People with disabilities make up a large part of the population. It is estimated（估计） that over 35 million Americans have physical, mental, or other disabilities. About half of these disabilities are “developmental", i.e., they occur before the individual's twenty-second birthday, often from genetic conditions, and are severe enough to affect three or more areas of development, such as mobility, communication, employment, etc. Most other disabilities are considered “adventitious", i.e., accidental or caused by outside forces.
Prior to the 20th century, only a small percentage of people with disabilities survived for long. Medical treatment for these disabilities was unavailable. Advancements in medicine and social services have created a climate in which people with disabilities can expect to have such basic needs as food, shelter, and medical treatment. Unfortunately, these basics are often not available. Civil liberties such as the right to vote, marry, get an education, and gain employment have historically been denied on the basis of disability.
In recent decades, the disability rights movement has been organized to fight against these infringements（违反；侵犯）of civil rights. Congress responded by passing major legislation recognizing people with disabilities as a protected class under civil rights statutes.
Still today, people with disabilities must fight to live their lives independently. It is estimated that more than half of qualified Americans with disabilities are unemployed, and a majority of those who do work are underemployed. About two-thirds live at or below the official poverty level.
Significant barriers, especially in transportation and public awareness, prevent disabled people from taking part in society. For example, while no longer prohibited by law from marrying, a person with no access to transportation is effectively excluded from community and social activities which might lead to the development of long-term relationships.
Only when public attitudes advance as far as laws have will disabled people be fully able to take their rightful place in society.
1.A “developmental" disability ______.
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A．develops very slowly over time |
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B．is caused by forces |
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C．occurs in youth and affects development |
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D．is getting more and more severe |
2.Most disabled people used to die early because ______.
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A．disabilities destroyed major bodily functions |
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B．they were not very well looked after |
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C．medical techniques were not available |
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D．they were too poor to get proper treatment |
3.In the author's opinion, to enable the disabled people to take their rightful place in society, ______.
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A．more laws should be passed |
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B．public attitudes should be changed |
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C．government should provide more aids |
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D．more public facilities should be set up |
4.Which of the following cannot be inferred from the passage ?
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A．Many disabled people may remain single for their whole life. |
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B．The public tends to look down upon the disabled people. |
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C．The disabled people feel inferior to those surrounding them. |
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D．Discriminatory laws prevent the disabled from mixing with others. |
5.The best title for this passage might be ______.
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A．Handicaps（障碍）of People with Disabilities |
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B．The physical difficulties of the Disabled |
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C．The Causes for Disabilities |
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D．Medical Treatments for Disabilities |
Brenda Bongos was a happy, artistic girl. She had one big ambition—to play the drums in a band. But one big problem lay in her way. To be good enough to play in a band, Brenda had to practice a lot, but she lived next-door to a lot of old people. Many of them are sick. She knew that the sound of beating drums would really get on their nerves. So, she had tried playing in the strangest places: a basement, a kitchen, and even in a shower. But there was always someone it would annoy.
One day, while watching a science documentary on TV, she heard that sound cannot travel in space, because there's no air. At that moment, Brenda Bongos decided to become a sort of musical astronaut.
With the help of a lot of time, books and work, Brenda built a space bubble. This was a big glass ball connected to a machine which sucked out all the air inside. All that would be left inside was a drum kit（成套设备） and a chair. Brenda got into the space suit she had made, entered the bubble, turned on the machine, and played those drums like a wild child.
It wasn't long before Brenda Bongos came very famous. Many people came to see her play in her space bubble. Shortly afterwards she came out of the bubble and started giving concerts. Her fame spread so much that the government suggested that she be part of a unique space journey. Finally, Brenda was a real musical astronaut, and had gone far beyond her first ambition of playing drums in a band.
Years later, when asked how she had achieved all this, she thought for a moment, and said: ''If those old people next – door hadn't mattered so much to me, I wouldn't have found a solution, and none of this would have ever happened.''
1.Why did Brenda try to play in the strangest places?
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A．Because she didn't want others to hear her play. |
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B．Because she didn't mean to disturb others. |
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C．Because she didn't have her own room. |
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D．Because she didn’t like her neighbors. |
2.Brenda started to give concerts _______.
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A．after she practiced in her space bubble |
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B．when she became part of the unique space journey |
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C．after she became a real musical astronaut |
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D．when people came to see her in the space bubble |
3.Brenda became famous because _______.
