It happened to be a beautiful summer afternoon, and Mr. Phillip was taking a walk in the downtown area of Paris, capital of France.
When he turned to a street corner, he heard the voice of a lovely French singer coming from a nearby restaurant. The sweet music attracted him, so he went into the restaurant to hear it better. Mr. Phillip sat down quietly at a table near the door. Noticing the waiter come over, he ordered a glass of French wine.
The waiter returned with the glass of wine and put it on the table. Mr. Phillip started drinking the wine slowly and watching other people in the restaurant. There were three customers sitting at a table near him. He could tell by their accents that one of them was an American, one an Englishman and the third man was a funny-looking stranger. The polite waiter served each of the three men a glass of beer. By chance, each glass had a fly in it.
Out of curiosity, Mr. Phillip watched carefully what they were going to do. To his amusement, he found that each of them took a quite different attitude. The American picked up his glass, took a hard look at the fly, and then poured the fly and half of his beer on the floor. The Englishman looked into the glass, noticed the fly and reached for a spoon, with which he took the fly out of the beer and drank the rest of it. And the stranger noticed the fly in the beer, picked it with his fingers, squeezed (挤压) it carefully in order to save every drop of beer, then drank it up.
1.Mr. Phillip went into the restaurant to _____.
A. have something to eat after the walk B. wait for a friend there
C. meet his three friends there D. enjoy the pleasant music
2.The restaurant where Mr. Phillip had a drink must be _____.
A. a first-class one B. a rather dirty place
C. expensive and comfortable D. a place where only beer was served
3.Of all the three customers at the table, _____.
A. the stranger drank the most from the glass
B. the Englishman wasted half of his beer
C. the stranger was the cleverest
D. the American liked the beer best
Passage3
体裁 | 话题 | 词数 | 难度 | 建议时间 |
说明文 | 厄尔尼诺现象 | 382 | ★★★☆☆ | 8分钟 |
You may laugh it off if someone told you that extreme weather disasters were actually a child’s tricks. But El Nino, meaning ＂little boy＂ in Spanish, could be about to cause trouble.
A recent statement from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned of a strong El Nino event that may be similar to the strongest in modern times. Scientists believe that evidence shows a more than 90 percent chance that it is coming – and it’s going to be big. ＂If this lives up to its potential, this thing can bring a lot of floods, mudslides (泥石流), and trouble,＂ said Bill Patzert, a NASA scientist.
El Nino is a climate event occurring in the Pacific Ocean. The wind usually blows strongly from east to west due to the rotation (旋转) of the Earth. This causes water to pile up in the Western Pacific and pulls up colder water from the bottom in the eastern part. However, in El Nino years, the winds pushing the water get weaker and cause the warmer water to shift back toward the east. This warms the ocean as it travels before finally reaching the shores of North and South America. In an El Nino event, the waters of the eastern Pacific can be up to 4 degrees Celsius warmer than usual.
Most El Ninos last from 9 to 12 months and their effects are felt around December. They don’t happen every year though, usually between every two to seven years.
Last seen in 1997-98, El Nino caused severe droughts in Australia, the Philippines and Indonesia, as well as deadly floods in Peru and Ecuador. The world also heats up during an ElNino – 1998 became the warmest year on record at the time. If the current trend continues, 2015 is almost certainly to become the hottest year yet again.
A strong El Nino also affects hurricane seasons around the planet. The warmer the Eastern Pacific is, the more hurricanes it gets. The Western Pacific, on the other hand, tends to see more and stronger typhoons.
The weather isn’t the only thing that’s affected. Warmer surface waters in the Eastern Pacific make the cold-water fish swim away and damage the fishing industry in much of Latin America.
【题文1】 What is the text mainly about?
A. El Nino and its harmful effects. B. Extreme weather disasters ever.
C. The hottest years ever in history. D. The strongest El Nino in history.
【题文2】Which of the following statements is TRUE about El Nino?
A. It results from hurricanes or typhoons in the oceans.
B. It happens every two years and last about half a year.
C. It is a weather phenomenon occurring in the Atlantic.
D. It can cause extreme weather, such as floods and droughts.
【题文3】 During an El Nino year, ________.
A. the wind blows so strongly that it causes the water to pile up
B. the fishing industry in much of Latin America is likely to suffer
C. the more typhoons it experiences, the warmer the Western Pacific is
D. the surface water in the Eastern Pacific usually gets colder than ever
【题文4】 El Nino in fact results from ________.
