Passage 1 For 20 months the wrecked Costa Concordia has been lying on its side near the coast of Giglio, a small Italian island. But on Tuesday, as part of the largest salvage (打捞) operation ever conducted, the large ship was finally moved to the upright position. The next step is for the vessel to be removed from the area entirely. The Costa Concordia is twice the weight of the Titanic. The ship itself didn't budge (稍微移动) for the first three hours of the operation, Sergio Girotto told reporters. He and other engineers worked for 19 hours before Concordia was declared completely upright. The Costa Concordia capsized on January 13, 2012, after its captain, Francesco Schettino, brought the ship too close to the shore. The ship hit coastal rocks, which caused serious damage and allowed water to pour in. Most of the 4,200 people on board made it to land safely, but more than 30 people were killed in the disaster. Two people remain missing. The Concordia's captain is currently on trial for causing a shipwreck and abandoning his ship. The operation to right the ship is called parbuckling. While parbuckling is a standard operation to right capsized ships, it has never before been used on such a large ship. Workers had been waiting for favorable weather conditions to undertake the operation. On Monday, authorities gave the final go-ahead. The process was expected to take no more than 12 hours. But problems with the large system of steel chains caused delays. Engineers worked through the night using cables and metal water tanks to roll the ship onto special platforms. The Concordia is expected to be pulled away from Giglio in the spring of 2014 and turned into scrap metal (废金属). The ship's owner, Costa Cruises, will pay for the recovery, which has already cost more than $800 million.
1. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A.Ship Safety Management
B.Shipwrecks: an Environmental Threat
C.The Costa Concordia Disaster
D.The Costa Concordia Salvage
A B C D
D
2. The word "capsized" in the third paragraph is closest in meaning to ______.
A.turned over
B.delayed
C.departed
D.set sail
A B C D
A
3. According to the passage, the Concordia's captain has been charged with causing the crash and ______.
A.drug use
B.alcohol abuse
C.abandoning his post
D.setting fire
A B C D
C
4. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.The Costa Concordia is three times the weight of the Titanic.
B.Engineers in Italy have successfully righted the wrecked Concordia after an operation that lasted around 12 hours.
C.The salvage operation went ahead despite bad weather conditions.
D.As a common means of righting wrecked ships, parbuckling had never been carried out on a vessel of the Concordia's size.
A B C D
D
5. What will happen to the Concordia eventually?
A.It will be pulled away to be broken up for scrap metal.
B.It will be repaired and put into use again.
C.It will be turned into a museum for tourists.
D.It will be sunk to the ocean floor.
A B C D
A
Passage 2 Would you risk your life for a country that considered you a second-class citizen? Would you join a military that asked you to risk sacrificing your life but separated you from other soldiers because of the color of your skin? That is precisely what the Tuskegee Airmen did. They were brave, intelligent, African-American men and women who fought for the United States in World War Ⅱ. In 1940, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt agreed to allow African Americans to fly airplanes in the military. Before that, African Americans could only serve in the Armed Forces as part of the ground troops. The first African American airmen reported for duty in 1941. They began their training outside of Tuskegee, Alabama. The soldiers were completely separated by race and the two races could not communicate. About 450 African American pilots finished the training. These men were the original Tuskegee Airmen. The Tuskegee Airmen had an amazing record. They did not lose any of the bombers they were escorting (护航). When the war was over in 1945, the Tuskegee Airmen were heroes. But when they returned to America, they were appalled to find out that they were still treated like second-class citizens. They faced the same segregation (种族隔离) and discrimination (歧视) as they had before they began their training. Frederick Henry, one of the original Tuskegee Airmen, lives in Detroit, Michigan. Because he was from the North, he would often forget the segregation rules of the South. Once, Henry was on a bus alone with a white bus driver. Soon, after the two has talked for a while, a wave of other passengers came on the bus. A problem arose when some white passengers were still Standing, which was against the rules. Henry was put off the bus, even though he was the first person to board the bus and had paid his fare. One thing did change, however. In 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed an executive order prohibiting segregation on the military. Eventually, the Tuskegee Airmen were officially thanked for their amazing efforts in the war.
1. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A.American Soldiers in World War Ⅱ
B.American Civil Rights Movement
C.The Tuskegee Airmen
D.Racial Discrimination in the U.S.
A B C D
C
2. What does the word "appalled" in the third paragraph probably mean?
A.Reluctant.
B.Pleased.
C.Shocked.
D.Relieved.
A B C D
C
3. It can be inferred from the passage that Henry ______.
A.refused to give up his seat to a white passenger
B.refused to pay his bus fare
C.had a fight with the bus driver
D.was the last person to board the bus
A B C D
A
4. In ______, President Harry S. Truman ordered to end military segregation.
A.1940
B.1941
C.1945
D.1948
A B C D
D
5. According to the passage, which of the following statements about the Tuskegee Airmen is TURE?
A.In World War Ⅱ, they never lost a bomber to enemy fire.
B.They were the first group of black soldiers ever trained by the ground troops.
C.They were not subjected to racial discrimination in the army.
D.They were already soldiers in the ground troops before their training at Tuskegee began.
A B C D
A
Passage 3 Coffee is a powerful drink. On a personal level, it helps keep us awake and active. On a much general level, it has helped shape our history and continues to shape our culture. Coffee plants grow wild in parts of Africa and were probably used by travelling tribes (部落) for thousands of year, but it wasn't until the 1400s that people figured out they could roast its seeds. "Then it really took off," said historian Mark Pendergrast--author of Uncommon Grounds: the History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World. By the 1500s, the drink had spread to coffeehouses across the Arab world, within another 150 years, it took Europe by storm. "It actually had a major impact on the rise of business," Pendergrast says. Coffeehouses became a spot not just to enjoy a cup but to exchange ideas. The insurance industry was founded hundreds of years ago in one of London's 2,000 coffeehouses. Literature, newspapers and even the works of great composers like Bach and Beethoven were also inspired in coffeehouses. It is often said that after the Boston Tea Party of 1773, when American colonists (殖民者) attacked British tea ships and threw large boxes of tea into the harbor, Americans everywhere switched over to drinking coffee. "There's a lot of truth to the story, I found," Pendergrast says. He mentions a letter John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, in which the Founding Father declares his love of tea but says he will have to learn to accept coffee instead, because drinking tea had become unpatriotic (不爱国的). For all the upsides coffee has brought the modern world, it also brought its fair share of downsides, too. Europeans carried coffee with them as they colonized various parts of the world, and this frequently meant they made people into slaves in order to grow it.
1. According to the passage, which of the following has nothing to do with coffee?
A.Literature
B.Newspaper
C.The insurance industry
D.The oil industry
A B C D
D
2. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT TRUE?
A.The Boston Tea Party took place in 1773.
B.Europeans figured out ways to use coffee during the 1670s.
C.During the 1770s, more and more Americans began to drink coffee.
D.Coffee is a refreshing drink.
