Passage 1 Scientists in India have invented a new way to produce electricity. Their invention does not get its power from oil, coal or other fuels. It produces electricity with the power of animals. India has about eighty million bullocks (小牛). They do all kinds of jobs. They work in the fields. They pull vehicles through the streets. They carry water containers. Indian energy officials have been seeking ways to use less imported oil to provide energy. Scientists at the National Institute for Industrial Engineering in Bombay (孟买) wondered whether the millions of bullocks could help. Many villages in India lack electricity, but they have many bullocks. And often the animals are not working. One job done by bullocks is to pump water out of the well. The animals do this by walking around and around in a circle. As they walk, they turn a heavy stick that makes the pump move. This simple technology is centuries old. Scientists thought that the same technology could be used to produce electricity. Bullocks walk in a circle only two or three times a minute. This is much too slow to produce electricity, but it can create enough power to turn a series of gears (齿轮). A large gear sits next to a smaller gear. As the large gear turns, it causes the smaller gear to turn. That gear turns an even smaller one. Each gear moves faster because it is a little smaller. The smallest gear may turn extremely fast. Clocks operate with gears. So do cars and so does the device invented by the Indian scientists to produce electricity. According to the officials in the United Nations, the idea is being tested at several places in India. The device is easy to operate and repair. And it can be moved easily. It costs about three hundred and seven dollars now to make such a device, but production of large numbers of them could cut the cost of each to about two hundred dollars.
1. Who first thought of using bullocks to provide energy?
A.Indian energy officials.
B.Scientists in India.
C.Officials in the United Nations.
D.Researchers in Europe.
A B C D
B
2. Which kind of job that the bullocks do is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A.Pulling vehicles.
B.Plowing fields.
C.Pumping water out of wells.
D.Carrying food baskets.
A B C D
D
3. Why are bullocks used to provide energy in India?
A.Because bullocks have long been used by Indian people.
B.Because bullocks walk slowly and are easy to control.
C.Because there are few non-working bullocks in India.
D.Because there is not enough oil in India.
A B C D
D
4. In the sentence "This simple technology is centuries old" in paragraph 1, "This simple technology" refers to "______".
A.using bullocks to produce energy
B.using pumps to draw water out
C.having bullocks walk around to make the pump move
D.connection gears of different sizes to produce electricity
A B C D
C
5. Which of the following is true about the device mentioned in the passage?
A.It has a large gear and a smaller gear.
B.It's easy to use, but difficult to move.
C.It's quite cheap.
D.It's still being tested.
A B C D
D
Passage 2 On-the-job smoking is a hot issue for both smokers and non-smokers, and many managers now see smoking as a productivity (生产力) problem. Although some people question whether smoking really affects one's productivity, it has, in fact, been proven that a smoker costs a company more than a non-smoker. According to Professor William Weis, a smoking employee costs his or her employer about $5,700 more a year than a never-smoker. These costs include medical care, lost earnings and insurance. And absence due to smoking breaks is one of the productivity problems, yet it accounts for a great deal of employer costs. When the issue of smoking at the workplace is discussed, perhaps the most important problem is the health risk that smoking causes to both smokers and never-smokers. It has long been proven that smoking is linked to lung cancer. Now many health experts warn that passive smoking can cause lung cancer and other illnesses in healthy never-smokers. Passive smoking can be defined as exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke in enclosed areas. Anyone who has been with smokers indeed knows that their smoke can cause eye irritation (刺激), coughing, headaches and throat soreness. While eye irritation may seem a small thing to some smokers, it nevertheless is a problem that occurs every workday in offices and break-rooms and can lead to greater health problems. Employees who do not smoke should not be subjected (遭受) to the risks of passive smoking and need to be able to work in a safe environment. Surgeon General Koop states that the right of the smoker stops at the point where his or her smoking increases the disease risk of those occupying the same environment.
