Sony and Toyota are struggling. But one brand name is booming (繁荣) in Japan during the economic slowdown—Mickey Mouse.
According to the company that runs Tokyo Disneyland, Japan’s busiest theme park will be more packed than ever over Christmas and New Year’s Day. Despite the bad economy, it’s already been a record year for an escape which is cheaper than the average night out in pricey Tokyo.
“Here, economic depression (萧条) seems a world away,” visitor Namie Katsunuma said. “This is the only place where I can totally forget the economic worries and hardships of my life.”
The single mother’s salary at an auto factory was cut in November but, with her $500 yearly pass in hand, she makes the 95-km journey from her home to Tokyo Disneyland every couple of months.
The park’s operator, Oriental Land Co, estimates (估算) a record 26.5 million people will visit Tokyo Disneyland and its nearby sister park, Disneysea, during the financial year ending in March. The company is forecasting sales of a record $4.2 billion, up almost 10 percent.
“In a way, the economy works well for Tokyo Disneyland,” said Hiroshi Watanabe, an economist at the Tokyo-based Daiwa Research Institute. “Because of the economic depression, people have stopped buying cars and houses or going to Hawaii, and Tokyo Disneyland offers an affordable and pleasant alternative.”
Around the world, Disney’s theme parks have been a bright spot for the brand this year as people seem to look for an escape from bad times.
1.According to the passage, what happens to Tokyo Disneyland this year?
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A．Fewer people visit it. |
B．Less money is made. |
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C．It attracts more visitors. |
D．Its sales have reached $4.2 billion. |
2.What can be the possible reason for Tokyo Disneyland’s boom?
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A．It costs less money to play here than in any other theme park. |
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B．People have a new understanding of amusement. |
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C．The economic depression has changed people’s plans to spend money. |
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D．Visitors seek an escape from economic depression. |
3.What does the underlined word “alternative” mean in the sixth paragraph?
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A．choice. |
B．park. |
C．time. |
D．trip. |
4.According to the last paragraph, what is the writer probably going to write?
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A．The theme parks that attract most visitors. |
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B．More examples of success of Disney theme parks. |
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C．Tokyo Disneyland’s plan for the next year. |
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D．The economic depression in other companies. |
Flight Distance
Any observant people have noticed that a wild animal will allow a man or other potential enemy to approach only up to a given distance before it escapes. “Flight distance” is the terms used for this interspecies spacing. As a general rule, there is a positive relationship between the size of an animal and its flight distance --- the larger the animal, the greater the distance it must keep between itself and the enemy. An antelope will escape when the enemy is as much as five hundred yards away. The wall lizard’s flight distance, on the other hand, is about six feet. Flight is the basic means of survival for mobile creatures.
Critical Distance
Critical distance apparently is present wherever and whenever there is a flight reaction. “Critical distance” includes the narrow zone separating flight distance from attack distance. A lion in a zoo will flee from an approaching man until it meets a barrier that it cannot overcome. If the man continues the approach, he soon penetrates（穿过，透过）the lion’s critical distance, at which point the cornered lion turns back and begins slowly stalk（逼近）the man.
Social Distance
Social animals need to stay in touch with each other. Loss of contact with the group can be fatal （致命的）for a variety of reasons including exposure to enemies. Social distance is not simply the distance at which an animal will lose contact with his group --- that is, the distance at which it can no longer see, hear, or smell the group --- it is rather a psychological distance, one at which the animal apparently begins to feel anxious when it goes beyond its limits. We can think of it as a hidden band that contains the group.
Social distance varies from species to species. It is quite short --- apparently only a few yards --- among some animals, and quite long among others.
Social distance is not always rigidly（刻板的）fixed but is determined in part by the situation. When the young of apes and humans are mobile but not yet under control of the mother’s voice, social distance may be the length of her reach. This is readily observed among baboons（狒狒）in a zoo. When the baby approaches a certain point, the mother reaches out to seize the end of its tail and pull it back to her. When added control is needed because of danger, social distance shortens. To show this in man, one has only to watch a family with a number of small children holding hands as they cross a busy street.
1.Which of the following is the most suitable explanation to “Flight distance”?
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A．Distance between animals of the same species before escaping. |
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B．Distance between large and small animals before escaping. |
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C．Distance between an animal and its enemy before escaping |
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D．Distance between certain animal species before escaping. |
2.If a lion’s critical distance is penetrated, it will ________
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A．begin to attack |
B．try to hide |
C．begin to jump |
D．run away |
3.The example of the children holding hands when crossing the street in the last paragraph
shows that ________.
