Zoos are places 1. animals are kept. There are some reasons 2. keeping animals in zoos.
Firstly, zoos are entertaining and interesting places of children. Most children like to see animals in zoos. Zoos also offer people 3. (live) in big cities a chance of getting close to nature.
Secondly, it is easier for scientists to research animals’ lives when they are kept in zoos than they are in forests. Scientists can study animals’ 4. (relate), their life cycles, or their habits to learn how to breed animals, 5. can reduce animal 6. (extinct).
Furthermore, the risk of dying out of some 7. (endanger) animals is reduced because they are kept in safety.
8. , zoos also cause some problems for animals, such as restrictions on their freedom. They also lose their “wild” character. For example, tigers might lose their 9. (hunt) skills. Besides, zoos cost a lot of money for land, animals’ food and labors. This may charge 10. (expense) for people who want to visit zoos.
In a national spelling contest in America, an 11–year–old girl was asked to spell a certain word. But with her voice the judges were not sure if she spelled the word with the letter A or E. They talked it over and decided to simply ask her what she had said. By now, the girl knew she had the word. But instead of lying, she told the truth that she had said the letter — so she lost the contest.
As the girl walked off the , the entire audience stood to their feet clapping to applaud her . Later, dozens of newspaper reporters wrote about this 11– year–old girl’s honesty, even when it her the contest. But the fact is that she the biggest contest that day: the contest of her .
Probably the biggest test of our character and honesty is what we would do if we knew we would never get . This young girl could easily have and nobody would have known it but herself. But that’s just it: She would know she did wrong. It’s been said, “If you , you make yourself cheap.” This young girl was strong and smart enough to prize her own and character more than the prize from a spelling . Her respect for herself was more important than any others might give her for winning a contest. She knew she would have to live with herself and the she made in that moment will have long–lasting influence.
It’s so true that the choices you make today what you are tomorrow. Our children will our behavior much more than our advice. So if we want them to to be honest, we must show them the way by being honest ourselves. Remember, our kids are what we do and how we live even when we don’t think they see or know.
1.A. highB. sweetC. toughD. soft
2.A. finallyB. kindlyC. secretlyD. totally
3.A. forgottenB. mispronouncedC. misspelledD. lost
4.A. correctB. wrongC. differentD. same
5.A. stageB. studioC. testD. classroom
6.A. braveryB. honestyC. courageD. cleverness
7.A. cancelledB. costC. offeredD. wasted
8.A. achievedB. brokeC. wonD. defeated
9.A. reputationB. knowledgeC. lifeD. character
10.A. paidB. awardedC. caughtD. reported
11.A. escapedB. liedC. changedD. answered
12.A. acceptB. fightC. cheatD. insist
13.A. conscienceB. feelingC. diligenceD. modesty
14.A. contestB. championC. judgerD. expert
15.A. senseB. prideC. respectD. awareness
16.A. planB. conclusionC. discoveryD. choice
17.A. makeB. changeC. keepD. create
18.A. giveB. takeC. followD. set
19.A. grow upB. bring upC. take upD. come up
20.A. recordingB. inspectingC. correctingD. watching
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
When a New Yorker was hiking in Europe, his Swiss friend kept saying “Listen to that!” but he didn’t hear anything. His ears were accustomed to loud city noises and it was days before he was able to notice the sound of a bird. 1. . There is background music in restaurants, bars, stores, rest rooms, elevators, and when you are waiting on the telephone. Russell Baker blames “society’s determination to entertain you whether you like it or not”.
2. , but in practice they avoid it. They drive with the car radio turned up, switch on the television when they get home, and exercise while listening to music on headphones. 3. They can buy things in stores, but they do not have enough human contact. So they fill their lives with sound.
4. . Young men play their car stereos loudly in order to create a personal environment around them. Like animals, they are marking a territory to warn rivals away and to attract a mate.
It may also be true that the brain itself wants excitement just as the stomach insists on food. 5. . This seems extreme. Perhaps we would be better off if we sought periods of silence to provide balance.
A. Sometimes the reason for the noise is primitive
B. The noise suggests that people have a spiritual problem
C. They spend too much time in elevators and the like
D. Unlike in the past, we now have modern technology to supply a constant flood of sounds
E. For most of us, silence has become a rare experience
F. A good response would be to use our brains to improve modern technology
G. People may say they yearn for quiet
The concept of culture has been defined many times, and although no definition has achieved universal acceptance, most of the definitions include three central ideas: that culture is passed on from generation to generation, that a culture represents a ready-made principle for living and for making day-to-day decisions, and, finally, that the components of a culture are accepted by those in the culture as good, and true, and not to be questioned. The eminent anthropologist George Murdock has listed seventy-three items that characterize every known culture, past and present.
The list begins with Age-grading and Athletic sports, runs to Weaning and Weather Control, and includes on the way such items as Calendar, Fire making, Property Rights, and Tool making. I would submit that even the most extreme advocate of a culture of poverty viewpoint would readily acknowledge that, with respect to almost all of these items, every American, beyond the first generation immigrant, regardless of race or class, is a member of a common culture. We all share pretty much the same sports. Maybe poor kids don’t know how to play polo, and rich kids don’t spend time with stickball, but we all know baseball, football, and basketball. Despite some misguided efforts to raise minor dialects to the status of separate tongues, we all, in fact, share the same language.