1. All the following cases are on-the-job smoking except that ______.
A.an employer smokes while working in the office
B.a taxi driver smokes while driving the car
C.a worker smokes while working in the workshop
D.a worker smokes while reading in the train
A B C D
D
2. According to the passage, on-the-job smoking affects an employee's performance in the office in that ______.
A.he can't concentrate on what he is doing while smoking
B.he often goes away from his desk to smoke in the break-room
C.he often asks for sick leave as a result of too much smoking
D.he takes a rest from time to time because of eye irritation
A B C D
B
3. Many managers do not seem to be in favor of on-the-job smoking mainly because it ______.
A.reduces productivity of the company to a certain degree
B.does harm to the health of never-smokers of the company
C.affects the relationship between smokers and non-smokers
D.makes the break-rooms more crowded and more polluted
A B C D
A
4. Passive smoking means ______.
A.never-smokers take up the habit of smoking unwillingly
B.never-smokers have to put up with the active smokers
C.never-smokers take in smoke released by a lit cigarette
D.never-smokers share an enclosed area with smokers
A B C D
C
5. In the second part of the passage, the author suggests banning (禁止) on-the-job smoking so as to ______.
A.cut down costs of medical care and insurance
B.create a healthy and safe working environment
C.prevent eye irritation from becoming a big health problem
D.improve the smoking employees' work efficiency
A B C D
B
Passage 3 Not all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad experiences. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars. Often they relive these experiences in nightmares (恶梦). Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which will help people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a frightening experience. They hope it might reduce, or possibly erase (抹去), the effect of painful memories. In November, experts tested a drug on people in the U.S. and France. The drug stops the body releasing chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far the research has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are erased. The research has caused a great deal of argument. Some think it is a bad idea, while others support it. Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers' troubling memories after war. They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories. "Some memories can ruin people's lives. They come back to you when you don't want to have them in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions," said Roger Pitman, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "This could relieve a lot of that suffering." But those who are against the research say that it is very dangerous to change memories because memories give us our identity (特质). They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past. "All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were horrible at the time but make us who we are. I'm not sure we want to wipe those memories out," said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist.
1. The passage is mainly about ______.
A.a new medical invention
B.a new research on memories
C.a way of erasing painful memories
D.an argument about the research on the pill
A B C D
D
2. The drug tested on people can ______.
A.cause the brain to fix memories
B.stop people remembering their experiences
C.prevent body producing certain chemicals
D.wipe out the emotional effects of memories
A B C D
C
3. We can infer from the passage that ______.
A.people doubt the effects of the pills
B.the pill will stop people's bad experiences
C.taking the pill will do harm to people's health
D.the pill has probably been produced in America
A B C D
D
4. Which of the following does Rebecca Dresser agree with?
A.Some memories can ruin people's lives.
B.People want to get fid of bad memories.
C.Experiencing bad events makes us different from others.
D.Experiencing bad events makes us different from bad memories.
A B C D
C
5. The word "scars" in Paragraph One is close in meaning to "______".
A.good stories
B.pains
C.experiences
D.memories
A B C D
B
Passage 4 Looking back on my childhood, I am convinced that naturalists are born and not made. Although we were brought up in the same way, my brothers and sisters soon abandoned their pressed (紧抱的) flowers and insects. Unlike them, I had no ear for music and languages, I was not an early reader and I could not do mental arithmetic. Before World War I, we spent our summer holidays in Hungary. I have only the dim memory of the house we lived in, of my room and my toys. Nor do I recall clearly the large family of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who gathered next door. But I do have a crystal-clear memory of the dogs, the farm animals, the local birds and above all, the insects. I am a naturalist, not a scientist. I have a strong love of the natural world, and my enthusiasm has led me into varied investigations. I love discussing my favorite topics and enjoy burning the midnight oil, reading abut other people's observations and discoveries. Then something happens that brings these observations together in my conscious mind. Suddenly you fancy you see the answer to the riddle (谜), because it all seems to fit together. This has resulted in my publishing 300 papers and books, which some might honor with the title of scientific research. But curiosity, a keen eye, a good memory and enjoyment of the animal and plant world do not make a scientist; one of the outstanding and essential qualities required is self-discipline, a quality I lack. A scientist can be made. A naturalist is born. If you can combine the two, you get the best of both worlds.
1. According to the author, a born naturalist should first of all be ______.
A.full of enthusiasm
B.self-disciplined
C.full of ambition
D.knowledgeable
A B C D
A
2. The first paragraph tells us that the author ______.
A.lost his hearing when he was a child
B.didn't like his brothers and sisters
C.was born to a naturalist's family
D.was interested in flowers and insects in his childhood
A B C D
D
3. The author says that he is a naturalist rather than a scientist probably because he thinks he ______.
A.just reads about other people's observations and discoveries
B.comes up with solutions in most natural ways
C.has great deal of trouble doing mental arithmetic
D.lacks some of the qualities required of a scientist
A B C D
D
4. The author can't remember his relatives clearly because ______.
A.he was fully occupied with observing nature
B.he didn't live very long with them
C.the family was extremely large
D.he was too young when he lived with them
A B C D
A
5. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.The author believes that a born naturalist cannot be a scientist.
B.The author's brothers and sisters were good at music and languages.
C.The author read a lot of books about the natural world and the oil industry.
D.The author spent a lot of time working on riddles.
