阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Once there was a king who received a gift of two magnificent falcons (猎鹰)．They were the most beautiful birds he had ever seen．He gave the _____ birds to his head falconer to be ______.
Months passed, and one day the head falconer informed the king that ______ one of the falcons was flying high in the sky, the other bird had not _____ from its branch since the day it had arrived.
The king ordered healers from all the land to _____ the falcon, but no one could make the bird fly．He ____ the task to the members of his court, _____ the next day, the king saw _____ the palace window that the bird had still not moved from its branch.
Having ________ everything else, the king thought to himself, “Maybe I need someone more _____ the countryside to understand the nature of this problem.” So he cried out to his court, “Go and get a _____.”
In the morning, the king was ______ to see the falcon flying high above the palace garden．He said to his court, “_____ me the doer of this miracle.”
The court quickly located the farmer, who came and stood before the king．The king asked him, “______ did you make the falcon fly?”
With his head _____, the farmer said to the king, “It was very easy．I ______ cut the branch where the bird was sitting.”
We are all made to fly—to realize our ______ potential as human beings．But instead of doing that, we sit on our branches, hanging on to the things that are _____ to us．The possibilities are _____, but for most of us, they remain undiscovered．We _____ to the familiar, the comfortable, the boring．So for the most part, our lives are mediocre (平庸的) instead of exciting, thrilling and fulfilling.
1.A．curiousB．preciousC．expensiveD．clever
2.A．testedB．exhibitedC．appreciatedD．trained
3.A．asB．ifC．thoughD．since
4.A．eatenB．sungC．movedD．waken
5.A．tend toB．watch forC．drive awayD．pick up
6.A．reducedB．presentedC．removedD．brought
7.A．untilB．soC．butD．as
8.A．throughB．acrossC．beyondD．behind
9.A．learnedB．triedC．preparedD．understood
10.A．beneficial toB．fit forC．friendly withD．familiar with
11.A．farmerB．gardenerC．falconerD．healer
12.A．embarrassedB．thrilledC．anxiousD．relaxed
13.A．TellB．AwardC．CreateD．Bring
14.A．WhenB．WhyC．HowD．Where
15.A．stretchedB．stuckC．bowedD．turned
16.A．simplyB．narrowlyC．necessarilyD．nearly
17.A．unavoidableB．virtualC．imaginaryD．unbelievable
18.A．properB．familiarC．unusualD．similar
19.A．endlessB．limitedC．changeableD．uncertain
20.A．applyB．referC．directD．stick
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。
Everyone knows that the Frenchmen are romantic, the Italians are fashionable and the Germans are serious. Are these just stereotypes(刻板印象) or is there really such a thing as national character? And if there is, can it affect how a nation succeed or fail?
At least one group of people is certain that it can. A recent survey of the top 500 entrepreneurs (企业家) in the UK found that 70% felt that their efforts were not appreciated by the British public. Britain is hostile (敌意的) to success, they said. It has a culture of jealousy(嫉妒)．__1._ Jealousy is sometimes known as the “green-eyed monster” and the UK is its home.
Scientists at Warwich University in the UK recently tested this idea. They gathered a group of people together and gave each an imaginary amount of money. _ 2._ Those given a little were given the chance to destroy the large amount of money given to others— but at the cost of losing their own. Two thirds of the people tested agreed to do this.
_3.__ But there is also opposite evidence. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development recently reported that the UK is now the world's fourth largest economy. That is not bad for people who are supposed to hate success. People in the UK also work longer hours than anyone else in Europe. So the British people are not lazy, either.
“It is not really success that the British dislike,” says Carey Cooper, a professor of management at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. “It’s people using their success in a way that seems proud or unfair or which separates them from their roots.”
_4.__ They set out to do things in their way. They work long hours. By their own efforts they become millionaires.__ 5.__ It hardly seems worth following their example. If they were more friendly, people would like them more. And more people want to be like them.
A. This seems to prove that the entrepreneurs were right to complain.
B. The one who owns most money in the end is the winner.
C. As a result, the survey said, entrepreneurs were “unloved, unwanted and misunderstood.”
D. It is not true that British people are born jealous of others` success.
E. Some were given a little, others a great deal.
F. But instead of being happy they complain that nobody loves them.
G. Perhaps it is the entrepreneurs who are the problem.
“People are ruder today because they are rushed and more ‘time poor’ than ever before,” says Patsy Rowe, “Manners have fallen off the radar(雷达).” Due to our strong attraction to electronic equipment it is a wonder more people don’t wake up each morning and greet the singing birds with a complaint about the noise. Here are some examples of rudeness.