There may be differences in diction and usage, but it would be ridiculous to say that all Americans don’t speak English. We have the calendar, the law, and large numbers of other cultural items in common. It may well be true that on a few of the seventy-three items there are minor variations between classes, but these kinds of things are really slight variations on a common theme.
There are other items that show variability, not in relation to class, but in relation to religion and ethnic background — funeral customs and cooking, for example. But if there is one place in America where the melting pot is a reality, it is on the kitchen stove; in the course of one month, half the readers of this sentence have probably eaten pizza, hot pastrami, and chow mein. Specific differences that might be identified as signs of separate cultural identity are relatively insignificant within the general unity of American life; they are cultural commas and semicolons in the paragraphs and pages of American life.
1.According to the author’s definition of culture, ________.
A. a culture should be accepted and maintained universally
B. a culture should be free from falsehood and evils
C. the items of a culture should be taken for granted by people
D. the items of a culture should be accepted by well-educated people
2.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Baseball, football and basketball are popular sports in America.
B. Different classes have different cultures.
C. Playing polo is popular among kids.
D. There is no variation in using the American language.
3.It can be inferred that ________ will most probably be included in the seventy-three items.
A. accent | B. polo | C. dream patterns | D. table manners |
4.The author’s main purpose in writing this passage is to ________.
A. prove that different people have different definitions of culture
B. warn that variations exist as far as a culture is concerned
C. indicate that culture is closely connected with social classes
D. show that the idea that the poor or the rich establish a separate culture is an absurdity
In cities with rent control, the city government sets the maximum rent that a landlord (房东) can charge for an apartment. Supporters of rent control argue that it protects people who are living in apartment. Their rent cannot increase; therefore, they are not in danger of losing their homes. However, the critics say that after a long time, rent control may have negative effects. Landlords know that they cannot increase their profits. Therefore, they invest in other businesses where they can increase their profits. They do not invest in new buildings which would also be rent-controlled. As a result, new apartments are not built. Many people who need apartments cannot find any. According to the critics, the end result of rent control is a shortage of apartments in the city.
Some experts argue that the minimum wage law can cause problems in the same way. The federal government sets the minimum that an employer must pay workers. The minimum helps people who generally look for unskilled, low-paying jobs. However, if the minimum is high, employers may hire fewer workers. They will replace workers with machinery. Therefore, other things being equal, the number of workers that employers want decreases. Thus, critics hold the opinion that an increase in the minimum wage may cause unemployment. Some poor people may find themselves without jobs instead of with jobs at the minimum wage.
Supporters of the minimum wage say that it helps people keep their dignity. Because of the law, workers cannot sell their services for less than the minimum. Furthermore, employers cannot force workers to accept jobs at unfair wages.
Economic theory predicts the results of economic decision, such as decisions about farm production, rent control, and the minimum wage. The predictions may be corrected only if “other things are equal”. Economists do not agree on some of the predictions. They also do not agree on the value of different decisions. Some economists support a particular decision while others criticize it. Economists do agree, however, that there are no simple answers to economic questions.
1.There is the possibility that setting maximum rent may ________.
A. cause a shortage of apartments
B. worry those who rent apartments as homes.
C. increase the profits of landlords.
D. encourage landlords to invest in building apartments.
2.We can safely say that rent control ________.
A. will always benefit those who rent apartments.
B. is unnecessary.
C. will probably bring inactive effects in the long run.
D. is necessary under all conditions
3.There will be the problem of unemployment if ________.
A. the minimum wage is set too high..
B. the minimum wage is set too early.
C. the workers are unskilled.
D. the maximum wage is set for poor workers.
4.The passage tells us about ________.
A. the relationship between supply and demand.
B. the possible results of government controls.
C. the necessity of government control.
D. the urgency of getting rid of government control.
Internet use appears to cause a decline in psychological well-being（安康）, according to research at Carnegie Mellon University.
Even people who spent just a few hours a week on the Internet experienced more depression and loneliness than those who logged on less frequently, the two-year study showed. And it wasn’t that people who were already feeling bad spent more time on the Internet, but that using the Net actually appeared to cause the bad feeling.
Researchers are puzzling over the results, which were completely contrary to their expectations. They expected that the net would prove socially healthier than television, since the Net allows users to choose their information and to communicate with others.
The fact that Internet use reduces time available for family and friends may account for the drop in well-being, researchers suggested. Faceless, bodiless “virtual”（虚拟的）communication may be less psychologically satisfying than actual conversation, and the relationship formed through it may be shallower. Another possibility is that exposure to the wider world via the Net makes users less satisfied with their lives.
“But it’s important to remember this is not about the technology per se; it’s about how it is used,” says psychologist Christine Riley of Intel, one of the study’s sponsors. “It really points to the need for considering social effects in terms of how you design applications and services for technology.”
1.The best title for this passage would be ________.
A. Internet may Cause Depression
B. The Dark Side of Internet
C. How to Use Technology Properly
D. The Importance of Psychological Well-being
2.Internet use may cause a decline in psychological well-being because ________.
A. people who were already feeling bad spend more time on the Internet
B. Internet users thought the world was wider than it really was
C. people were too eager to turn the “virtual” communication into reality
D. people have less time for actual communication with their family and friends
3.What does the underlined Latin word “per se” (in Para. 5) mean?
A. probably | B. absolutely |
C. oneself | D. itself |
4.What’s the tone of the passage?
A. Optimistic. | B. Critical. |
C. Objective. | D. Pessimistic. |
