2009-10%20December%20Reading%20list-author%20order[1]
研究生公共英语教材阅读B第3、4、10、11、14课文原文及翻译
Unite 3 Doctor’s Dilemma: Treat or Let Die?Abigail Trafford1. Medical advances in wonder drugs, daring surgical procedures, radiation therapies, and intensive-care units have brought new life to thousands of people. Yet to many of them, modern medicine has become a double-edged sword.2. Doctor’s power to treat with an array of space-age techniques has outstripped the body’s capacity to heal. More medical problems can be treated, but for many patients, there is little hope of recovery. Even the fundamental distinction between life and death has been blurred.3. Many Americans are caught in medical limbo, as was the South Korean boxer Duk Koo Kim, who was kept alive by artificial means after he had been knocked unconscious in a fight and his brain ceased to function. With the permission of his family, doctors in Las Vegas disconnected the life-support machines and death quickly followed.4. In the wake of technology’s advances in medicine, a heated debate is taking place in hospitals and nursing homes across the country --- over whether survival or quality of life is the paramount goal of medicine.5. “It gets down to what medicine is all about, ” says Daniel Callahan, director of the Institute of Society, Ethics, and the Life Sciences in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. “Is it really to save a life? Or is the larger goal the welfare of the patient?”6. Doctors, patients, relatives, and often the courts are being forced to make hard choices in medicine. Most often it is at the two extremes of life that these difficultyethical questions arise --- at the beginning for the very sick newborn and at the end for the dying patient.7. The dilemma posed by modern medical technology has created the growing new discipline or bioethics. Many of the country’s 127 medical s chools now offer courses in medical ethics, a field virtually ignored only a decade ago. Many hospitals have chaplains, philosophers, psychiatrists, and social workers on the staff to help patients make crucial decisions, and one in twenty institutions has a special ethics committee to resolve difficult cases.Death and Dying8. Of all the patients in intensive-care units who are at risk of dying, some 20 percent present difficult ethical choices --- whether to keep trying to save the life or to pull back and let the patient die. In many units, decisions regarding life-sustaining care are made about three times a week.9. Even the definition of death has been changed. Now that the heart-lung machine can take over the functions of breathing and pumping blood, death no longer always comes with the patient’s “last gasp” or when the heart stops beating. Thirty-one states and the District of Columbia have passed brain-death statutes that identify death as when the whole brain ceases to function.10. More than a do zen states recognize “living wills” in which the patients leave instructions to doctors not to prolong life by feeding them intravenously or by other methods if their illness becomes hopeless. A survey of California doctors showed that 20 to 30 percent were following instructions of such wills. Meanwhile, the hospicemovement, which its emphasis on providing comfort --- not cure --- to the dying patient, has gained momentum in many areas.11. Despite progress in society’s understanding of death and dying, t heory issues remain. Example: A woman, 87, afflicted by the nervous-system disorder of Parkinson’s disease, has a massive stroke and is found unconscious by her family. Their choices are to put her in a nursing home until she dies or to send her to a medical center for diagnosis and possible treatment. The family opts for a teaching hospital in New York city. Tests show the woman’s stroke resulted from a blood clot that is curable with surgery. After the operation, she says to her family: “Why did you bring me back to this agony?” Her health continues to worsen, and two years later she dies.12. On the other hand, doctors say prognosis is often uncertain and that patients, just because they are old and disabled, should not be denied life-saving therapy. Ethicists also fear that under the guise of medical decision not to treat certain patients, death may become too easy, pushing the country toward the acceptance of euthanasia.13. For some people, the agony of watching high-technology dying is too great. Earlier this year, Woodrow Wilson Collums, a retired dairyman from Poteet, Texas, was put on probation for the mercy killing of his older brother Jim, who lay hopeless in his bed at a nursing home, a victim of severe senility resul ting from Alzheimer’s disease. After the killing, the victim’s widow said: “I think God, Jim’s out of his misery. I hate to think it had to be done the way it was done, but I understand it. ”Crisis in Newborn Care14. At the other end of the life span, technology has so revolutionized newborn carethat it is no longer clear when human life is viable outside the womb. Newborn care has got huge progress, so it is absolutely clear that human being can survive independently outside the womb. Twenty-five years ago, infants weighting less than three and one-half pounds rarely survived. The current survival rate is 70 percent, and doctors are “salvaging” some babies that weigh only one and one-half pounds. Tremendous progress has been made in treating birth deformities such as spina bifida. Just ten years ago, only 5 percent of infants with transposition of the great arteries --- the congenital heart defect most commonly found in newborns --- survived. Today, 50 percent live.15. Yet, for many infants who owe their lives to new medical advances, survival has come at a price. A significant number emerge with permanent physical and mental handicaps.16. “The question of treatment and nontreatment of seriously ill newborns is not a single one,”says Thomas Murray of the Hastings Center. “But I feel strongly that retardation or the fact that someone is going to be less than perfect is not good grounds for allowing an infant to die.”17. For many parents, however, the experience of having a sick newborn becomes a lingering nightmare. Two years ago, an Atlanta mother gave birth to a baby suffering from Down’s Syndrome, a form of mental retardation; the child also had blocked intestines. The doctors rejected the parents’ plea not to operate, and today the child, severely retarded, still suffers intestinal problems.18. “Every time Melanie has a bowel movement, she cries,” explains her mother.