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 I don't ever want to talk about being a woman scientist again. There was a time in my life when people asked constantly for stories about what it's like to work in a field dominated by men. I was never very good at telling those stories because truthfully I never found them interesting. What I do find interesting is the origin of the universe, the shape of space-time and the nature of black holes. At 19, when I began studying astrophysics, it did not bother me in the least to be the only woman in the classroom. But while earning my Ph.D. at MIT and then as a post-doctor doing space research, the issue started to bother me. My every achievement—jobs, research papers, awards—was viewed through the lens of gender politics. So were my failures. Sometimes, when I was pushed into an argument on left brain versus right brain, or nature versus nurture, 1 would instantly fight fiercely on my behalf and all womankind. Then one day a few years ago, out of my mouth came a sentence that would eventually become my reply to any and all provocations: I don't talk about that anymore. It took me 10 years to get back the confidence I had at 19 and to realize that I didn't want to deal with gender issues. Why should curing sexism be yet another terrible burden on every female scientist? After all, I don't study sociology or political theory. Today I research and teach at Barnard, a women's college in New York City. Recently, someone asked me how may of the 45 students in my class were women. You cannot imagine my satisfaction at being able to answer, 45. I know some of my students worry how they will manage their scientific research and a desire for children. And I don't dismiss those concerns. Still, I don't tell them "war" stories. Instead, I have given them this：the visual of their physics professor heavily pregnant doing physics experiments. And in turn they have given me the image of 45 women driven by a love of science. And that's a sight worth talking about.
1. Why doesn't the author want to talk about being a woman scientist again?
A.She feels unhappy working in male—dominated fields.
B.She is fed up with the issue of gender discrimination.
D.Widespread misconceptions about nature and nurtured.
A B C D
C
[解析] 题干问：作者在攻读哲学博士和进行博士后研究时要同什么进行不断的斗争?C选项说人们对女性科学家的固有态度。文中第二段从“But while earning my Ph.D. at MIT and then as a post-doctor doing space research, the issue started to bother me”这句开始，讲述了作者面对世人成见时如何挺身而出、为女性仗义执言。因此C选项是正确的。
4. Why does the author feel great satisfaction when talking about her class?
A.Female students no longer have to bother about gender issues.
B.Her students' performance has brought back her confidence.
C.Her female students can do just as well as male students.
D.More female students are pursuing science than before.
5. What does the image the author presents to her students suggest?
A.Women students needn't have the concerns of her generation.
B.Women have more barriers on their way to academic success.
C.Women can balance a career in science and having a family.
D.Women now have fewer problems pursuing a science career.
A B C D
C
[解析] 题干问到作者展示给学生们的图景意味着什么。由“I have given them this: the visual of their physics professor heavily pregnant doing physics experiments”，即身怀六甲的物理教授依然在做物理实验。一些学生担心不能很好地处理科研与生育孩子之间的平衡。作者为了消除学生们的担忧，便展示了这个图景。故本题选C。
Passage Two People from other countries often take America as the "land of opportunity". Americans, too, believe that the country gives no end of chances to those who want to open their own businesses in this amazing place. Today, many Americans are still trying hard to become small business people, although only one out of two remains in operation after the first two years. Many people start their small businesses for the wrong reasons. They want to get away from the paper work of their present jobs or to exchange the responsibility of their present jobs for free life styles. But more, not less, paper work and responsibility come with ownership of a small business. Thomas is the owner of the news magazine Mother Earth, which is now quite successful. He says that he had to work sixty hours without stopping when he was trying to bring out the first issue. Thomas had waited for years after he came up with the idea for Mother Earth. During that period of time, he collected as much information as he could about his business. He borrowed books from the library, talked to successful people in the field, and began planning carefully the amount of money and the kinds and numbers of supplies he would probably need. When he finally opened with a capital of $1,500, he set up his office in the kitchen and his printing press in the garage. Owing to his devotion to business, his talent, and his skill in management, Mother Earth now has a circulation of 300,000. Not all small businesses are doing as fine as Mother Earth is 50% of the 450,000 that start in America every year far. Still, 95% businesses in the US can be called "small". Altogether these businesses amount to 40% of America's gross national product.
1. According to the passage, which of the following is true of the small businesses in the US?
A.All of them close down in the first two years.