Some people prefer to do almost everything over the internet. To them, dealing with an actual human is like an evolutionary step backward. It feels very slow because humans don’t work at 4G speeds. When you have dinner with friends, you will often notice someone paying more attention to his mobile phone. We have programmed ourselves to think that every new message brings life-changing news, so taking calls and checking our texts are more important than talking to the people we are with. What is worse, some people even tend to send anonymous（匿名的） rude messages by email.
However, rudeness is never acceptable. Don’t assume it is OK to be rude if the person you’re in touch with won’t recognize you. If you have something awful to say, have the courage to face the person and say it, write a letter or email and sign it, or forget it. Upsetting people with unsigned messages is cruel and annoying.
We shouldn’t blame technology for our shortcomings. Technology is here to help us, but we should not allow it to take over our lives. An important step is admitting our shortcomings. People spend a lot of time pointing out bad manners but it would be even more helpful if we’d publicly recognize good manners when we see them.
1.What can be inferred from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1?
A. People can tell good from bad behavior.
B. Radar is able to observe human behavior.
C. People care little about their behavior.
D. Radar can be used to predict human behavior.
2.Some people are less willing to deal with humans because ________.
A. they are becoming less patient
B. they are growing too independent
C. they have to handle many important messages
D. they have to follow an evolutionary step backward
3.The author thinks sending unsigned awful messages is ________.
A. ridiculousB. hatefulC. acceptableD. reasonable
4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. We should praise good behavior.
B. Technology can never be blamed.
C. We should keep pointing out mistakes.
D. Technology will take over our lives one day.
Public bookshelves are appearing across Germany on street corners，city squares and in suburban supermarkets. In these free-for-all libraries，people can grab whatever they want to read，and leave behind anything they want for others. There’s no need to register，no due date，and you can take or give as many as you want. “This project is aimed at everyone who likes to read .It is open for everybody，” Michael Aubermann，one of the organizers of the free book exchange said.
The western city’ s latest public shelf was put up next to Bayenturm. It is the fourth free shelf that Aubermann’ s group，the Cologne Citizen’s Foundation，has placed outside.“We set up our other outdoor shelves last year and it’s been working really well，” said Aubermann. The public bookshelves，which are usually financed by donations and cared for by local volunteer groups，have appeared independently of each other in many cities，suburbs and villages. Each shelf holds around 200 books and it takes about six weeks for a complete turnover，with all the old titles replaced by new ones.
Even commercial book stores and online book sellers seem to support the idea of free book exchanges.“We see this project rather as a sales promotion than as competition，”said Elmar Muether.“If books are present everywhere，it helps our business，too.”
So far，the Cologne book group has had few problems with damage or other problems. Aubermann said，“Propaganda (宣传) is the only kind of literature we do not allow here.”
At another bookshelf in the Bayenthal neighborhood，the lower shelves are reserved for children’s literature only.“It is important that we make it easy for everyone to participate in this ‘reading culture on the street’—from old readers to kids to immigrants，”Aubermann said.
While most of the shelves have so far been put up in upscale neighborhoods，Aubermann and the 20 volunteers who help look after the project are planning to put up future shelves in poor neighborhoods，where citizens often don’t have as much access to literature.
1.Which of the following is TRUE about the public bookshelves?
A. People can take the books and leave their books at will.
B. People can’ t borrow books unless they donate books.
C. People can borrow whatever they like after registering.
D. People have to return the books according to the required time.
2.According to Aubermann，the public bookshelves ________.
A. are financed by local volunteers
B. have been going well since their birth
C. were managed by the local government
D. will hold more books and take a shorter turnover
3.The underlined phrase “upscale neighborhoods” refers to ________.
A. communities that have many people
B. communities that have many tall buildings
C. communities that are free to live in
D. communities that are of high grade
4.Which might be the best title for the passage?
