Americans hope Two-Thousand-Two will be happier than Two-Thousand-One. New York suffered terrible losses in the terrorist attacks on September Eleventh. However, the city is continuing with its New Year's Eve traditions in Times Square for the ninety-seventh year.
The tradition began in Nineteen-Oh-Four. That year, the owners of the building at Number One Times Square held a party on top of the building. Today, the New Year's Ball falls from the top of the same building. The ball contains thousands of pieces of lighted cut glass. It looks like burning stars as it falls through the darkness. When it reaches the ground, people in Times Square dance and sing. They throw tiny pieces of colorful paper into the air. Many people in the United States also watch this event on television.
Other cities also have New Year celebrations. For example, Chicago has a fireworks show. The fireworks are launched from the Navy Pier, a land area that extends into Lake Michigan. Some people like to watch the fireworks from a boat on the lake. The boat serves a special meal on New Year's Eve. People drink a special wine called Champagne to celebrate the clock striking midnight.
Many young people in Chicago celebrate New Year's Eve at the Lincoln Park Zoo. Children wear funny hats as they wish the animals a good New Year.
Many other Americans celebrate New Year's Eve with parties at home. Or they celebrate at public eating and drinking places. These events are usually noisy. People shout and sing. They often blow on small noise-makers when the New Year arrives at midnight. They kiss their husband or wife or the person they are with. They dance to broadcast music, records or live bands.
Some people drink too much alcohol at New Year's Eve celebrations. This can lead to tragic results if a person drinks too much and then drives a car. The National Safety Council says hundreds of people die in road accidents during the holiday.
In recent years, the danger of accidents has resulted in a new tradition called the "designated driver." One person among a group of friends drinks little or no alcohol during New Year's Eve celebrations. Then this designated driver can safely drive the other people home. Many American cities also offer free taxi service on New Year's Eve to take people home safely.
Other Americans observe the coming of the New Year at events without alcohol. More than two-hundred American cities hold these First Night celebrations. Artists in Boston, Massachusetts, started the tradition of First Night celebrations in Nineteen-Seventy-Six. They wanted to observe the coming of a New Year. But they did not want to hold noisy drinking parties. So they organized music, art and other events to observe the holiday.
66.What does the tradition refer to in the passage?
A. The celebration of New Year’s Eve. B. The New Year’s Ball.
B. The fireworks show. D. The parties at home.
67.Why does the New Year’s Ball contain pieces of lighted cut glass?
A. To attract people in the square. B. To light the Times Square
C. To give people atmosphere of a festival D. To make people interested in the festival.
68. What is the passage mainly about?
A. To hope people remember the terrible suffering in the terrorist attacks
B. The colorful life of Americans.
C. The hopes of Americans in the coming new year.
D. The celebrating activities on New Year’s Eve in America.
69. How do Americans feel to the coming new year after the terrorist attacks?
A. sad, excited and hopeful B. sad, excited and happy
C. happy, excited and hopeful D. complicated, excited and hopeful.
70. The change people hope most to see in their tradition is __________
A. Less noise B. Drinking less alcohol
C. Fewer road accidents D. Less tragedy
PART THREE READING COMPREHENSION
Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A.B.C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage.
NEW YORK(Reuters)----The Internet and advances in technology are transforming fashion, making it easier for designers to create collections and less expensive for them to show and sell their work, experts say.
Instead of spending tens of thousands of dollars on a runway(T形台)show at New York Fashion Week, some designers presented collections for spring and summer 2010 online, while others are expanding the reach of their brand by making it easier for shoppers to buy their clothes online.
Designer Norma Kamali and Polo Ralph Lauren Corp both have applications for Apple Inc’s iPhone that allows shoppers to buy clothes from their phone.
“This is the technology that’s changing our lives,” said Kamali, who displayed her spring and summer 2010 collection as well as exclusive lines (专卖品) for eBay Inc and Walmart.com at the Apple store in Manhattan’s Soho neighborhood.
Kamali’s iPhone application has a “Try Before You Buy” option, which allows clothes to be sent overnight to a customer, who provides her credit card information, so she can try them on at home before deciding to buy.
Menswear designer Miguel Antoinne and womenswear designer Marc Bouwer both put on virtual fashion shows, while models at fashion designer Vivienne Tam’s show carried a laptop computer adorned(装饰) with a Tam design.
Mazdack Rassi, co-founder and creative director of Milk Studios, a downtown space that showed about 70 collections during New York Fashion Week, and was considering projecting shows on the side of a building so people at nearby park could watch.
With cable TV and the Internet, designers know that their shows can be seen by many more people than just the editors and media who attend.
Designers are finding that technology can also help the actual design work by allowing artists to explore new ideas and processes.
But Simon Collins, the dean of fashion at Parsons----the new school for design, said even though technology is helpful, there is still no substitute for talent and hard work. “Absolutely, there’ll be people out there that have successful businesses that don’t know the first thing about draping(剪裁) and construction, just think it up, put it on the computer, fire it off the factory and it works,” Collins said. “But they’re the exception, not the rule.”