“She’s not able to take care of herself, and we won’t live forever. I wanted to save her from sorrow, pain, and suffering. I don’t understand the emphasis on life at all costs, and I’m very angry at the doctors and the hospital. Who will take care of Melanie after we’re gone? Where will you doctors be then?”Changing Standards19. The choices posed by modern technology have profoundly changed the practice of medicine. Until now, most doctors have been activists, trained to use all the tools in their medical arsenals to treat disease. The current trend is toward nontreatment as doctors grapple with questions not just of who should get care but when to take therapy away.20. Always in the background is the threat of legal action. In August, two California doctors were charged with murdering a comatose patient by allegedly disconnecting the respirator and cutting off food and water. In 1981, a Massachusetts nurse was charged with murdering a cancer patient with massive doses of morphine but was subsequently acquitted.21. Between lawsuits, government regulations, and patients’ rights, many doctors feel they are under siege. Modern technology actually has limited their ability to make choices. More recently, these actions are resolved by committees.Public Policy22. In recent years, the debate on medical ethics has moved to the level of national policy. “It’s just beginning to hit us that we don’t have unlimited resources,” says Washington Hospital Center’s Dr. Lynch. “You can’t talk about ethics without talkingethics without talking about money.”23. Since 1972. Americans have enjoyed unlimited access to a taxpayer-supported, kidney dialysis program that offers life-prolonging therapy to all patients with kidney failure. To a number of police analysts, the program has grown out of control --- to a $1.4billion operation supporting 61,000 patients. The majority are over 50, and about a quarter have other illness, such as cancer or heart disease, conditions that could exclude them from dialysis in other countries.24. Some hospitals are pulling back from certain lifesaving treatment. Massachusetts General Hospital, for example, has decided not perform heart transplants on the ground that the high costs of providing such surgery help too few patients. Burn units --- through extremely effective --- also provide very expensive therapy for very few patients.25. As medical scientists push back the frontiers of therapy, the moral dilemma will continue to grow for doctors and patients alike, making the choice of to treat the basic question in modern medicine.1. 在特效药、风险性手术进程、放疗法以及特护病房方面的医学进展已为数千人带来新生。
2009年考研英语真题
2009年考研英语真题1. IntroductionThe year 2009 witnessed another set of challenging questions in the English section of the graduate entrance examination (GAOKAO) in China. This document aims to analyze and provide solutions to the 2009 GAOKAO English reading comprehension questions.2. Overview of the ExamThe English section of the 2009 GAOKAO exam comprised of multiple-choice questions. The questions were designed to assess the candidates’ comprehension skills, vocabulary knowledge, and ability to analyze and interpret written texts. The reading comprehension section tested the candidates’ ability to understand and make inferences from a variety of texts.3. Strategies for Answering Reading Comprehension QuestionsTo effectively answer the reading comprehension questions, candidates should employ the following strategies:3.1 Skimming and ScanningSkimming and scanning the passage before reading the questions can help candidates get an overall idea of the passage and locate specific information quickly. Skimminginvolves quickly reading the passage to get a general understanding of the main ideas, while scanning involves quickly searching for specific information or keywords.3.2 Understanding the QuestionsCandidates should carefully read and analyze each question to understand what is being asked. Identifying keywords and key phrases can help candidates determine the main focus of the question.3.3 Referencing the PassageCandidates should refer back to the passage to find evidence and support for their answers. By referencing the passage, candidates can ensure that their answers are accurate and based on the information provided.3.4 Eliminating Wrong OptionsIf candidates are unsure of an answer, they can eliminate options that are clearly incorrect. This can increase the chances of selecting the correct answer, even if the candidates are not sure of the exact answer.4. Analysis of Sample QuestionsLet’s analyze two sample questions from the 2009 GAOKAO English reading comprehension section:Sample Question 1: Passage Excerpt:。
2009年考研英语阅读理解题精读篇第二篇
TEXT 2He emerged, all of a sudden, in 1957: the most explosive new poetic talent of the English post-war era. Poetry specialised, at that moment, in the wry chronicling of the everyday. The poetry of Yorkshire-born Ted Hughes, first published in a book called “The Hawk in the Rain” when he was 27, was unlike anything written by his immediate predecessors. Driven by an almost Jacobean rhetoric, it had a visionary fervour. Its most eye-catching characteristic was Hughes’s ability to get beneath the skins of animals: foxes, otters, pigs. These animals were the real thing all right, but they were also armorial devices—symbols of the countryside and lifeblood of the earth in which they were rooted. It gave his work a raw, primal stink.It was not only England that thought so either. Hughes’s book was also published in America, where it won the Galbraith prize, a major literary award. But then, in 1963, Sylvia Plath, a young American poet whom he had first met at