Kincaid looked at his watch: eight-seventeen. The truck started on the second try, and he backed out, shifted gears, and moved slowly down the alley under hazy sun. Through the streets of Bellingham he went, heading south on Washington 11, running along the coast of Puget Sound for a few miles, then following the highway as it swung east a little before meeting U.S Route 20.
Turning into the sun, he began the long, winding drive through the Cascades. He liked this country and felt unpressed stopping now and then to make notes about interesting possibilities for future expeditions or to shoot what he called “memory snapshots.” The purpose of these causal photographs was to remind him of places he might want to visit again and approach more seriously. In later afternoon he turned north at Spokane, picking up U.S Route 2, which would take him halfway across the northern United States to Duluth, Minnesota.
He wished for the thousandth time in his life that he had a dog, a golden retriever, maybe, for travels like this and to keep him company at home. But he was frequently away; overseas much of the time and it would not be fair to the animal. Still, he thought about it anyway. In a few years he would be getting too old for the hard fieldwork. “I must get a dog then.” He said to himself.
Drives like this always put him into a sentimental mood. The dog was part of it. Robert Kincaid was alone as it’s possible to be – an only child, parents both dead, distant relatives who had lost track of him and he of them, no close friends.
He thought about Marian. She had left him nine years ago after five years of marriage. He was fifty–two now, that would make her just under forty. Marian had dreams of becoming a musician, a folksinger. She knew all of the Weavers’ songs and sang them pretty well in the coffeehouse of Seattle. When he was home in the old days, he drove her to the shows and sat in the audience while she sang.
His long absences – two or three months sometimes – were hard on the marriage. He knew that. She was aware of what he did when they decided to get married, and both of them had a vague (not clear) sense that it could all be handled somehow. It couldn’t when he came from photographing a story in Iceland and, she was gone. The note read, “Robert, it didn’t work out, I left you the Harmony guitar. Stay in touch.”
He didn’t stay in touch. Neither did she. He signed the divorce papers when they arrived a year later and caught a plane for Australia the next day. She had asked for nothing except her freedom.
1.Which route is the right one taken by Kincaid?
A. Bellingham – Washington 11 – Puget Sound – U.S Route 20 – U.S Route 2 – Duluth
B. U.S. Route 2 – Bellingham – Washington 11 – Puget Sound – U.S Route 20 – Duluth
C. U.S. Route 2 – U.S Route 20 – Duluth – Bellingham – Washington 11
D. Bellingham – Washington 11 –U.S. Route 2 –U.S Route 20 –Duluth
2.Which statement is true according to the passage?
A. Kincaid’s parents were dead and he only kept in touch with some distant relatives.
B. Kincaid would have had a dog if he hadn’t been away from home too much.
C. Kincaid used to have a golden retriever.
D. Kincaid needed a dog in doing his hard fieldwork.
3.Why did Kincaid stop to take photos while driving?
A. To write “memory snapshots”.
B. To remind himself of places he might want to visit again.
C. To avoid forgetting the way back.
D. To shoot beautiful scenery along the road.
4.What can you know about Marian?
“Tear’ em apart!” “Kill the fool!” “Murder the referee (裁判)!”
These are common remarks one may hear at various sporting events. At the time they are made, they may seem innocent enough. But let’s not kid ourselves. They have been known to influence behavior in such a way as to lead to real bloodshed. Volumes have been written about the way words affect us. It has been shown that words having certain connotations (含义) may cause us to react in ways quite foreign to what we consider to be our usual humanistic behavior. I see the term “opponent” as one of those words. Perhaps the time has come to delete it from sports terms.
The dictionary meaning of the term “opponent” is “adversary” “enemy”; “one who opposes your interests.” Thus, when a player meets an opponent, he or she may tend to treat that opponent as an enemy. At such times, winning may dominate one’s intellect, and every action, no matter how gross, may be considered justifiable. I recall an incident in a handball game when a referee refused a player’s request for a time out for a glove change because he did not consider them wet enough. The player proceeded to rub his gloves across his wet T-shirt and then exclaimed. “Are they wet enough now?”
In the heat of battle, players have been observed to throw themselves across the court without considering the consequences that such a move might have on anyone in their way. I have also witnessed a player reacting to his opponent’s international and illegal blocking by deliberately hitting him with the ball as hard as he could during the course of play. Off the court, they are good friends. Does that make any sense? It certainly gives proof of a court attitude which departs from normal behavior.