B.Most of them fail within the first two years.
C.They all make big profits.
D.Only half of them continue to operate after the first two years.
A B C D
D
[解析] 题干问：根据本文，下列哪一项对于美国小公司的描述是正确的?D选项说在创办之后的最初两年只有一半的公司能继续运转，由“...although only one out of two remains in operation after the first two years.”可知，D选项是正确答案。
2. According to Paragraph 2, many people start small businesses in order to ______.
A.do heavy work or earn more money
B.do less paper work or take less responsibility
C.do more paper work or take less responsibility
D.do fight work or live quiet lives
A B C D
B
[解析] 题干问：根据第二段，许多人创办公司的原因是什么?B选项说是为了降低文案工作量及减轻责任。由“Many people start their small businesses for the wrong reasons. They want to get away from the paper work of their present jobs or to exchange the responsibility of their present jobs for free life styles.”可知，B选项是正确答案。
3. What preparations did Thomas make before he started his business?
A.He stayed at home.
B.He borrowed money from a bank.
C.He made investigations and drew up a plan.
D.He wrote a book.
A B C D
C
[解析] 题干问：Thomas再开公司之前都做了哪些准备?此题可用排除法A、B、D选项均为提及且由“he collected as much information as he could about his business. He borrowed books from the library, talked to successful people in the field, and began planning carefully the amount of money and the kinds and numbers of supplies he would probably need.”可知，他做了充足的市场调查并做了详细的计划。所以C选项是正确答案。
4. Thomas' success can be attributed to ______.
A.his talent, his skill in management, and his devotion to his work
5. How many businesses in the US can be called "small"?
A.5%
B.40%
C.50%
D.95%
A B C D
D
[解析] 题干问：在美国有多少公司被称之为小公司?由“Still，95% businesses in the US can be called 'small'”可知，D选项是正确答案。
Passage Three In this age of Internet chat, videogames and reality television, there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied. Yet, despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition she won last year. As a writer I know about winning contests, and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection slip from the publisher. I also know the pressure of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn't win the contest again? That's the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and dashed hopes can surface. A revelation came last week when I asked her, "Don't you want to win again?" "No," she replied, "I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade." If that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly "guided" by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson. I had mined her contest into my contest without even realizing it. Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting (借用) my daughter's experience. While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough a way to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices.
1. What do we learn from the first paragraph?
A.A lot of distractions compete for children's time nowadays.
B.Children do find lots of fun in many mindless activities.
C.Rebecca is much too occupied to enjoy her leisure time.
D.Rebecca draws on a lot of online materials for her writing.
2. What did the author say about her own writing experience?
A.She was constantly under pressure of writing more.
B.Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers.
C.She did not quite live up to her reputation as a writer.
D.Her way to success was full of pains and frustrations.
A B C D
D
[解析] 题干问作者讲了自己的哪些写作经历。由“As a writer I know about winning contests, and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection slip from the publisher. I also know the pressure of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories.”可知D选项是正确答案。
3. Why did Rebecca want to enter this year's writing contest?
A.She had won a prize in the previous contest.
B.She wanted to share her stories with readers.
C.She was sure of winning with her mother's help.
D.She believed she possessed real talent for writing.
A B C D
B
[解析] 题干问丽贝卡想要参加今年的写作比赛的原因。由“she replied, I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.'”可知她想与人们分享这个故事，所以B选项是正确答案。
4. The author took great pains to refine her daughter's stories because ______.
A.she wanted to help Rebecca realize her dreams of becoming a writer
B.she was afraid Rebecca's imagination might run wild while writing
C.she did not want to disappoint Rebecca who needed her help so much
D.she believed she had the knowledge and experience to offer guidance
A B C D
D
[解析] 题干问作者花费了很多心力去修改女儿的故事的原因。文中并未指明丽贝卡有当作家的梦想，从文中可知她写作的目的只是要分享她的故事而已，甚至连写作比赛的优胜都不在意。文中虽有“guiding the young writer across the hall”这句，似乎作者是想把女儿培养成作家，但这只是作者为了说明自己当时的心情而打的比方而已。第二，即便有这样的梦想，也不可能仅仅通过修改一篇作文就能实现。因此A选项并不正确。B、C选项文中未提，作者当初之所以要主动指导女儿，是相信自己的知识和经验可以对女儿提供帮助，只是结果不尽如人意。所以D选项是正确答案。
5. What's the author's advice for parents?
A.Children should be given every chance to voice their opinions.