Cambridge University in 1956, and who became his wife in the summer of that year, committed suicide. Hughes was vilified for long after that, especially by feminists in America. In 1998, the year he died, Hughes broke his own self-imposed public silence about their relationship in a book of loose-weave poems called “Birthday Letters”.In this new and exhilarating collection of real letters, Hughes returns to the issue of his first wife’s death, which he calls his “big and unmanageable event”. He felt his talent muffled by the perpetual eavesdropping upon his every move. Not until he decided to publish his own account of their relationship did the burden begin to lighten.The analysis is raw, pained and ruthlessly self-aware. For all the moral torment, the writing itself has the same rush and vigour that possessed Hughes’s early poetry. Some books of letters serve as a personalised historical chronicle. Poets’letters are seldom like that, and Hughes’s are no exception. His are about a life of literary engagement: almost all of them include some musing on the state or the nature of writing, both Hughes’s own or other people’s. The trajectory of Hughes’s literary career had him moving from obscurity to fame, and then, in the eyes of many, to life-long notoriety. These letters are filled with his wrestling with the consequences of being the part-private, part-public creature that he became, desperate to devote himself to his writing, and yet subject to endless invasions of his privacy.Hughes is an absorbing and intricate commentator upon his own poetry, even when he is standing back from it and good-humouredly condemning himself for “its fantasticalia, its pretticisms and its infinite verballifications”. He also believed, from first to last, that poetry had a special place in the education of children. “What kids need”, he wrote in a 1988 letter to the secretary of state for education in the Conservative government, “is a headfull [sic] of songs that are not songs but blocks of refined and achieved and exemplary language.” When that happens, children have “the guardian angel installed behind the tongue”. Lucky readers, big or small.1．The poetry of Hughes’s forerunners is characteristic of ______[A] its natural, crude flavor.[B] its distorted depiction of people’s daily life.[C] its penetrating sight.[D] its fantastical enthusiasm.2.The word “vilified” (Line 3, Paragraph 2)most probably means _____[A] tortured[B] harassed[C] scolded[D] tormented3．According to the third paragraph, Hughes’s collection of letters are _____[A] personal recollection of his life.[B] personalised historical chronicle of his literary engagement.[C] reflections of his struggle with his devotion and the reality.[D] his meditation on the literary world.4. From the letters, we may find the cause of Hughes’s internal struggle is _____[A] his devotion to the literary world.[B] that he is a part-private, part-public creature.[C] that he is constrained by the fear of his privacy being invaded.[D] his fame and notoriety.5. By “lucky readers” in the last sentence, the author means_____[A] children who read poetry.[B] children who have a headfull of songs.[C] children who own blocks of refined and achieved and exemplary language.[D] children who have the guardian angel installed behind the tongue。
2009考研阅读解析
2009考研阅读解析2009Directions:Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. （40 points）Text 1It’s plain common sense — the more happiness you feel, the less unhappiness you experience. It’s plain common sense, but it’s not true. Recent research reveals that happiness and unhappiness are not really two sides of the same emotion. They are two distinct feelings that, coexisting, rise and fall independently.People might think that the higher a person’s level of unhappiness, the lower their level of happiness and vice versa. But when researchers measure people’s average levels of happiness and unhappiness, they often find little relationship between the two.The recognition that feelings of happiness and unhappiness can co-exist much like love and hate in a close relationship may offer valuable clues on how to lead a happier life. It suggests, for example, that changing or avoiding things that make you miserable may well make you less miserable, but probably won’t make you any happier. That advice is backed up by an extraordinary series of studies which indicate that a genetic predisposition for unhappiness may run in certain families. On the other hand,res earchers have found happiness doesn’t appear to be anyone’s heritage. The capacity for joy is a talent you develop largely for yourself.Psychologists have settled on a working definition of the feeling — happiness is a sense of subjective well-being. They have also begun to find out who’s happy, who isn’tand why. To date, the research hasn’t found a simple formula for a happy life, but it has discovered some of the actions and attitudes that seem to bring people closer to that most desired of feelings.Why is unhappiness less influenced by environment? When we are happy, we are more responsive to people and keep up connections better than when we are feeling sad. This doesn’t mean, however, that some people are born to be sad and that’s that. Genes may predispose one to unhappiness, but disposition can be influenced by personal choice. You can increase your happiness through your own actions.1. According to the text, it is true that［A］unhappiness is more inherited than affected by environment.［B］happiness and unhappiness are mutually conditional.［C］unhappiness is subject to external more than internal factors.［D］happiness is an uncontrollable subjective feeling.2. The author argues that one can achieve happiness by［A］maintaining it at an average level.［B］escaping miserable occurrences in life.［C］pursuing it with one’s painstaking effort.［D］realizing its coexistence with unhappiness.3. The phrase “To date” (Par.4) can be best replaced by［A］As a result.［B］In addition.［C］At present.［D］Until now.4. What do you think the author believes about happiness and unhappiness?［A］One feels unhappy owing to his miserable origin.