Therefore, I believe it is time we elevated (提升) the game to the level where it belongs there by setting an example to the rest of the sporting world. Replacing the term “opponent” with “associate” could be an ideal way to start.
The dictionary meaning of the term “associate” is “colleague”; “friend”; “companion.” Reflect a moment! You may soon see and possibly feel the difference in your reaction to the term “associate” rather than “opponent.”
1.Which of the following statements best expresses the author’s view?
A. Aggressive behavior in sports can have serious consequences.
B. The words people use can influence their behavior.
C. Unpleasant words in sports are often used by foreign athletes.
D. Unfair judgments by referees will lead to violence on the sports field.
2.Harsh words are spoken during games because the players ________.
A. are too eager to win
B. are usually short-tempered and easily offended
C. cannot afford to be polite in fierce competition
D. treat their rivals as enemies
3.What did the handball player do when he was not allowed a time out to change his gloves?
A. He refused to continue the game.
B. He angrily hit the referee with a ball.
C. He claimed that the referee was unfair.
D. He wet his gloves by rubbing them across his T-shirt.
4.According to the passage, players, in a game, may ________.
A. deliberately throw the ball at anyone illegally blocking their way
B. keep on screaming and shouting throughout the game
C. lie down on the ground as an act of protest
D. kick the ball across the court with force
5.The author hopes to have the current situation in sports improved by ________.
A. calling on players to use clean language on the court
B. raising the referee’s sense of responsibility
C. changing the attitude of players on the sports field
D. regulating the relationship between players and referees
The behaviour of a building’s users may be at least as important as its design when it comes to energy use, according to new research from the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC). The UK promises to reduce its carbon emissions (排放）by 80 percent by 2050, part of which will be achieved by all new homes being zero-carbon by 2016. But this report shows that sustainable building design on its own — though extremely important — is not enough to achieve such reductions: the behaviour of the people using the building has to change too.
The study suggests that the ways that people use and live in their homes have been largely ignored by existing efforts to improve energy efficiency，which instead focus on architectural and technological developments.
‘Technology is going to assist but it is not going to do everything,’ explains Katy Janda, a UKERC senior researcher, ‘consumption patterns of building users can defeat the most careful design.’ In other words, old habits die hard, even in the best-designed eco-home.
Another part of the problem is information. Households and bill-payers don’t have the knowledge they need to change their energy-use habits. Without specific information, it’s hard to estimate the costs and benefits of making different choices. Feedback (反馈） facilities, like smart meters and energy monitors，could help bridge this information gap by helping people see how changing their behaviour directly affects their energy use; some studies have shown that households can achieve up to 15 percent energy savings using smart meters.
Social science research has added a further dimension (方面），suggesting that individuals’ behaviour in the home can be personal and cannot be predicted —whether people throw open their windows rather than turn down the thermostat (恒温器) , for example.
Janda argues that education is the key. She calls for a focused programme to teach people about buildings and their own behaviour in them.
1.As to energy use, the new research from UKERC stresses the importance of________.
A. zero-carbon homes
B. the behaviour of building users
C. sustainable building design
D. the reduction of carbon emissions
2.The underlined word “which” in Paragraph 2 refers to “________.”
A. the ways B. their homes
C. developments D. existing efforts
3.What are Katy Janda’s words mainly about?
A. The importance of changing building users’ habits.
B. The necessity of making a careful building design.
C. The variety of consumption patterns of building users.
D. The role of technology in improving energy efficiency.
4.The information gap in energy use _______.
A. can be bridged by feedback facilities
B. affects the study on energy monitors
C. brings about problems for smart meters
D. will be caused by building users’ old habits
5.What does the dimension added by social science research suggest?
A. The social science research is to be furthered.
B. The education programme is under discussion.
C. The behaviour of building users is unpredictable.
D. The behaviour preference of building users is similar.
CHICAGO ---- For working parents and heavily scheduled school kids, family mealtime is out of fashion. But supermarkets are trying to attract families back to the dinner table.
There is a cost if family members have meals apart: research shows that teenagers who don’t eat with their parents face a greater risk of drug and alcohol problems.
“The more often kids have dinner with their parents, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs,” said Joseph Califano Jr., head of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, which did the research.
Stores are familiar with the idea and will start telling shoppers about the findings and encouraging them to share meals together at home, instead of separately or at restaurants.
The food marketing Institute will give $25,000 to the center and help stores promote the center’s Family Day in September.
