Greece. There are few natural resources on which to build any substantial industrial base. Some years ago I wrote here: "Greek statesmanship will have to create an atmosphere in which home and foreign savings will willingly seek investment opportunities in the back ward economy of Greece. So far, most American and other foreign attempt have bogged down in the Greek government's red tape and shrewdness about small points." Great strides have been made. As far back as 1956, expanding tourism seemed a logical way to bring needed foreign currencies and additional jobs to Greece. At that time I talked with the Hilton Hotel people, who had been examining hotel possibilities, and to the Greek government division responsible for this area of the economy. They were hopelessly deadlocked in almost total differences of opinion and outlook. Today most of the incredibly varied, beautiful, historical sights of Greece have new, if in many cases modest, tourist facilities. Tourism itself has jumped from approximately $31 million to over $90 million. There is both a magnificent new Hilton Hotel in Athens and a completely modernized, greatly expanded Grande Bretagne, as well as other first-rate new hotels. And the advent of jets has made Athens as accessible as Paris or Rome—without the sky-high prices of traffic-choked streets of either.
1. The title below that best expresses the ideas of this passage is ______.
Passage Four The New York Times recently reported that American teens are hugging practically everyone they see. Say goodbye to the greetings of the past, from the hands-off "What's up!" to the handshake or high-five. For young people across the country, hugging is the new "Hello". Girls are hugging girls. Boys are hugging boys. Girls and boys are hugging each other. And, like every major trend, there are lots of variations on the form. There's the classic, full-body, arms-around-the-person bear hug, the casual one-armed side hug, the group hug and the hug from behind. There is the handshake that turns into a hug and the hug that turns into a pat on the back. As trends go, this one seems pretty innocent. But some parents, teachers and school administrators are worried nonetheless. Will young people who aren't as comfortable with physical contact feel peer pressured into hugging? Will kids who don't receive hugs feel left out? Could an extra-long hug slide into the more ominous territory of sexual harassment? In response to some of these concerns, some schools have set up new rules to limit or eliminate hugging. A few important points are being left out of the discussion. While the US has traditionally been reserved about touching—saving hugs and kisses for relatives, romantic partners and very close friends—people in many other parts of the world have been greeting each other this way for ages. Latin American men are more likely to shake hands when greeting other men, but in some countries like Turkey, it's not unusual for men who know each other well to exchange kisses on the cheek. Meanwhile, for the Maori people of New Zealand, a traditional greeting called the "hongi" involves pressing noses together. So, from a global perspective, the new trend of teen hugging in America is not so "new" after all. People all around the world move in close to say hello, and Americans are just now joining in.
1. The word "practically" in the first paragraph could be best replaced by ______.
A.certainly
B.nearly
C.actively
D.voluntarily
A B C D
B
[解析] 本题为猜词题。由该词所在的句子:“The New York Times recently reported that American teens are hugging practically everyone they see.”可知此词的词性为副词,而A项过于绝对为错误选项。C项也过于绝对,D项是“自动地”与本文语义不符合,故答案为B。而nearly的意思为“实际地,几乎”。
2. Which of the following is NOT among the typical ways of greetings in the past?
A.Hands off "What's up".
B.Handshake.
C.High-five.
D.Embrace.
A B C D
D
[解析] 本题为细节定位题。题干中问的是在过去较为特别的问候方式不包括以下哪一类?答案定位处在句子“from the hands-off 'What's up!' to the handshake or high-five”中,而D项“拥抱”是目前的做法。故答案为D。
3. Some parents, teachers and school administrators concern the new trend of hugging for the following reasons EXCEPT ______.
A.some young people get involved into the trend due to peer pressure
B.those who don't receive hugs feel left out
C.there is the danger that hugging slide into the more ominous territory of sexual harassment
D.diseases could be transmitted more easily through the extra-long body contact
A B C D
D
[解析] 本题为细节定位题。题干定位处在“But some parents, teachers and school administrators are worried nonetheless.”worry对应题干的concerned。而几个一般疑问句“Will young people who aren't as comfortable with physical contact feel peer pressured into hugging? Will kids who don't receive hugs feel left out? Could an extra-long hug slide into the more ominous territory of sexual harassment? 正是他们担心的内容,故答案为D。
4. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Teenagers across the US hug everyone they see in nearly the same way.
B.Although some adults worry about the trend, few measures have been taken to ban on it.
C.Traditionally, the US people have been reserved about hugging between anybody.
D.In some countries, it is men to kiss each other on the cheek.
A B C D
D
[解析] 本题为细节判断题。“And, like every major trend, there are lots of variations on the form.”可知A项错误;由“In response to some of these concerns, some schools have set up new rules to limit or eliminate hugging.”可知已经针对这些担忧提出了很多应对措施,故B项错误;由“While the US has traditionally been reserved about touching—saving hugs and kisses for relatives,romantic partners and very close friends—people in many other parts of the world have been greeting each other this way for ages.”的插入成分可知拥抱方式只在亲属、爱人、亲密朋友间保留,而C项中说对任何人都保留,故错误;而由“but in some countries like Turkey, its not unusual for men who know each other well to exchange kisses on the cheek.”可知D项正确。注意文中的双重否定not unusual就是usual的意思。
5. We can infer that the author holds a ______ attitude toward the new trend of hugging.
A.positive
B.negative
C.indifferent
D.conservative
A B C D
A
[解析] 由“People all around the world move in close to say hello, and Americans are just now joining in.”可知作者持有积极肯定的观点,故选择A。