［B］They are independent but existing concurrently［C］One feels happy by participating in more activities.［D］They are actions and attitudes taken by human beings.5. The sentence “That’s that” (Par. 5) probably means: Some people are born to be sad ［A］and the situation cannot be altered.［B］and happiness remains inaccessible.［C］but they don’t think much about it.［D］but they remain unconscious of it.Text 2The legal limit for driving after drinking alcohol is 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood, when tested. But there is no sure way of telling how much you can drink before you reach this limit. It varies with each person depending on your weight, your sex, if you’ve just eaten and what sort of drinks you’ve had. Some people might reach their limit after only about three standard drinks.In fact, your driving ability can be affected by just one or two drinks. Even if you’re below the legal limit, you could still be taken to court if a police officer thinks your driving has been affected by alcohol.It takes about an hour for the body to get rid of the alcohol in one standard drink. So, if you have a heavy drinking in the evening you might find that your driving ability is still affected the next morning, or you could even find that you’re still over the legal limit. In addition, if you’ve had a few drinks at lunchtime, another one or two drinks in the early evening may well put you over the legal limit.In a test with professional drivers, the more alcoholic drinks they had had, the more certain they were that they could drive a test course through a set of movable posts... andthe less able they were to do it!So the only way to be sure you’re safe is not to drink at all.Alcohol is a major cause of road traffic accidents. One in three of the drivers killed in road accidents have levels of alcohol which are over the legal limit, and road accidents after drinking are the biggest cause of death among young men. More than half of the people stopped by the police to take a breath test have a blood alcohol concentration of more than twice the legal limit.It is important to remember that driving after you’ve been drinking doesn’t just affect you. If you’r e involved in an accident it affects a lot of other people as well, not least the person you might kill or injure.6. The amount of alcohol a driver can drink within the legal limit is［A］about 80mg of pure alcohol.［B］about three standard drinks.［C］in proportion to his weight.［D］varying with different people.7. You might be accused of drunk driving when［A］you drive upon having some drinks.［B］you become a helpless alcohol addict.［C］your driving is found abnormal for drinking.［D］your alcohol percentage fails the test.8. A test showed that drunken professional drivers could［A］have greater confidence than sober ones.［B］move away a set of posts on the test ground.［C］fail in the test despite their self-affirmation.［D］serve as alarming examples to potential drivers.9. Alcohol is the major cause of traffic accidents because［A］more than 30% road casualties are drink drivers.［B］drinking affects people’s mind and emotion.［C］about one-third drivers are used to drinking.［D］young drivers are familiar among traffic victims.10. About drink driving, the author warns you of the fact that you［A］may be taken to court by the police.［B］are putting yourself in danger.［C］may hurt or kill another driver.［D］are setting other people at risk.Text 3There are various ways in which individual economic units can interact with one another. Three basic ways may be described as the market system, the administered system, and the traditional system.In a market system individual economic units are free to interact among each other in the marketplace. It is possible to buy commodities from other economic units or sell commodities to them. In a market, transaction may take place via barter or money exchange. In a barter economy, real goods such as automobiles, shoes and pizzas are traded against each other. Obviously, finding somebody who wants to trade my old car in exchange for a sailboat may not always be an easy task. Hence, the introduction of money as a medium of exchange eases transactions considerably. In the modern market economy, goods and services are bought or sold for money.An alternative for the market system is administrative control by some agency over all transactions. This agency will issue edicts (orders) or commands as to how much of each good and service should be produced, exchanged, and consumed by each economic unit. Central planning may be one way of administering such an economy. The central plan, drawn up by the government, shows the amounts of each commodity produced by the various firms and allocated to different households for consumption. This is an example of complete planning of production, consumption, and exchange for the whole economy.In a traditional society, production and consumption patterns are governed by tradition; every person‟s place within the economic system is fixed by parentage(origin), religion, and custom. Transactions take place on the basis of tradition, too. People belonging to a certain group orcaste(social class) may have an obligation to care for other persons, provide them with food and shelter, care for their health, and provide for their education. Clearly, in a system where every decision is made on the basis of tradition alone, progress may be difficult to achieve. A stagnant (unchanging) society may result.11. The main purpose of the text is to［A］interpret the essence of general economics.［B］compare barter and cash-exchange markets.［C］outline contrasting types of economic systems.［D］argue for the superiority of a certain economy.12. The word “real” in “real goods”(Par.2) could best be re placed by［A］genuine.［B］concrete.［C］durable.［D］practical.13. According to the text, a barter economy may lead to［A］unfair transaction.［B］direct conflicts.［C］gradual deflation.［D］trading troubles.14. In an administered system, business activities are under the direction of［A］major economic organizations.［B］general public advisory body.