A. a little Spanish child’s trick
B. the natural rotating of the Earth
C.an American expert’s prediction
D. the weaker winds in the Pacific
Passage 2
体裁 | 话题 | 词数 | 难度 | 建议时间 |
应用文 | 招聘广告 | 242 | ★★☆☆☆ | 5分钟 |
Wanted, Someone for FM 90.8
We’re looking for a radio announcer to join us on Anhui Transportation Broadcasting FM 90.8. Broadcasting and hosting major is necessary, along with some experience in radio and music. Please apply in writing to Anhui Radio and TV Station.
Father Christmas
We’re looking for a very special person, preferably over 40, to fill our Father Christmas suit.
Working days: Every Saturday and Sunday from December 11 to December 20 and every day from December 21 to December 25, 14∶30－20∶00.
Excellent pay.
Please contact Yurun Central Square, Changjiang Road.
Accountants Assistant
When you join the team in our Social Security Administration Office, you will be providing assistance within all parts of the Office, dealing with post and other general duties. If you are educated in a 211 University we would like to talk to you. This position is equally suitable for a school leaver or for somebody who has office experience.
Social Security Administration Office
Software Trainer
If you are aged 22-48 and have experience in teaching and training, you could be the person we are looking for. You should be good at the computer and have some experience in programme writing. You will be allowed to make your own decisions, and to design courses as well as present them. Pay upwards of ￥8,000 for the right person. Please apply by sending your CV to Mrs. Huang, Huanghe Computer Training Center.
【题文1】Who should you get in touch with if you hope to work in a radio station?
A. Yurun Central Square.
B. Mrs. Huang, Huanghe Computer Training Center.
C. Anhui Radio and TV Station.
D. Social Security Administration Office.
【题文2】We learn from the ads that Yurun Central Square needs a person who________.
A. is aged between 22 and 48
B. needs to do some training work
C. should deal with general duties
D. can work for about a fortnight
【题文3】Which position is open to recent school graduates?
A. Accountants Assistant.
B. Father Christmas.
C. Radio announcer.
D. Software Trainer.
【题文4】 What kind of person would probably apply to Huanghe Computer Training Center?
A. One graduating from a 211 university.
B. One with some office experience.
C. One having good computer knowledge.
D. One with experience in radio and music.
Passage1
体裁 | 话题 | 词数 | 难度 | 建议时间 |
说明文 | 巧克力公司的发展 | 221 | ★★☆☆☆ | 5分钟 |
Given that many people’s moods (情绪)are regulated by the chemical action of chocolate, it was probably only a matter of time before somebody made the chocolate shop similar to a drug store of Chinese medicine. Looking like a setting from the film Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, Singapore’s Chocolate Research Facility (CRF) has over 100 varieties of chocolates. its founder is Chris Lee who grew up at his parents’ corner store with one hand almost always in the jar of sweets.
If the CRF seems to be a smart idea, that’s because Lee is not merely a seasoned salesperson but also head of a marketing department that has business relations with big names such as Levi’s and Sony. That idea surely results in the imagination at work when it comes to making different flavored(味道)chocolates.
The CRF’s produce is ＂green＂. made within the country and divided into 10 lines, with the Alcohol Series being the most popular. The Exotic Series一with Sichuan pepper, red bean (豆).cheese and other flavors一also does well and is fun to taste. And for chocolate snobs，who think that they have a better knowledge of chocolate than others, the Connoisseur Series uses cocoa beans from Togo, Cuba, Venezuela , and Ghana, among others.
【题文1】 What is good about chocolate?
A. It serves as a suitable gift.学.科.网Z.X.X .B. It works as an effective medicine.
C. It helps improve the state of mind. D. It strengthens business relations.
【题文2】 Why is Chris Lee able to develop his idea of the CRF?
A. He knows the importance of research.
B. He learns form shops of similar types.
C. He has the support of many big names
D. He has a lot of marketing experience.
【题文3】 Which line of the CRF produce sells best?
A. The Connoisseur Series. B. The Exotic Series.
C. The Alcohol Series. D. The Sichuan Series.
Passage 4（2016届江西省九校高三下学期联考）
体裁 | 话题 | 词数 | 难度 | 建议时间 |
说明文 | 狗的祖先 | 325 | ★★★☆☆ | 8分钟 |
Where do dogs come from?
Gray wolves are their ancestors. Scientists are pretty consistent about that. And researchers have suggested that dogs’ origins can date back to Europe, the Near East, Siberia and South China. Central Asia is the newest and best candidate, according to a large study of dogs from around the world.
Laura M. Shannon and Adam R. Boyko at Cornell University, and an international group of other scientists, studied not only purebred(纯种的) dogs, but also street or village dogs.