Many stores have grab-and-go dinners and recipe cards. Some have kiosks where people can taste a main dish, then pick out side dishes.
“Our members have worked hard to try to have easily prepared food either ready to eat or ready to take home,” said Tim Hammonds, the institute’s president and chief executive.
Los Angeles-based Contessa Premium Foods makes frozen delicious meals, which a family can heat in 10 minutes to 12 minutes. “That’s nearly as fast as a TV dinner,” said president and chief executive John Z. Blazevich, “but is healthier and makes people feel like they actually cooked.”
“The preparation is the hardest part, so we try to combine a variety of tastes and flavours from around the world and make it fast and easy,” he said.
“Eating at home helps keep meals healthy and teaches kids how to eat right. If we can get people back to having family dinners, parents back to being engaged with their kids, it will have a surprising impact,” he said.
1.The reasons why family mealtime is out of fashion are the following EXCEPT __________.
A. the parents are busy with work
B. the children have a little spare time
C. the children are not fond of family meal
D. it will take much time to cook and eat at home
2.The underlined word “cost” in paragraph 2 can be explained as ___________.
A. gains B. a sum of money
C. advantage D. something you lose
3.According to the passage, stores are trying to attract families back to the dinner table by the following ways EXCEPT ________.
A. telling the parents the disadvantages of having dinner separately.
B. offering various prepared food to make family cooking fast and easy.
C. taking part in Family Day activities in September.
D. helping housewives prepare their meals at home.
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A. The efforts that are being made to get people back to having family dinners
B. The benefits of having family dinners together.
C. The changes in American family dinners.
D. A research done by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.
5.What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Family Mealtime is out of Fashion
B. Family Day is Promoted in September
C. Parents should Cook Meals for Kids
D. Supermarkets Urges Families to Dinner Table
阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空，并将答案填写在答题卡的相应位置上。
If the population of the Earth keeps on increasing at its present rate, there will eventually not be enough resources 1.________(leave) to support life on the planet. By the middle of the 21st century, if present trends continue, we2._________（use）up all the oil that drives our cars, for example. Even if scientists develop new ways of feeding the human race, the crowded conditions on the earth will make 3. ______ necessary for us to look for open space somewhere else. But4.______ of the other planets in our solar system are capable of supporting life at present. One possible solution5.______ the problem, 6._________, has recently been suggested by an American scientist, Professor Carl Sagan. Sagan believes 7._______ before the Earth’s resources are 8._______(complete) exhausted it will be possible to change the atmosphere of Venus and therefore create a
new world almost as large as the Earth9. .The difficulty is that Venus is much hotter than the Earth. 10.________, there is only a tiny amount of water there.
One of my father’s favorite sayings as I was growing up was “Try it!” I couldn’t say I didn’t like something, whatever it might be, until after I tried it. Over the years I’ve come to how much of my success I owe to my of those words as one of my values. My job was just one I decided to try for a couple of years until I what I want to do as a career. I believed I would work for a few years, get married, stay home and raise a family, so I didn’t think the job I took that much. I couldn’t have been more . I mastered the skills of that beginning level position and I was given the opportunity to move up through the company into different . I accepted each new opportunity with the thought, “Well, I’ll try it; if I don’t like it I can always go back to my position. ” But I was with the same company for the past 28 years, and I’ve every career change I’ve made. I’ve discovered I a large number of different talents and skills that I never would have thought were within me had it not been for my being open to trying new opportunities. I’ve also discovered that if I what I’m doing and work hard at achieving my . I will succeed. That’s why I’m so to be a part of CareerFables. com. I think has come and I am determined to make it a success.
1.A. Consider B. Argue C. include D. realize
2.A. suggestion B. explanation C. acceptance D. discussion
3.A. hard B. best C. extra D. first
4.A. determined B. examined C. experienced D. introduced
5.A. Actually B. Gradually C. Finally D. Usually
6.A. helped B. required C. expressed D. mattered
7.A. careful B. mistaken C. interested D. prepared
8.A. situations B. choices C. directions D. positions
9.A. easier B. newer C. earlier D. higher
10.A. permitted B. counted C. organized D. enjoyed
11.A. show B. possess C. need D. gather
12.A. think of B. give away C. believe in D. turn into
13.A. business B. goal C. fortune D. growth
14.A. excited B. curious C. surprised D. helpful
15.A. dream B. time C. power D. honor