［C］large commercial companies.［D］certain official departments.15. All of the following are mentioned as factors determining one‟s place in a traditional soc iety EXCEPT［A］family background.［B］age and education.［C］religious beliefs.［D］established experience.Text 4It‟s possible that while you are at work, you may dream about a month of Sundays, but your boss wishes for a week of Tuesday. That‟s because she/he probably knows that productivity is one of the main factors bolstering (supporting) a company‟s growth. And a recent poll shows that workers are most productive on Tuesdays!Accountemps, an employment agency, conducted a national survey of office managers, which shows that by the middle of the week, they see a dramatic productivity decrease. While Monday is considered second in “productivity value,” only nine percent of office managers think Wednesday is the peak productivity day. Five percent believe it is Thursday. And Friday, well, you can just imagine! However, forty-eight percent of the managers polled said that Tuesday is, by far, the most productive day of the week.A close analysis of workweek rhythms would turn up some obvious reasons for those survey results. First of all, Monday is overloaded with meetings, designed to “get things moving,” and everybody knows meetings aren‟t very productive. Wednesday is “hump day”(驼峰日) — get over it as painlessly as possible, a worker thinks, and the week is more than halfway over. OnThursday, people are running out of steam; and Friday, everybody‟s thinking about the weekend. There are reasons why the other days aren‟t product ive, but what makes Tuesday special?Tuesdays, employees hit peak performance because they are very focused on day-to-day activities. Also, it‟s usually the first day of the week when they‟re focused on their own task. They‟re not in meetings that take t hem away from their primary responsibilities. Actually, Tuesdays can be quite hectic (full of excitement and without rest). Workers are arriving at work fairly frantic (wildly excited). And so, in 10 hours, they‟re doing 20-hour work. That‟s productive, bu t it‟s also tough.This does not mean that nothing happens on the last three days of the workweek. Things do not get so lax that people are sitting with their feet on desks, sipping coffee and talking on the phone all day, but there‟s a definite lack of focus. The pace sof tens and the rhythm slows down. And this is not healthy: it produces fatigue and lowers productivity. To prevent this midweek slowdown, some management consultants suggest that employers avoid jamming so many meetings into Mondays. Work deadlines can be rescheduled to stretch out the workflow. Variations in productivity are only natural, but both workers and bosses win when the peaks and valleys are less dramatic than they are now.16. According to the poll, which of the following days is most productive?［A］Thursday.［B］Friday.［C］Monday.［D］Wednesday.17. The peak productivity day of the week is marked by［A］violent excitement and activity.［B］due enthusiasm and creativity.［C］hurried and disordered movement.［D］full concentration and efficiency.18. The word “lax” in the last paragraph means［A］usually negligible.［B］lacking in control.［C］totally distractive.［D］worthy of relaxing.19. With respect to the changes in productivity, the text suggests that［A］work deadlines can be readjusted.［B］they are reasonable and expectable.［C］Monday meetings may be called off.［D］their differences are to be minimized.20. The author has explained all of the following EXCEPT［A］the steps taken to alter workweek rhythms.［B］the productivity on the 6th day of the week.［C］the reason why midweek slowdown takes place.［D］the concern bosses have about low productivity.答案解析Unit 1Part A Text 1【文章大意与结构】本文讨论了幸福感与不幸福感话题。
09年考研英语真题
2009年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语试题Section I Use of EnglishDirections:Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points)Research on animal intelligence always makes me wonder just how smart humans are. 1 the fruit-fly experiments described in Carl Zimmer’s piece in the Science Times on Tuesday. Fruit flies who were taught to be smarter than the average fruit fly 2 to live shorter lives. This suggests that 3 bulbs burn longer, that there is an 4 in not being too terrifically bright.Intelligence, it 5 out, is a high-priced option. It takes more upkeep, burns more fuel and is slow 6 the starting line because it depends on learning —a gradual 7 —instead of instinct. Plenty of other species are able to learn, and one of the things they’ve apparently learned is when to 8 .Is there an adaptive value to 9 intelligence? That’s the question behind thi s new research. I like it. Instead of casting a wistful glance 10 at all the species we’ve left in the dust I.Q.-wise, it implicitly asks what the real 11 of our own intelligence might be. This is 12 the mind of every animal I’ve ever met.Research on animal intelligence also makes me wonder what experiments animals would 13 on humans if they had the chance. Every cat with an owner, 14 , is running a small-scale study in operant conditioning. we believe that 15 animals ran the labs, they would test us to 16 the limits of our patience, our faithfulness, our memory for terrain. They would try to decide what intelligence in humans is really 17 , not merely how much of it there is. 18 , they would hope to study a 19 question: Are humans actually aware of the world they live in? 20 the results are inconclusive.1. [A] Suppose [B] Consider [C] Observe [D] Imagine2. [A] tended [B] feared [C] happened [D] threatened3. [A] thinner [B] stabler [C] lighter [D] dimmer4. [A] tendency [B] advantage [C] inclination [D] priority5. [A] insists on [B] sums up [C] turns out [D] puts forward6. [A] off [B] behind [C] over [D] along7. [A] incredible [B] spontaneous [C]inevitable [D] gradual8. [A] fight [B] doubt [C] stop [D] think9. [A] invisible [B] limited [C] indefinite [D] different10. [A] upward [B] forward [C] afterward [D] backward11. [A] features [B] influences [C] results [D] costs12. [A] outside [B] on [C] by [D] across13. [A] deliver [B] carry [C]perform [D] apply14. [A] by chance [B] in contrast [C] as usual [D] for instance15. [A] if [B] unless [C] as [D] lest16. [A] moderate [B] overcome [C] determine [D] reach17. [A] at [B] for [C] after [D] with18. [A] Above all [B] After all [C] However [D] Otherwise19. [A] fundamental [B] comprehensive [C] equivalent [D] hostile20. [A] By accident [B] In time [C] So far [D] Better stillSection II Reading ComprehensionPart ADirections:Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (40 points)Text1Habits are a funny thing. We reach for them mindlessly, setting our brains on auto-pilot and relaxing into the unconscious comfort of familiar routine. “Not choice, but habit rules the unref lecting herd,” William Wordsworth said in the 19th century. In the ever-changing 21st century, even the word “habit” carries a negative connotation.So it seems antithetical to talk about habits in the same context as creativity and innovation. But brain researchers have discovered that when we consciously develop new habits, we create parallel synaptic paths, and even entirely new brain cells, that can jump our trains of thought onto new, innovative tracks.But don’t bother trying to kill off old habits; once those ruts of procedure are worn into the hippocampus, they’re there to stay. Instead, the new habits we deliberately ingrain into ourselves create parallel pathways that can bypass those old roads.“The first thing needed for innovation is a fascination with wonder,” says Dawna Markova, author of “The Open Mind” and an executive change consultant for Professional Thinking Partners. “But we are taught instead to ‘decide,’ just as our president calls himself ‘the Decider.’” She adds, however, that “to decide is to kill off all possibilities but one. A good innovational thinker is always exploring the many other possibilities.”All of us work through problems in ways of which we’re unaware, she says. Researchers in the late 1960 covered that humans are born with the capacity to approach challenges in four primary ways: analytically, procedurally, relationally (or collaboratively) and innovatively. At puberty, however, the brain shuts down half of that capacity, preserving only those modes of thought that have seemed most valuable during the first decade or so of life.The current emphasis on standardized testing highlights analysis and procedure, meaning that few of us inherently use our innovative and collaborative modes of thought. “This breaks the major rule in the American belief system —that anyone can do anything,” explains M. J. Ryan, author of the 2006 book “This Year I Will...” and Ms. Markova’s business partner. “That’s a lie that we have perpetuated, and it fosters commonness. Knowing what you’r e good at and doing even more of it creates excellence.” This is where developing new habits comes in.21. The view of Wordsworth habit is claimed by beingA. casualB. familiarC. mechanicalD. changeable.22. The researchers have discovered that the formation of habit can beA. predictedB. regulatedC. tracedD. guided23.” ruts”(in line one, paragraph 3) has closest meaning toA. tracksB. seriesC. characteristicsD. connections24. Ms. Markova’s comments suggest that the practice of standard testing ?A, prevents new habits form being formedB, no longer emphasizes commonnessC, maintains the inherent American thinking modelD, complies with the American belief system25. Ryan most probably agree thatA. ideas are born of a relaxing mindB. innovativeness could be taughtC. decisiveness derives from fantastic ideasD. curiosity activates creative mindsText 2It is a wise father that knows his own child, but today a man can boost his paternal (fatherly) wisdom –or at least confirm that he’s the kid’s dad. All he needs to do is shell our $30 for paternity testing kit (PTK) at his local drugstore – and another $120 to get the results.More than 60,000 people have purchased the PTKs since they first become available without prescriptions last years, according to Doug Fog, chief operating officer of Identigene, which makes the over-the-counter kits. More than two dozen companies sell DNA tests Directly to the public , ranging in price from a few hundred dollars to more than $2500.Among the most popular : paternity and kinship testing , which adopted children can use to find their biological relatives and latest rage a many passionate genealogists-and supports businesses that offer to search for a family’s geographic roots .Most tests require collecting cells by webbing saliva in the mouth and sending it to the company for testing. All tests require a potential candidate with whom to compare DNA.But some observers are skeptical, “T here is a kind of false precision being hawked by people claiming they are doing ancestry testing,” says Trey Duster, a New York University sociologist. He notes that each individual has many ancestors-numbering in the hundreds just a few centuries back. Yet most ancestry testing only considers a single lineage, either the Y chromosome inherited through men in a father’s line or mitochondrial DNA, which a passed down only from mothers. This DNA can reveal genetic information about only one or two ancestors, even though, for example, just three generations back people also have six other great-grandparents or, four generations back, 14 other great-great-grandparents.Critics also argue that commercial genetic testing is only as good as the reference collections to which a sample is compared. Databases used by some companies don’t rely on data collected systematically but rather lump together information from different research projects. This means that a DNA database may differ depending on the company that processes the results. In addition, the computer programs a company uses to estimate relationships may be patented and not subject to peer review or outside evaluation.26.In paragraphs 1 and 2 , the text shows PTK’s ___________.[A]easy availability[B]flexibility in pricing[C] successful promotion[D] popularity with households27. PTK is used to __________.