Barack Obama
In the past hundred years, the U.S. presidency has turned more and more to the left – not in policy, but in handedness. Barrack Obama is the latest to join a long list of left – handed presidents from the 20th century: James Garfield, Herbert Hoover, Henry Truman, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton were all southpaws.
What makes lefties so electable? Some experts think left-handed people have a greater aptitude for language skills, which may help them craft the rhetoric necessary for political office. And as for the bout of recent left-handed presidents, some think it’s because teachers only recently stopped working to convert lefties to rightist at an early age.
Bill Gates
Claiming the nation’s richest man among their number is a source of considerable pride for America’s society of southpaws. In fact, the Microsoft titan and philanthropist(巨头兼慈善家) is one of a surprising number of U.S. business moguls to be left-handed, including Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller and former IBM head Lou Gerstner. But the club seems to be a guys-only fraternity — research suggests that while left-handed men tend to earn more than their right-handed colleagues, there is no similar advantage for women. A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research floated the idea that left-handed men favor "divergent" thinking, a form of creativity in which the brain moves "from conventional knowledge into unexplored association." Maybe that’s what it takes to develop a net worth estimated at $ 57 billion.
Oprah Winfrey
The talk-show queen doesn’t need much more to set her apart from the rest — what with her estimated $ 2.7 billion fortune and a magic ability to sell books just by glancing at them — but she also has the distinction of being a member of the left-handed club. Since men are more likely to be left-handed than women, that makes Oprah doubly impressive. She’s in good company: Other show-business ladies of the left – handed persuasion include Whoopi Goldberg, Julia Roberts and Angelina Jolie
Marie Curie
Not only was atomic scientist Marie Curie left-handed, but she was the matriarch of a whole family of accomplished, southpaw scientists. Curie, who discovered the principles of radioactivity and won two Nobel Prizes, was married to fellow lefty Pierre Curie, who was instrumental in helping Marie’s atomic research and shared one of her Nobel awards. Historians believe their daughter, Irene, was also left-handed. Irene went on to win a Nobel Prize of her own with her husband — who, you guessed it, was also left-handed.
59．The underlined word “southpaws” in the last sentence of Paragraph 1 means_______.
A．people coming from the south B．powerful presidents
C．people who use their left hand D．forceful speakers
60．What makes it so easy for lefties to be elected as presidents according to the passage?
A．Their great gift for foreign language.
B．Their great language skills to make speeches.
C．The need of left – hinders in the political office.
D．Teachers stopping to force them to use their right hand.
61．It can be implied that Bill Gates, Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller and Lou Gerstne_______.
A．have creative thinking B．have formed a special club.
C．earn more money than their wives D．are wealthy philanthropists
62．The underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 “She is in good company” means “_______”.
A．she works in a very good company B．she has many good friends
C．she has got on well with others D．she is among many female lefties
Vampires (吸血鬼), creatures of myth, have been around in one form or another for centuries. Terrifying but also attractive, they are as popular in the early 21 st century as ever, as the current popularity of Twilight series, and its hero Edward Cullen, show.
Vampires first appeared in fiction in the 1700s. in 1895 Irish novelist Bram Stoker published Dracula, introducing the world’s most famous vampire.
But just what is it about these drinkers of human blood that continues to fascinate us? Speaking to Eric Lewis of the Times and Transcript website, academic Deborah Wells said that vampires are “culturally adaptive”. “We create very different vampires to fit different times. Edward Cullen is not the same as Count Dracula,” she said.
Different as they are, Wells believes vampires are “the perfect containers into which we can pour our current cultural anxieties”, Bram Stoker’s Dracula is powerful, yet old and physically ugly. Stoker’s book dealt with fear of the fall of the British Empire, real fears in the day in which it was written.
According to the website Bookrags, today’s vampires have all our cultural desires, money, power and sexual attraction. Represented by Cullen, they are noble, handsome young men whom women find irresistible. What’s more, vampires challenge traditional ideas about death, science and parental authority. This may be why teenagers are drawn to vampire tales.
“In many ways, the vampire story shows up teenage concerns,” said wells. “The emotional intensity (强度) of the relationship with the vampire matches the intensity of how it feels to have your first real love affairs. Your first real love, it really feels like life and death.”
55．The best title for this passage should be_______.
A．Vampires may continue to drink our blood
B．Vampires have been around us for long
C．Why Twilight is so popular nowadays
D．We still like the story about vampires
56．What is the image of the vampire in Bram Stoker’s book?
A．Anxious but perfect.
B．Powerful, old and ugly.
C．Terrifying but also attractive.
D．Afraid of the fall of the British Empire.
57．According to the website Bookrages, today’s vampires_______.
A．desire money, power and sexual attraction
B．may not think highly of parental authority
C．dare to give up traditional ideas
D．are likely to be resisted by women
58．Which of the following statements is true according to Wells?
A．People need different vampires in different times.
B．Our current cultural anxieties are hidden in vampires.
C．The vampire story reflects the conches of the teenagers.
D．The relationship with the vampire equals your first real love.