A B C D
B
Passage 5 If you have a chance to go to Finland, you will probably be surprised to find how "foolish" the Finnish people are. Take the taxi drivers for example. Taxis in Finland are mostly high-class Benz with a fare of two U.S. dollars a kilometer. You can go anywhere in one, tell the driver to drop you at a place, say that you have some business to attend to, and then walk off without paying your fare. The driver would not show the least sign of anxiety. The dining rooms in all big hotels not only serve their guests, but also serve outside diners. Hotel guests have their meals free, so they naturally go to the free dining rooms to have their meals. The most they would do to show their good faith is to wave their registration card to the waiter. With such a loose check, you can easily use any old registration card to take a couple of friends to dine free of charge. The Finnish workers are paid by the hour. They are very much on their own as soon as they have agreed with the boss on the rate. From then on, they just say how many hours they have worked and they will be paid accordingly. With so many loopholes (漏洞) in everyday life, surely Finland must be a heaven to those who love to take "petty advantages". But the strange thing is, all the taxi passengers would always come back to pay their fare after they have attended to their business; not a single outsider has ever been found in the free hotel dining room. And workers always give an honest account of the exact hours they put in. As the Finns always act on good faith in everything they do, living in such a society has turned everyone into a real "gentleman". In a society of such high moral practice, what need is there for people to be on guard against others?
1. While taking a taxi in Finland, ______.
A.a passenger can go anywhere without having to pay the driver
B.a passenger pays two U.S. dollars for a taxi ride
C.a passenger can never be turned down by the taxi driver wherever he wants to go
D.a passenger needs to provide good faith demonstration before they leave without paying
A B C D
C
2. We know from the passage that big hotels in Finland ______.
A.provide meals for only those who live in the hotels
B.provide meals for any diners
C.provide free wine and charge for food
D.are mostly poorly managed
A B C D
B
3. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A.The workers in Finland are paid by the hour.
B.The bosses in Finland are too busy to check the working hours of their employees.
C.The workers are always honest with their working hours.
D.The workers and their bosses will make an agreement in advance about the pay.
A B C D
B
4. The word "those" in the last paragraph probably refers to ______.
A.people who often take taxis
B.people who often have meals in big hotels
C.people who are dishonest
D.people who are worthy of trust
A B C D
C
5. It can be concluded that ______.
A.Finnish people are not smart enough in daily life
B.Finland has been a good place for cheats
C.the Finnish society is of very high moral level
D.all the Finns are rich
A B C D
C
Passage 6 There are many factors which may have an influence on adults and children being able to lead a healthy life. Nowadays, people are very busy. Often, both parents work outside the home. Children are expected to take on more responsibility at home to help their parents. They also have sporting and leisure activities as well as school expectations. The busyness also adds another factor: the need to use cars to get from one place to another quickly. Today, society places a lot of emphasis on technology. Computers, DVDs, CDs, television, Playstations and Xboxes have become major leisure activities, rather than traditional more active pursuits. This has led to a more sedentary lifestyle. The media provide entertainment and information. Unfortunately, they also promote fast food which fits easily into busy lifestyles. It is much more convenient at times to buy a quick takeaway rather than prepare a meal. The media constantly bombard (轰炸) their audience with "perfect" body images, the need to buy the most fashionable clothes, the most up-to-date computer games, the best places to visit and the best things to do. Environments vary. We may be exposed to pollution, such as cigarette smoke. This can be harmful to people who suffer from breathing difficulties. Environments where passive smoking is unavoidable make it difficult to lead a healthy life. It is important for everyone to be accepted and cared about by family and friends. Both of these groups can influence people--positively and negatively. Negative feelings can lead people to adopt an unhealthy lifestyle. Perhaps the most important factor influencing healthy lifestyles is motivation, or the desire to be healthy. Any person who wants to be healthy will find a way to be healthy--if he/she is motivated enough!
1. The passage is mainly about ______.
A.benefits of a healthy lifestyle
B.demands of daily life
C.factors affecting a healthy lifestyle
D.a positive approach to healthy living
A B C D
C
2. The word "sedentary" in paragraph 4 probably means "______".
A.having lot of things to do
B.involving little exercise or physical activity
C.being isolated from the outside world
D.experiencing a lot of stress
A B C D
B
3. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as a factor leading to the popularity of fast food?
A.Cheap price.
B.The media.
C.Busy lifestyle.
D.Convenience.
A B C D
A
4. Which is NOT listed as a factor influencing the ability to have a healthy lifestyle?
A.Pollution.
B.Economic factors.
C.Dependence upon cars.
D.Influence of family or friends.
A B C D
B
5. According to the author, ______ may be the most important factor influencing healthy lifestyles.