A B C D
B
3. The author of the book believes that ______.
A.drinking coffee was unpatriotic
B.2,000 insurance companies were set up hundreds of years ago
C.Europeans were responsible for the existence of slavery
D.coffee actually influenced the rise of business
A B C D
D
4. The phrase "took off" in the second paragraph means "______".
A.dropped to the ground
B.became very successful
C.removed its coat
D.went away suddenly
A B C D
B
5. Which of the following is an appropriate title for this passage?
A.When Coffee Became Popular
B.Coffee Is a Powerful Drink
C.How Coffee Influenced the Course of History
D.What Impact Coffee Has on Human Behavior
A B C D
C
Passage 4 Imagine a school that expected its students to become literate (有读写能力的) without any formal instruction. Most parents would be alarmed by such an approach, which would leave their children confused and with gaps in their understanding. This, however, has been the philosophy on character development in many of our schools. Why is the development of character seen as somehow different from the other skills that we teach? Of course there will always be learning by osmosis (耳濡目染) in any school, but as a teacher and primary school head I have found that a child's moral literacy is strengthened when they acquire the building blocks of good character such as consideration, courage and honor: qualities which are commonly known as virtue (美德). I personally find that exploring a virtue over a two-week period provides a simple and effective program that allows for the creative input of both teacher and student and a chance for the virtue to embed (使融入) itself. Once a lesson on a virtue such as honesty has been completed we need to allow time for children to practice this concept just as would be the case with fractions or verbs. Allowing children to role play a situation such as making up excuses to cover a mistake can be enormously interesting, and the drama can be frozen allowing the characters to be questioned about their feelings and motives. It's also a safe way for children to experience for themselves how a lie usually goes out of control. Our role as educators is also to look for opportunities to help our students as they attempt to strengthen their characters. When something goes wrong, we guide the young person to the virtue that will prevent it from happening again. For instance, when a student thoughtlessly disturbs the calm atmosphere of the library, instead of a response such as "That was really disrespectful and selfish of you!" we draw out from them the required virtue: "When you're walking through the library, what virtues do you need to use?"
1. Which of the following is the main idea of this passage?
A.Teaching morals and values has been a frequently discussed topic in the past few years.
B.The author and his staff embed virtues into lessons and school life to encourage character development in children.
C.Kids throughout the population face the same needs, the same challenges, and the same realities in their lives.
D.Role plays are an excellent way of getting students to practice their English.
A B C D
B
2. We can infer from the first paragraph that ______.
A.there tends to be disagreement about what character education is
B.most parents are not satisfied with the teaching methods adopted in schools
C.the approach to character education is generally considered different from the approaches to other skills
D.more and more schools are adopting strategies to improve school attendance
A B C D
C
3. The word "philosophy" in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to ______.
A.study
B.subject
C.viewpoint
D.investigation
A B C D
C
4. The author is a ______.
A.teacher
B.librarian
C.reporter
D.manager
A B C D
A
5. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as a way to build character in children?
A.Story readings and discussions.
B.Osmosis.
C.Taking every opportunity to teach character.
D.Role play.
A B C D
A
Passage 5 The top of the world is a wonderland. In winter, the temperature often falls to -30℉ and the sun never rises. The ocean is surrounded by frozen ground. There are few people or trees, but to polar bears, the Arctic (北极) is home. Polar bears have thick fur, big paws and other features that make them well prepared for life in their tough environment. In fact, they need the Arctic sea ice for survival. But climate change is causing larger and larger areas of summer sea ice to melt (融化). Experts say that if warming patterns continue, the Arctic could be free of summer sea ice by 2050. That may cause two-thirds of the world's 20,000 polar bears to be gone by then too. Polar bears can't survive for long on land. Seals are their main source of food. The only place where polar bears can hunt seals is on the ice. Although these bears are strong swimmers, they are no .match for lightning swift seals in the water. A polar bear has brilliantly clever strategies to overcome this disadvantage. In winter, the bear waits motionless beside a seal's breathing hole, which is a narrow tunnel through the ice. Often many hours pass before the seal comes up for air and the bear kills it with a powerful blow of its pay. In summer, the polar bears that live on land eat very little and wait for the sea ice to return. With the sea ice forming later in the year and melting earlier, polar bears do not have enough opportunity to hunt and eat. Less sea ice makes it harder for the bears to catch the seals. The bears must swim longer distances between ice packs (大片浮冰) , and they can't always make it. The ice is also getting thinner. These conditions can cause polar-bear cubs to become separated from their mothers, who provide them with food. Steven Amstrup is the chief scientist of Polar Bears International. The group aims to save the bears and their home. "The more people who see polar bears and understand their difficult situation, the better the chance we'll alter our warming path in time to save them," he says.