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A．social distance is not always needed |
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B．there is no social distance among children |
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C．humans are different from animals in social distance |
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D．social distance is sometimes determined by outside factors |
4.Which of the following one can be the best title of the passage?
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A．Critical Distance |
B．Spacing in Animals |
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C．Relationship Between Animals |
D．Psychological Distance |
Uncle Tom gave little Vicki Black a birthday gift one week before her birthday. He told her not to open it until her birthday. She knew her mother wouldn’t tolerate any disrespect to the kind man who helped them out after Vicki’s father passed away; besides, Vicki didn’t want Uncle Tom to get angry. But little Vicky didn’t want to just hold it and guess what was in it. After all, she looked forward to his coming to show her interesting things, like how to turn an old sock into a doll.
All the day, Vicki couldn’t stop thinking about the gift while her teacher was giving a lecture. Vicki sat still in her seat, drawing paper dolls inside the box. When school was done, she raced home. Walking into the room, again, she shook the present, but she heard nothing. Holding her breath, she opened the box and looked inside. Seconds later, she cried. When Mrs. Black saw the box, she said angrily, “Didn’t I tell you to leave it alone?” Vicki sobbed and said, “Mommy, you don’t understand.”
“Don’t cry to me. You have missed everything now, just because you couldn’t wait,” Mrs. Black accused. “What will Uncle Tom think now?”
“Uncle Tom gave me nothing,” Vicki cried and handed the empty box to her mother. “He played a trick on me.”
Mrs. Black said doubtfully, “Uncle Tom is not like that. You must have dropped it.”
Vicki kept crying. Only a rapid knock on the door made the house quiet. It was Uncle Tom. He looked at the empty box. “You have already done it? I told you to wait for your birthday.”
“You didn’t give me a gift.” Fresh tears filled her eyes.
“I try to give you something. I know your birthday is a special day. I tell myself to give you something valuable to last your whole life. I think hard and get the idea to give you an important lesson. If you open it on birthday, I see you learn. Then I will make a big party to celebrate. Maybe next year you listen and then you will understand the gift better.
Vicki’s cheeks flushed（脸红）.
1. We can learn from the text that Vicki___________.
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A．often received gifts from her father |
B．expected Uncle Tom to give her a doll |
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C．was sad because of her father’s death |
D．liked and respected Uncle Tom |
2. Vicki’s mother became angry because ___________.
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A．Uncle Tom helped them out after Vicki’s father died |
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B．Vicki opened the box before her birthday |
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C．there was nothing in the gift box |
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D．Vicki dropped the gift because of her carelessness |
3. What kind of person is Uncle Tom?
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A．Thoughtful |
B．Humorous |
C．Mysterious |
D．Funny |
4.What did Uncle Tom want to teach Vicki?
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A．How to respect others |
B．The meaning of gifts |
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C．How to deal with gifts |
D．The value of a promise |
I’m an operating engineer, running crane(起重机) in New York City. I was in the countryside, playing golf when we got the call that a plane had 36 the World Trade Centre. We checked out of the hotel immediately and started 37 our way downtown. When I got home, I called the rescue center and they told me to come 38 and get on the 39 list.
The next morning I went down to the 40 at about 5 A. M., and four hours later I 41 the call to come down to West Street. I called my wife and told her not to 42 me, and that I would stay in 43 with her. I took the subway. It stopped at West Fourth Street, so I had to 44 the rest of the way.
And somewhere in there I became 45 when I went into something I 46 . I once worked there in 1966 for the 47 of the World Trade Centre. On halfway on September 12, I was frightened to see the World Trade Centre was a huge pile, maybe ten 48 tall. And it was burning. I started to ask 49 in which my crane might be 50 a whistle blew suddenly warning us of some danger. I saw people running away and I really didn’t know what to do. So I did the same, too. It was as if they had 51 the bulls go in Spain and we were running through the street. People falling down, people 52 them up as they came by, and carrying them, just to get them out of the way, because something was extremely 53 . I didn’t even look back. We stopped running when we got to the Battery Tunnel, and I caught my 54 and said, “Oh, my God, I’m going to die.”
Then I 55 a little bit, thinking about what we should do next. As we started again we knocked into a fire chief officer and we asked, “What can we do to help you?”
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---What do you want to do next? We have half an hour before the basketball game.
---_____. Whatever you want to do is fine with me.
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A．It just depends |
B．It’s up to you |
C．All right |
D．Glad to hear that |
--Why didn’t you write？
---My ink has _______.
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A．used up |
B．run out of |
C．given away |
D．given out |