[A]locate one’s birth place[B]promote genetic research[C] identify parent-child kinship[D] choose children for adoption28. Skeptical observers believe that ancestry testing fails to__________.[A]trace distant ancestors[B] rebuild reliable bloodlines[C] fully use genetic information[D] achieve the claimed accuracy29. In the last paragraph ,a problem commercial genetic testing faces is __________.[A]disorganized data collection[B]overlapping database building[C]excessive sample comparison[D]lack of patent evaluation30. An appropriate title for the text is most likely to be__________.[A]Fors and Againsts of DNA testing[B] DNA testing and It’s problems[C]DNA testing outside the lab[D] lies behind DNA testingText 3The relationship between formal education and economic growth in poor countries is widely misunderstood by economists and politicians alike progress in both area is undoubtedly necessary for the social, political and intellectual development of these and all other societies; however, the conventional view that education should be one of the very highest priorities for promoting rapid economic development in poor countries is wrong. We are fortunate that is it, because new educational systems there and putting enough people through them to improve economic performance would require two or three generations. The findings of a research institution have consistently shown that workers in all countries can be trained on the job to achieve radical higher productivity and, as a result, radically higher standards of living.Ironically, the first evidence for this idea appeared in the United States. Not long ago, with the country entering a recessing and Japan at its pre-bubble peak. The U.S. workforce was derided as poorly educated and one of primary cause of the poor U.S. economic performance. Japan was, and remains, the global leader in automotive-assembly productivity. Yet the research revealed that the U.S. factories of Honda Nissan, and Toyota achieved about 95 percent of the productivity of their Japanese countere pants a result of the training that U.S. workers received on the job.More recently, while examing housing construction, the researchers discovered that illiterate, non-English- speaking Mexican workers in Houston, Texas, consistently met best-practice labor productivity standards despite the complexity of the building industry’s wo rk.What is the real relationship between education and economic development? We have to suspectthat continuing economic growth promotes the development of education even when governments don’t force it. After all, that’s how education got started. When o ur ancestors were hunters and gatherers 10,000 years ago, they didn’t have time to wonder much about anything besides finding food. Only when humanity began to get its food in a more productive way was there time for other things.As education improved, hu manity’s productivity potential, they could in turn afford more education. This increasingly high level of education is probably a necessary, but not a sufficient, condition for the complex political systems required by advanced economic performance. Thus poor countries might not be able to escape their poverty traps without political changes that may be possible only with broader formal education. A lack of formal education, however, doesn’t constrain the ability of the developing world’s workforce to subs tantially improve productivity for the forested future. On the contrary, constraints on improving productivity explain why education isn’t developing more quickly there than it is.31. The author holds in paragraph 1 that the important of education in poor countries___________.[A] is subject groundless doubts[B] has fallen victim of bias[C] is conventional downgraded[D] has been overestimated32. It is stated in paragraph 1 that construction of a new education system __________.[A]challenges economists and politicians[B]takes efforts of generations[C] demands priority from the government[D] requires sufficient labor force33.A major difference between the Japanese and U.S workforces is that __________.[A] the Japanese workforce is better disciplined[B] the Japanese workforce is more productive[C]the U.S workforce has a better education[D] ]the U.S workforce is more organize34. The author quotes the example of our ancestors to show that education emerged __________.[A] when people had enough time[B] prior to better ways of finding food[C] when people on longer went hung[D] as a result of pressure on government35. According to the last paragraph , development of education __________.[A] results directly from competitive environments[B] does not depend on economic performance[C] follows improved productivity[D] cannot afford political changesText 4The most thoroughly studied in the history of the new world are the ministers and political leaders of seventeenth-century New England. According to the standard history of American philosophy, nowhere else in colonial America was “So much important attached to intellectual pursuits ” According to many books and articles, New England’s leaders es tablished the basic themes and preoccupations of an unfolding, dominant Puritan tradition in American intellectual life.To take this approach to the New Englanders normally mean to start with the Puritans’ theological innovations and their distinctive ideas about the church-important subjects that we may not neglect. But in keeping with our examination of southern intellectual life, we may consider the original Puritans as carriers of European culture adjusting to New world circumstances. The New England colonies were the scenes of important episodes in the pursuit of widely understood ideals of civility and virtuosity.The early settlers of Massachusetts Bay included men of impressive education and influence in England. `Besides the ninety or so learned ministers who came to Massachusetts church in the decade after 1629,There were political leaders like John Winthrop, an educated gentleman, lawyer, and official of the Crown before he journeyed to Boston. There men wrote and published extensively, reaching both New World and Old World audiences, and giving New