Dr. Shannon analyzed three different kinds of DNA, Dr. Boyko said, the first time this has been done for such a large and diverse group of dogs from 38 countries. And that led them to Central Asia as the place of origin for dogs in much the same way that genetic studies have located the origin of modern humans in East Africa.
The analysis, Dr. Boyko said, pointed to Central Asia, as the place where ＂all the dogs alive today＂ come from. The data did not allow precise dating of the origin, he said, but showed it occurred at least 15,000 years ago.
Greger Larson of Oxford University, who is leading a large international effort to analyze ancient DNA from fossilized bones, said he was impressed by the study. ＂It’s really great to see not just the number of street dogs, but also the geographic breadth and the number of remote locations where the dogs were sampled,＂ he said in an email. He also praised the sampling of different kinds of DNA and the analytic methods.
Dr. Larson, who was not involved with the study, said he thought the Central Asia finding required further testing. He said he suspected that the origins of modern dogs were ＂extremely messy＂ and that no amount of sampling of living populations will be definitive. He said a combination of studies of modern and ancient DNA is necessary.
1.According to the research on a large number of dogs, we can know____________.
A. dogs mainly lived in Europe and the Far East
B. dogs would like to live in Central Asia
C. dogs’ ancestors come from gray wolves
D. the Near East has many gray wolves
2.What can we infer from what Dr. Boyko said?
A. There are three different kinds of DNA in dogs.
B. This is the second time they have done so many dogs.
C. They only do research on village dogs from many countries.
D. Modern humans are from East Africa while dogs come from Central Asia.
3.Greger Larson got a very deep impression of his study because he____________.
A. found the study based on many different dogs and the sample dogs’ remote locations
B. saw the number of street dogs from fossilized bones
C. watched the geographic breadth of the sampled dogs
D. praised his teammates for their hard work on the dogs
4.Who wasn’t engaged in the study of dogs’ origins?
A. Laura M. Shannon B. Adam R. Boyko
C. Shannon and Boyko D. Greger Larson
Passage 3（2017届江西省上高二中高三考）
体裁 | 话题 | 词数 | 难度 | 正确率 |
说明文 | Jake Beckman呼吁出版商应对读者负责 | 361 | ★★★☆☆ |
|
The Internet is full of headlines that grab your attention with buzzwords (流行词). But often when we click through, we find the content hardly delivers and it wastes our time. We close the page, feeling we’ve been cheated. These types of headlines are called ＂click bait＂.
A headline on Businesslnsider.com reads: ＂This phrase will make you seem more polite＂. First, when you click through, you find another headline: ＂Four words to seem more polite.＂ Then, on reading the article, you find it’s actually an essay about sympathy. And what are the four words? They’re ＂Wow, that sounds hard.＂ On some video websites, you might encounter headlines such as ＂Here’s what happens when six puppies visited a campus＂. Turns out it’s just some uninteresting dog footage (镜头).
Nowadays, with the popularity of social media, many news outlets tweet (推送) click bait links to their stories. These tweets take advantage of the curiosity gap or attempt to draw the reader into a story using a question in the headline. These click bait headlines are so annoying that someone is attempting to save people time by exposing news outlet click bait through social media. The Twitter account @SavedYouAClick, run by Jake Beckman, is one such example.
Beckman’s method is to grab tweets linking to a story and retweet them with a click-saving comment. For example, CNET tweeted ＂So iOS 8 appears to be jailbreakable but...＂, with a link to its coverage of Apple’s product announcements. Beckman retweeted it with this comment attached: ＂... it hasn’t been jailbroken yet.＂
Since founding the account, Beckman’s Twitter experiment has brought him more than 131,000 followers. Beckman said that @SavedYouAClick is…＂just my way of trying to help the Internet be less terrible.＂ Asked about his goal, he said, ＂I’d love to see publishers think about the experience of their readers first. I think there’s an enormous opportunity for publishers to provide readers with informative updates that include links so you can click through and read more.
1.The article on Businesslnsider.com turns out to be___________.
A. useful suggestions on politeness
B.an essay about another topic
C.an article hard to understand
D. a link to a video website
2.Why are readers often cheated by tricky headlines?
A. Social media has become more popular.
B. Readers have questions to be solved.
C. Such headlines are fairly attractive.
D. There’re always stories behind them.
3.Beckman attached his comment to CNET’s tweet to __________.
A. criticize CNET B. save readers’ time
C. advertise apple’s new product D. tell readers something about iOS 8
4.In the last paragraph, Beckman appeals that _________.
A. publishers be more responsible for the link
B. readers think about their needs before reading
C. publishers provide more information for readers
D. people work together to make the Internet less terrible