56. According to the passage, one advantage of the Internet is that it allows the designers to____________.
A. share their collections with other designers
B. display their work at a lower cost
C. receive information about the popular fashion trend
D. inform the editors and media of their collections
57. Which of the following is TRUE about Kamali?
A. She’s aware of the importance of the Internet.
B. She’s against buying clothes online.
C. She thinks New York Fashion Week will attract fewer and fewer people.
D. She’s considering holding a show on the side of a building.
58. We can infer from the passage that ____________.
A. it’s difficult to become a well-known designer
B. it’s dangerous to do online shopping
C. few people pay attention to virtual fashion shows
D. designers are finding various ways to make their shows known to the public
59. According to the last paragraph, we know that Collins ____________.
A. is a successful businessman
B. does not agree that technology is helpful in designing works
C. pays more attention to people’s natural gift and hard work
D. does not understand the fashion of actual design work
60. The purpose of the writing is to ____________.
A. celebrate the success of New York Fashion Week
B. stress the role of technology in fashion
C. introduce the activities in New York Fashion Week
D. advertise New York Fashion Week
SECTION C
Directions: Complete the following passage by filling in each blank with ONE word that best fits the context.
How much paper do you use every year? Probably you can’t answer this question quickly. In 1900,the world’s use of paper was about one kilogram 48 each person in a year. Now some countries use as 49 as 50 kilograms of paper for each person in a year. The amount of paper a country uses shows how far advanced the country is, some people say. It is difficult to say 50 this is true: different people mean different things 51 the word “advanced”. But countries like the United States, England and Sweden certainly use 52 paper than other countries.
Paper, like many other things that we use today, was first made in China. In Egypt and the West, paper was not very commonly used before 53 year 1400.The 54 wrote on papyrus; Europeans used parchment for many hundreds of years. Parchment was very strong ; 55 was made from the skin of a certain young animal. We have learnt some of the most important facts of European history from record that were kept on parchment.
SECTION B
Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with word or phrases that best fits the context.
Maja Kazazic thought she’d never walk without pain again before she saw the dolphin Winter with an artificial tail. For a long time, she had been 36 the injured dolphin which swam around the tank. From a distance, the dolphin seemed approachable enough. Still, as Kazazic prepared herself for the jump, a little 37 crept into (开始影响) her excitement. Despite her fear, she felt strong with her 38 leg.
Several years ago, Kazazic 39 her five-year-old cousin Jasmina because of an incurable disease. Kazazic swore she would honor the little girl by swimming with a dolphin, an animal that both girls admired. “Jasmina never got the chance to do it, ” says Kazazic, “so I decided that I’d do it for her someday.”
In high school, Kazazic 40 sports and planned to become a professional 41 . But in 1993, a bomb exploded in the school courtyard. The six friends she had been 42 were killed. Both of Kazazic’s legs were seriously injured.
In a temporary hospital, her left leg was thought beyond 43 and was cut off. “There was no anesthesia(麻醉),” she recalled. “They tied me down before giving me a piece of rubber to 44 on. I could feel everything but couldn’t make a sound.” Her wound became infected due to lack of medicines. Two years later, Kazazic got a new leg.
“After being in a dangerous war zone, this should be pretty easy,” Kazazic said before she 45 herself in the tank. She held out a hand to Winter, who 46 cautiously, then moved away. After a few minutes, Winter let Kazazic touch her back and nuzzled(用鼻子轻触)up to her shoulder. The two started an hour-long swim.
She would have shouted with joy 47 she quietly explained, “I used to feel like I owed somebody something, and now I’ve paid my debt.” Out in the parking lot, she made a joyful and excited cry until her voice was hoarse.
36 A. feeding B. watching C. helping D. comforting
37 A. courage B. hope C. power D. panic
38 A. artificial B. injured C. healthy D. muscled
39 A. left B. rejected C. lost D. helped
40 A. favored B. quitted C. reformed D. failed
41 A. pianist B. athlete C. teacher D. specialist
42 A. thinking about B. talking about C. chatting with D. dealing with
43 A. belief B. adaptation C. cure D. imagination
44 A. take B. hold C. look D. bite
45 A. trained B. introduced C. dressed D. lowered
46 A. approached B. mentioned C. accessed D. withdrew
47 A. and B. but C. or D. for
—Which hotel are you in?
—I ______ in a hotel. A friend I met on the train from the south_____ to put me up for a couple of nights.
|
A．haven’t stayed; has offered |
B．am not staying; offered |
|
C．am not staying; is offering |
D．do not stay; offers |
Now comes word from Filmagazine , the most popular and best-selling film magazine , ______ 'Bodyguards and Assassins' (十月围城)--which combines historical drama and martial-arts wonder--won eight awards, including best film and best director for Teddy Chen.
|
A．that |
B．which |
C．one |
D．what |