A. Public Reading Becomes Popular Worldwide
B. New Trends of Bookshelves in Germany
C. Public Bookshelves Spread Across Germany
D. Reading Culture on the Street in Europe
Are you an early riser or a night owl? Researchers from Aachen University in Germany believe that about 10 percent of people can be classified as “morning people”, who feel more active and function best in the morning．Around 20 percent are night owls—people who naturally tend to stay up late and are more tired during the day．And the rest of us fall somewhere in between, according to New Scientist.
Previous studies have suggested that early risers are more likely to be happy and healthy while night owls experience worse sleep as well as more depression and anxiety during the day.
For a long time, scientists have been trying to find out what causes the differences between the two．A new study suggests that it isn’t just people’s habits—early risers and night owls actually have different brain structures.
Led by Jessica Rosenberg at Aachen University, researchers scanned the brains of 16 early risers, 23 night owls and 20 people with intermediate sleeping hours．They found that the brains of night owls had less “white matter”—which speeds up the transmission(传输) of nerve signals — in brain areas associated with depression.
As you know, after people fly in an airplane from one time zone to another, they often suffer from a confused and tired feeling called “jet lag” because their body clocks are out of sync(不同步的) with the new time zone．It usually takes about a week for their bodies to adjust to the new time．But night owls always have difficulty syncing their bodies to the right time due to their brain structure．“It’s like they suffer from permanent jet lag,” said Rosenberg.
The good news is that it is possible for night owls to turn themselves into morning people．According to the researchers, night owls should try to spend as much time in the sunlight as possible and reduce their exposure to artificial light at night to force their body clocks to shift to a more normal rhythm.
1.What does the article mainly discuss?
A．How to turn early risers into night owls.
B．How our habits influence our sleep patterns.
C．What causes the differences between early risers and night owls.
D．Why early risers are happier and healthier than night owls.
2.We can learn from the article that night owls ________.
A．make up almost a third of the human population
B．have more white matter in their brains than other people
C．are more used to artificial night than sunlight
D．have body clocks that are not in agreement with the actual time
3.Jessica Rosenberg’s research suggests that ________.
A．previous studies about night owls are wrong
B．night owls are affected by jet lag more strongly than others
C．white matter helps our brains work more efficiently
D．brain structure might determine people’s chances of suffering from depression
Every year more people recognize that it is wrong to kill wildlife for “sport.” Progress in this direction is slow because shooting is not a sport for watching, and only those few who take part realize the cruelty and destruction.
The number of gunners, however, grows rapidly. Children too young to develop proper judgments through independent thought are led a long way away by their gunning parents. They are subjected to advertisements of gun producers who describe shooting as good for their health and guncarrying as a way of putting redder blood in the veins (血管). They are persuaded by gunner magazines with stories honoring the chase and the kill. In school they view motion pictures which are supposedly meant to teach them how to deal with arms safely but which are actually designed to stimulate (刺激) a desire to own a gun. Wildlife is disappearing because of shooting and because of the loss of wildland habitat (栖息地). Habitat loss will continue with our increasing population, but can we slow the loss of wildlife caused by shooting? There doesn’t seem to be any chance if the serious condition of our birds is not improved.
Wildlife belongs to everyone and not to the gunners alone. Although most people do not shoot, they seem to forgive shooting for sport because they know little or nothing about it. The only answer, then, is to bring the truth about sport shooting to the great majority of people.
Now, it is time to realize that animals have the same right to life as we do and that there is nothing fair or right about a person with a gun shooting the harmless and beautiful creatures. The gunners like to describe what they do as character-building, but we know that to wound an animal and watch it go through the agony of dying can make nobody happy. If, as they would have you believe, gun-carrying and killing improve human-character, then perhaps we should encourage war.
1.According to the text, most people do not seem to be against hunting because ________.
A. they have little knowledge of it
B. it helps to build human character
C. it is too costly to stop killing wildlife
D. they want to keep wildlife under control
2.The underlined word “agony” in the last paragraph probably means ________.
A. formB. conditionC. painD. sadness
3.According to the text, the films children watch at school actually ________.
A. teach them how to deal with guns safely
B. praise hunting as character-building
C. describe hunting as an exercise
D. encourage them to have guns of their own
4.It can be inferred from the text that the author seems to ________.
A. blame the majority of people
B. worry about the existence of wildlife
C. be in favour of war
D. be in support of character-building