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
French people pride themselves on their delicious foods, such as cheese, baguettes and croissants (two kinds of food). In fact, food is an important part of French culture. Families and friends spend hours over the dinner table each night. It is the opposite of the fast – food habit common in other parts of the West.
It’s the reason why the French are very angry that a McDonald’s is opening beneath Paris’s most famous museum: the Louvre (卢浮宫). The mew restaurant will be the 1,142 nd McDonald’s in France, and will open in the underground approach to the museum. But many French people can’t understand why this American chain is opening in the heart of French culture.
However, McDonald’s is paying no notice to the complaint. McDonald’s now has 31,000 chains worldwide. Tourists are hungry, and opening chains in tourist spots pays well.
There is another chain threatening France’s heritage. This time it is coffee rather than burgers. As more and more Starbucks open in Paris, traditional French cafes are forced to close.
The trouble with American companies opening chains throughout the world is the destructive effect they can have on a country’s culture. How can a small, independent coffee shop compete with the multi – billion dollar chain? You can go to a Starbucks in any city in the world, but you can only go to a Parisian café in France.
Responsibility is with the tourists. A McDonald’s wouldn’t open so near the Louvre if it weren’t not going to make money. Similarly, a Pizza Hut wouldn’t overlook (俯瞰) Egypt’s Great Pyramid if no one wants to sit in it. Maybe next time you visit the Great Wall, you should think twice before ordering a Cappuccino in the Starbucks.
51．Why are the French very angry when a McDonald’s is opening beneath the Louvre?
A．Because they will spend many hours in McDonald’s.
B．Because French food culture is very impressive.
C．Because they also have the fast – food habit.
D．Because they are proud of their own food.
52．The McDonald’s will be located in the underground approach to the museum because_______.
A．the complaints of the French are useless
B．opening a chain in tourist spot is rewarding
C．McDonald’s tends to be in the heart of culture
D．it will help to attract more tourists for the museum
53．What is the trouble with American companies opening chains all over the world?
A．The traditional stores of a country are forced to fight back.
B．The traditional stores of a country become dependant.
C．They have negative effect on a country’s culture.
D．The multi – billion dollar chain can’t be matched.
54．The author suggests that the tourists can_______.
A．decide whether the multiple stores of America are successful or not
B．order a Cappuccino in the Starbucks when they visit the Great Wall
C．sit in a Pizza Hut when they visit Egypt’s Great Pyramid
D．enter the McDonald’s when they visit the Louvre
第二节完型填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I watched as she led him by the hand to the bathroom in the waiting hall of the airport. Although he looked a little confused, he seemed 31 as long as his hand was in hers.
Returning to their seats at the gate, she 32 his hair and buttoned his jacket. He looked nervous and asked, “Where are we going, Mom? What time is it? When will we get to 33 our plane?”
I wondered about the woman’s patience and love. I 34 her take him by the hand when they were finally 35 to board.
Upon finding my seat, I discovered that the three of us would be 36 . I managed to pass the two of them to my window seat and then told him how handsome he looked in his new coat. He 37 . She helped take off his jacket and 38 his seatbelt. He said that he had to go to the 39 again, and she told him that he could last until the end of the 40 .
As the plane started, he became frightened and 41 for her hand. She calmed him down and began talking to him about whom to visit. He was confused about the different 42 they would be seeing, but she patiently repeated who was who 43 he seemed to understand.
We introduced ourselves and 44 the usual things all mothers like to exchange with one another. I 45 she had four children and was on her way to visit one of them.
The hour passed 46 , and soon we were preparing to land. He became frightened again, and she 47 his arm gently. She smiled and hugged him. “I love you, Honey.”
They 48 the plane before I did, the mother never realizing how deeply she had 49 me. I prayed for this remarkable woman and for myself that I would have enough love and 50 to meet whatever challenges came my way, as this extraordinary mother clearly had.
31．A．nervous B．secure C．strong D．confident
32．A．washed B．dried C．combed D．cut
33．A．ride B．leave C．see D．land
34．A．found B．noticed C．made D．watched
35．A．allowed B．expected C．announced D．believed
36．A．apart B．together C．upset D．different
37．A．cried B．shook C．responded D．smiled
38．A．search B．loosen C．fasten D．set
39．A．cafe B．shop C．bathroom D．airport
40．A．day B．flight C．life D．patience
41．A．struggled B．prayed C．looked D．reached
42．A．relatives B．books C．places D．children
43．A．until B．when C．after D．since
44．A．explained B．had C．shared D．enjoyed
45．A．heard B．proved C．knew D．learned
46．A．slowly B．quickly C．silently D．senselessly
47．A．seized B．held C．struck D．beat
48．A．walked around B．wandered about C．left for D．got off
49．A．calmed B．excited C．touched D．confused
50．A．strength B．quality C．energy D．advantage
While in London, we paid a visit to the hospital founded__________the nurse Florence Nightingale.
|
A．in need of |
B．in favor of |
C．in honor of |
D．in place of |
He has been in high spirits, for pieces of exciting news came to him __________.
|
A．one after another |
B．one by one |
C．little by little |
D．step by step |