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A．she was good at music and science |
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B．she became a real musical astronaut |
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C．she invented a special way of practice |
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D．she played well and had a talent |
4.Which of the following can be used to describe Brenda?
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A．Kind, hardworking and clever. |
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B．Brave, kind and hardworking. |
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C．Lovely, brave and kind. |
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D．Nervous, kind and clever. |
5.It can be inferred from the text that: " _______".
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A．He laughs best who laughs last |
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B．It's never too old to learn |
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C．Two heads are better than one |
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D．One good turn deserves another |
Everybody has one of those days when everything goes wrong. This is what happened to Harry.
He got up one morning very late because he had forgotten to wind up his alarm clock. He tried to shave（刮脸）quickly and cut himself. When he got dressed he got blood all over his clean shirt, so he had to find another one. The only other shirt that was clean needed ironing（熨）, so he ironed it. While he was ironing it, there was a knock at the door. It was the man to read the electricity meter（表）. He showed him where the meter was, said good-bye and found that the iron had burnt a hole in his shirt. So he had to wear the one with the blood on it after all. By this time it was very late, so he decided he couldn’t go to work by bus. He telephoned for a taxi to take him to work. The taxi arrived and Harry got in and began to read the newspaper.
In another part of the town, a man had killed a woman with a knife and was seen to run away in a taxi. When Harry’s taxi stopped outside his office, a policeman happened to be standing there. He saw the blood on Harry’s shirt, and took him to the police station. He was kept till 3 o’clock in the afternoon before the police were sure that he was not the man they wanted. When he finally arrived at the office at about four, his boss took a look at him and told him to go away and find another job.
1.Harry had__________________________.
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A．a lucky day |
B．an unlucky day |
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C．a busy day |
D．a good day |
2.Put the following sentences into correct order according to the passage.
a. The man who read the electricity meter came.
b. Harry ironed his shirt.
c. Harry got blood all over his clean shirt.
d. There was a knock at the door.
e. Harry wore the shirt with blood on it.
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A．a, b, c, d, e |
B．b, a, d, c, e |
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C．b, a, c, d, e |
D．c, b, d, a, e |
3.Why did Harry wear the shirt with blood on it?
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A．The iron had burnt a hole in his clean shirt. |
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B．The only other needed ironing. |
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C．He had only one shirt. |
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D．He cut himself and got blood all over his shirt. |
4.Harry was taken to the police station because .
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A．his taxi stopped outside his office and a policeman happened to be there |
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B．there was blood on his shirt and he was in a taxi |
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C．a man killed a woman with a knife |
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D．the murderer was seen to run away in a taxi |
5.His boss told him to go away and find another job because .
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A．he had been kept by the police |
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B．there was blood on his shirt |
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C．he was late for work |
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D．he had killed a woman |
Recently, researchers in the US have carried out a study on laughing, one of the most natural characteristics of human behavior.
Jo-Anne Bachorowsky, a psychology professor at Vandebilt University, 36 a team of researchers who 37 a total of 11 short videos to 97 young adult volunteers in the US. They found that the participants produced a 38 of sounds when they laughed, 39 grunts(呼噜声) and snorts(哼声).
The researchers found that some of the 40 were dependent 41 gender(性别). Men laughed with grunts and snorts more often than women, 42 women’s 43 was more song-like.
They also found that people’s laughter could change, 44 who they were with at the time. Whether they were with a man or a woman and 45 person was a friend or a 46 both played a part in laughter.
The researchers found that women’s laughter was very high with a 47 pitch(音高) when they were with male strangers. And women taking 48 in the study laughed more often when they were with a male friend than when they were with a(n) 49 friend or a male stranger. But men laughed more freely with friends of either sex than with strangers of either sex.
Scientists believe that the 50 consumed in laughing 100 times is 51 to 15 minutes on an exercise bike. Another 52 of laughter is 53 it improves our mental health. Laughter reduces our levels of stress. It also helps us 54 serious illness.
55 ,we think laughter can make us feel good.
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— I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have used up all the money so quickly.
— __________. What’s done is done.
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A．It’s none of my business |
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B．Forget it |
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C．Remember next time |
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D．Good luck |
Many areas were stricken by the typhoon, and it was quite difficult to ______ the exact losses.
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A．figure out |
B．set out |
C．put out |
D．carry out |
