阅读理解。
I am Peter Hodes , a volunteer stem cell courier. Since March 2012, I’ve done 89 trips—of those , 51 have been abroad. I have 42 hours to carry stem cells（干细胞）in my little box because I’ve got two ice packs and that’s how long they last. In all, from the time the stem cells are harvested from a donor(捐献者) to the time they can be implanted in the patient, we’ve got 72 hours at most. So I am always conscious of time.
I had one trip last year where I was caught by a hurricane in America. I picked up the stem cells in Providence, Rhode Island, and was meant to fly to Washington then back to London. But when I arrived at the check-in desk at Providence, the lady on the desk said:“Well, I’m really sorry, I’ve got some bad news for you—there are no flights from Washington.” So I took my box and put it on the desk and I said:“In this box are some stem cells that are urgently needed for a patient-please, please, you’ve got to get me back to the United Kingdom.” She just dropped everything. She arranged for a flight on a small plane to be held for me，re-routed(改道)me through Newark and got me back to the UK even earlier than originally scheduled.
For this courier job, you’re consciously aware that in that box you’re got something that is potentially going to save somebody’s life.
1. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “courier” in Paragraph1?
A. provider B. delivery man
C. collector D. medical doctor
2. Why does Peter have to complete his trip within 42hours?
A. He cannot stay away from his job too long.
B. The donor can only wait for that long.
C. The operation needs that much time.
D. The ice won’t last any longer.
3. Which flight did the woman put Peter on first?
A. To London. B. To Newark.
C. To Providence. D. To Washington.
阅读理解。
Grandparents Answer a Call
As a third-generation native of Brownsville, Texas, Mildred Garza never planned to move away. Even when her daughter and son asked her to move to San Antonio to help with their children, she politely refused. Only after a year of friendly discussion did Ms. Garza finally say yes. That was four years ago. Today all three generations regard the move as a success, giving them a closer relationship than they would have had in separate cities.
No statistics show the number of grandparents like Garza who are moving closer to adult children and grandchildren. Yet there is evidence suggesting that the trend is growing. Even President Obama’s mother-in-law, Marian Robinson, has agreed to leave Chicago and move into the White House to help care for her granddaughters. According to a study by grandparents. Com, 83 percent of the people said Mrs. Robinson ’s decision will influence grandparents in the American family. Two-thirds believe more families will follow the example of Obama’s family.
“In the 1960s we were all a little wild and couldn’t get away from home far enough for fast enough to prove we could do it on our own,”says Christine Crosby, publisher of Grand , a magazine for grandparents.“We now realize how important family is and how important it is”to be near them, especially when you’re raising children.”
Moving is not for everyone. Almost every grandparent wants to be with his or her grandchildren and is willing to make sacrifices, but sometimes it is wiser to say no and visit frequently instead. Having your grandchildren far away is hard, especially knowing your adult child is struggling, but giving up the life you know may be harder.
1. Why was Garza’s move a success?
A．It strengthened her family ties.
B．It improved her living conditions.
C．It enabled her to make more friends.
D．It helped her know more new places.
2. What was the reaction of the public to Mrs. Robinson’s decision?
A．17% expressed their support for it.
B．Few people responded sympathetically.
C．83% believed it had a bad influence.
D．The majority thought it was a trend.
3. What did Crosby say about people in the 1960s?
A．They were unsure of themselves.
B．They were eager to raise more children.
C．They wanted to live away from their parents.
D．They had little respect for their grandparents.
4. What does the author suggest the grandparents do in the last paragraph?
A. Make decisions in the best interests of their own.
B. Ask their children to pay more visits to them.
C. Sacrifice for their struggling children .
D. Get to know themselves better.
阅读理解。
Bad news sells. If it bleeds, it leads. No news is good news, and good news is no news. Those are the classic rules for the evening broadcasts and the morning papers. But now that information is being spread and monitored(监控) in different ways, researchers are discovering new rules. By tracking people’s e-mails and online posts, scientists have found that good news can spread faster and farther than disasters and sob stories.
＂The ‘if it bleeds’ rule works for mass media,＂ says Jonah Berger, a scholar at the University of Pennsylvania. ＂They want your eyeballs and don’t care how you’re feeling. But when you share a story with your friends, you care a lot more how they react. You don’t want them to think of you as a Debbie Downer.＂
Researchers analyzing word-of-mouth communication — e-mails, Web posts and reviews, face-to-face conversations — found that it tended to be more positive than negative(消极的), but that didn’t necessarily mean people preferred positive news. Was positive news shared more often simply because people experienced more good things than bad things? To test for that possibility, Dr. Berger looked at how people spread a particular set of news stories: thousands of articles on The New York Times’ website. He and a Penn colleague analyzed the ＂most e-mailed＂ list for six months. One of his first findings was that articles in the science section were much more likely to make the list than non-science articles. He found that science amazed Times’ readers and made them want to share this positive feeling with others.
Readers also tended to share articles that were exciting or funny, or that inspired negative feelings like anger or anxiety, but not articles that left them merely sad. They needed to be aroused(激发) one way or the other, and they preferred good news to bad. The more positive an article, the more likely it was to be shared, as Dr. Berger explains in his new book, ＂Contagious: Why Things Catch On.＂
1. What do the classic rules mentioned in the text apply to?
A. News reports． B. Research papers．
C. Private e-mails． D. Daily conversations．
2. What can we infer about people like Debbie Downer?
A. They’re socially inactive．
B. They’re good at telling stories．
C. They’re inconsiderate of others．
D. They’re careful with their words．
3. Which tended to be the most e-mailed according to Dr. Berger’s research?
A. Sports news． B. Science articles．
C. Personal accounts． D. Financial reviews．
4. What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Sad Stories Travel Far and Wide．
B. Online News Attracts More People．
C. Reading Habits Change with the Times．
D. Good News Beats Bad on Social Networks．
阅读理解。
If you are a fruit grower — or would like to become one — take advantage of Apple Day to see what’s around. It’s called Apple Day but in practice it’s more like Apple Month. The day itself is on October 21, but since it has caught on, events now spread out over most of October around Britain.