1. Which is the best title for the passage?
A.Climate Change in the Arctic
B.How to Protect the Environment
C.The Arctic Is Home to Polar Bears
D.Polar Bears in Danger
A B C D
D
2. Where do polar bears usually hunt seals?
A.On land.
B.In open water.
C.In openings in the sea ice.
D.At the bottom of the sea.
A B C D
C
3. The word "cubs" in the fourth paragraph is closest in meaning to ______.
A.adults
B.babies
C.hunters
D.enemies
A B C D
B
4. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.Starving polar bears are increasingly coming into villages, where they may be killed either for food or safety.
B.Polar bears can spend their entire lives on land if the sea ice melts completely.
C.Two-thirds of the world's polar bears may disappear by 2050 as global warming continues.
D.The growing distance between ice packs is not a problem for polar bears, because they are excellent swimmers.
A B C D
C
5. What's the mission of Polar Bears International?
A.Saving energy.
B.Conducting scientific research.
C.Seeking international cooperation.
D.Saving polar bears and their home.
A B C D
D
Passage 6 Is that 6 a.m. workout getting in the way of good sleep? Don't think your fat cells won't notice. A new study published in The Annals of Internal Medicine (a medical journal) finds that inadequate shut-eye has a harmful effect on fat cells, reducing their ability to respond to insulin (胰岛素) by about 30 percent. Over the long-term, this decreased response could set the stage for type-2 diabetes (a medical condition in which someone has too much sugar in his or her blood), fatty liver disease and weight gain. The study adds to a growing body of evidence that there's "an intimate relationship between the amount of sleep we get and our ability to maintain a good, healthy body weight," says sleep expert Helene Emsellem, director of the Center for Sleep and Wake Disorders in Chevy Chase, Maryland. But Americans don't seem to be getting the message that we need seven to nine hours per night. More than 1 in 5 of us, according to a report from the Centers for disease Control and Prevention, is getting six or fewer hours of sleep per night, on average. So how did researchers study fat cells in the Annals paper? Matthew Brady of the University of Chicago and a group of colleagues selected and persuaded seven volunteers to take part in the research project. They were all young, think and healthy and agreed to sleep for eight nights in a sleep lab. "For four nights they were allowed to stay in bed for 8.5 hours a night," says Brady. Then, a month later, they came back for four additional nights--but this time they were allowed just 4.5 hours of sleep per night. And after each visit, researchers got a sample of their fat. Brady explains that the fat cells responded significantly to the loss of sleep. "I was very surprised to be honest," he says. Bad things can happen when fat cells become less responsive to insulin. "Fat cells are actually your friend," he says. "They're there to store lipids (血脂)." When lipids stay inside the cells, you body can utilize the fat when you're exercising or sleeping or going about your day. "However, when fat cells start to become insulin resistant, the lipids start to leach out of the fat cells and rise in the bloodstream," Brady says.
1. According to the passage, lack of sleep for a long while can probably lead to all of the following EXCEPT ______.
A.hart disease
B.weight gain
C.diabetes
D.liver disease
A B C D
A
2. The main idea of the third paragraph is ______.
A.how to write a medical research paper
B.how to avoid sleep loss
C.how the research was conducted
D.how to conduct a medical experiment
A B C D
C
3. What does the word "leach" in the last paragraph probably mean?
A.Leap.
B.Lead.
C.Lean.
D.Leak.
A B C D
D
4. Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
A.We will be in trouble if our fat cells become less responsive to insulin.
B.More and more studies are done to study the link between sleep and weight.
C.More than 20% of Americans are not getting enough sleep.
D.Fat cells are there to help us maintain a good health.
A B C D
B
5. Which of the following is an appropriate title for this passage?
A.Poor Sleep May Lead to Too Much Stored Fat and Disease
B.Sleep Experts Had Exciting Findings in a Fat Study
C.Americans Should Have More Than Six Hours of Sleep
D.Bad Things Happen if Fat Cells Become Our Friend