B.Parents should keep an eye on the activities their kids engage in.
C.Children should be allowed freedom to grow through experience.
D.A writing career, though attractive, is not for every child to pursue.
Passage Four I'm usually fairly skeptical about any research that concludes that people are either happier or unhappier or more or less certain of themselves than they were 50 years ago. While any of these statements might be true, they are practically impossible to prove scientifically. Still, I was struck by a report which concluded that today's children are significantly more anxious than children in the 1950s. In fact, the analysis showed, normal children ages 9 to 17 exhibit a higher level of anxiety today than children who were treated for mental illness 50 years ago. Why are America's kids so stressed? The report cites two main causes: increasing physical isolation—brought on by high divorce rates and less involvement in community, among other things—and a growing perception that the world is a more dangerous place. Given that we can't turn the clock back, adults can still do plenty to help the next generation cope. At the top of the list is nurturing a better appreciation of the limits of individualism. No child is an island. Strengthening social ties helps build communities and protect individuals against stress. To help kids build stronger connections with others, you can pull the plug on TVs and computers. Your family will thank you later. They will have more time for face-to-face relationships, and they will get more sleep. Limit the amount of virtual violence your children are exposed to. It's not just video games and movies; children see a lot of murder and crime on the local news. Keep your expectations for your children reasonable. Many highly successful people never attended Harvard or Yale. Make exercise part of your daily routine. It will help you cope with your own anxieties and provide a good model for your kids. Sometimes anxiety is unavoidable. But it doesn't have to ruin your life.
1. The author thinks that the conclusions of any research about people's state of mind are ______.
A.surprising
B.confusing
C.illogical
D.questionable
A B C D
D
[解析] 题干问：作者认为任何关于人们心态的研究结论都是怎样的。D选项中的questionable与文章第一句话“I'm usually fairly skeptical about any research that concludes that...”中的“be skeptical about”是同义替换。故本题答案为D。
2. What does the author mean when he says, "we can't turn the clock back"?
A.It's impossible to slow down the pace of change.
B.The social reality children are facing cannot be changed.
C.Lessons learned from the past should not be forgotten.
D.It's impossible to forget the past.
A B C D
B
[解析] 题干问：作者说“我们不能让时光倒流“是什么意思。“we can’t turn the clock back”句子本意是“我们不能让时光倒流”，引申义是我们不可能改变既定的事实。故本题选B。
3. According to an analysis, compared with normal children today, children treated as mentally ill 50 years ago ______.
A.were less isolated physically
B.were probably less self-centered
C.probably suffered less from anxiety
D.were considered less individualistic
A B C D
C
[解析] 题干问：根据一项研究，与现在的正常孩子相比，50年前被认为有精神疾病的孩子是怎样的。由“In fact, the analysis showed, normal children ages 9 to 17 exhibit a higher level of anxiety today than children who were treated for mental illness 50 years ago.”(be treated mentally ill意思是be treated for mental illness)可知，C选项是正确答案。
4. The first and most important thing parents should do to help their children is ______.
A.to provide them with a safer environment
B.to lower their expectations for them
C.to get them more involved socially
D.to set a good model for them to follow
A B C D
C
[解析] 题干问：家长帮助孩子的首要的事情是什么。“The first and most important thing”意为“首要的是……”，与第四段中的at the top of the list是同义替换。由“At the top of the list is nurturing(培育)a better appreciation of the limits of individualism. No child is an island. Strengthening social ties helps build communities and protect individuals against stress.”可知，应该让孩子们更多地与他人交往，所以C选项是正确答案。
5. What conclusion can be drawn from the passage?
A.Anxiety, though unavoidable, can be coped with.
B.Children's anxiety has been enormously exaggerated.
C.Children's anxiety can be eliminated with more parental care.
D.Anxiety, if properly controlled, may help children become mature.
A B C D
A
[解析] 题干问从文章中可以得出什么结论。通常文章的开头或结尾部分会渗透一篇文章的主旨。由“Sometimes anxiety is unavoidable. But it doesn't have to ruin your life.”可知，A选项是正确答案。
深色：已答题 浅色：未答题