Visiting an apple event is a good chance to see, and often taste, a wide variety of apples. To people who are used to the limited choice of apples such as Golden Delicious and Royal Gala in supermarkets, it can be quite an eye opener to see the range of classical apples still in existence, such as Decio which was grown by the Romans. Although it doesn’t taste of anything special, it’s still worth a try, as is the knobbly(多疙瘩的) Cat’s Head which is more of a curiosity than anything else.
There are also varieties developed to suit specific local conditions. One of the very best varieties for eating quality is Orleans Reinette, but you’ll need a warm, sheltered place with perfect soil to grow it, so it’s a pipe dream for most apple lovers who fall for it.
At the events, you can meet expert growers and discuss which ones will best suit your conditions, and because these are family affairs, children are well catered for with apple-themed fun and games.
Apple Days are being held at all sorts of places with an interest in fruit, including stately gardens and commercial orchards(果园). If you want to have a real orchard experience, try visiting the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale, near Faversham in Kent.
1. What can people do at the apple events?
A. Attend experts’ lectures．
B. Visit fruit-loving families．
C. Plant fruit trees in an orchard．
D. Taste many kinds of apples．
2. What can we learn about Decio?
A. It is a new variety．
B. It has a strange look．
C. It is rarely seen now．
D. It has a special taste．
3. What does the underlined phrase ＂a pipe dream＂ in Paragraph 3 mean?
A. A practical idea． B. A vain hope．
C. A brilliant plan． D. A selfish desire．
4. What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A. To show how to grow apples．
B. To introduce an apple festival．
C. To help people select apples．
D. To promote apple research．
阅读理解。
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) was one of the most popular of modern artists. The Pompidou Centre in Paris is showing its respect and admiration for the artist and his powerful personality with an exhibition bringing together over 200 paintings, sculptures, drawings and more. Among the works and masterworks on exhibition the visitor will find the best pieces, most importantly The Persistence of Memory. There is also L’Enigme sans Fin from 1938, works on paper, objects, and projects for stage and screen and selected parts from television programmes reflecting the artist’s showman qualities.
The visitor will enter the World of Dali through an egg and is met with the beginning, the world of birth. The exhibition follows a path of time and subject with the visitor exiting through the brain.
The exhibition shows how Dali draws the viewer between two infinities (无限). “From the infinity small to the infinity large, contraction and expansion coming in and out of focus: amazing Flemish accuracy and the showy Baroque of old painting that he used in his museum-theatre in Figueras,” explains the Pompidou Centre.
The fine selection of the major works was done in close collaboration (合作)with the Museo Nacional Reina Sofia in Madrid, Spain, and with contributions from other institutions like the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida.
1. Which of the following best describe Dali according to Paragraph 1?
A. Optimistic. B. Productive.
C. Generous. D. Traditional.
2. What is Dali’s The Persistence of Memory considered to be?
A. One of his masterworks.
B. A successful screen adaptation.
C. An artistic creation for the stage.
D. One of the best TV programmes.
3. How are the exhibits arranged at the World of Dali?
A. By popularity. B. By importance.
C. By size and shape. D. By time and subject.
4. What does the word “contributions” in the last paragraph refer to?
A. Artworks. B. Projects.
C. Donations. D. Documents.
You probably know who Marie Curie was, but you may not have heard of Rachel Carson. Of the outstanding ladies listed below, who do you think was the most important woman of the past 100 years?
Jane Addams(1860～1935)
Anyone who has ever been helped by a social worker has Jane Addams to thank. Addams helped the poor and worked for peace. She encouraged a sense of community(社区)by creating shelters and promoting education and services for people in need. In 1931, Addams became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Rachel Carson(1907～1964)
If it weren’t for Rachel Carson, the environmental movement might not exist today. Her popular 1962 book Silent Spring raised awareness of the dangers of pollution and the harmful effects of chemicals on humans and on the world’s lakes and oceans.
Sandra Day O’Connor(1930～present)
When Sandra Day O’Connor finished third in her class at Stanford Law School, in 1952, she could not find work at a law firm because she was a woman. She became an Arizona state senator(参议员) and, in 1981, the first woman to join the U. S. Supreme Court. O’Connor gave the deciding vote in many important cases during her 24 years on the top court.
Rosa Parks(1913～2005)
On December 1,1955，in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks would not give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. Her simple act landed Parks in prison. But it also set off the Montgomery bus boycott. It lasted for more than a year, and kicked off the civil—rights movement. “The only tired I was, was tired of giving in,” said Parks.
1.What is Jane Addams noted for in history?
A. Her social work. B. Her teaching skills.
C. Her efforts to win a prize. D. Her community background.
2.What was the reason for 0’Connor’s being rejected by the law firm?
A. Her lack of proper training in law. B. Her little work experience in court.
C. The discrimination against women. D. The poor financial conditions.
3.Who made a great contribution to the civil—rights movement in the U. S.?
A. Jane Addams. B. Rachel Carson. C. Sandra Day O’Connor. D. Rosa Parks.
4.What can we infer about the women mentioned in the text?
A. They are highly educated. B. They are truly creative.
C. They are pioneers. D. They are Peace—lovers.