England an atmosphere of intellectual earnestness.We should not forget , however, that most New Englanders were less well educated. While few crafts men or farmers, let alone dependents and servants, left literary compositions to be analyzed, The in thinking often had a traditional superstitions quality. A tailor named John Dane, who emigrated in the late 1630s, left an account of his reasons for leaving England that is filled with signs. sexual confusion, economic frustrations , and religious hope-all name together in a decisive moment when he opened the Bible, told his father the first line he saw would settle his fate, and read the magical words: “come out from among them, touch no unc lean thing , and I will be your God and you shall be my people.” One wonders what Dane thought of the careful sermons explaining the Bible that he heard in puritan churched.Mean while , many settles had slighter religious commitments than Dane’s, as one clergyman learned in confronting folk along the coast who mocked that they had not come to the New world for religion . “Our main end was to catch fish. ”36. The author notes that in the seventeenth-century New England___________.[A] Puritan tradition dominated political life.[B] intellectual interests were encouraged.[C] Politics benefited much from intellectual endeavors.[D] intellectual pursuits enjoyed a liberal environment.37. It is suggested in paragraph 2 that New Englanders__________.[A] experienced a comparatively peaceful early history.[B] brought with them the culture of the Old World[C] paid little attention to southern intellectual life[D] were obsessed with religious innovations38. The early ministers and political leaders in Massachusetts Bay__________.[A] were famous in the New World for their writings[B] gained increasing importance in religious affairs[C] abandoned high positions before coming to the New World[D] created a new intellectual atmosphere in New England39. The story of John Dane shows that less well-educated New Englanders were often __________.[A] influenced by superstitions[B] troubled with religious beliefs[C] puzzled by church sermons[D] frustrated with family earnings40. The text suggests that early settlers in New England__________.[A] were mostly engaged in political activities[B] were motivated by an illusory prospect[C] came from different backgrounds.[D] left few formal records for later referencePart BDirections:Directions: In the following text, some sentences have been removed. For Questions (41-45), choose the most suitable one from the list A-G to fit into each of the numbered blank. There are two extra choices, which do not fit in any of the gaps.Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1.(10 points)Coinciding with the groundbreaking theory of biological evolution proposed by British naturalist Charles Darwin in the 1860s, British social philosopher Herbert Spencer put forward his own theory of biological and cultural evolution. Spencer argued that all worldly phenomena, including human societies, changed over time, advancing toward perfection. 41.____________.American social scientist Lewis Henry Morgan introduced another theory of cultural evolution in the late 1800s. Morgan, along with Tylor, was one of the founders of modern anthropology. In his work, he attempted to show how all aspects of culture changed together in the evolution of societies.42._____________.In the early 1900s in North America, German-born American anthropologist Franz Boas developed a new theory of culture known as historical particularism. Historical particularism, which emphasized the uniqueness of all cultures, gave new direction to anthropology.43._____________ .Boas felt that the culture of any society must be understood as the result of a unique history and not as one of many cultures belonging to a broader evolutionary stage or type of culture.44._______________.Historical particularism became a dominant approach to the study of culture in American anthropology, largely through the influence of many students of Boas. But a number of anthropologists in the early 1900s also rejected the particularist theory of culture in favor of diffusionism. Some attributed virtually every important cultural achievement to the inventions of afew, especially gifted peoples that, according to diffusionists, then spread to other cultures.45.________________.Also in the early 1900s, French sociologist Émile Durkheim developed a theory of culture that would greatly influence anthropology. Durkheim proposed that religious beliefs functioned to reinforce social solidarity. An interest in the relationship between the function of society and culture—known as functionalism—became a major theme in European, and especially British, anthropology.[A] Other anthropologists believed that cultural innovations, such as inventions, had a single origin and passed from society to society. This theory was known as diffusionism.[B] In order to study particular cultures as completely as possible, Boas became skilled in linguistics, the study of languages, and in physical anthropology, the study of human biology and anatomy.[C] He argued that human evolution was characterized by a struggle he called the “survival of the fittest,” in which weaker races and societies must eventually be replaced by stronger, more advanced races and societies.[D] They also focused on important rituals that appeared to preserve a people’s social structure, such as initiation ceremonies t hat formally signify children’s entrance into adulthood.[E] Thus, in his view, diverse aspects of culture, such as the structure of families, forms of marriage, categories of kinship, ownership of property, forms of government, technology, and systems of food production, all changed as societies evolved.[F]Supporters of the theory viewed as a collection of integrated parts that work together to keep a society functioning.[G] For example, British anthropologists Grafton Elliot Smith and W. J. Perry incorrectly suggested, on the basis of inadequate information, that farming, pottery making, and metallurgy all originated in ancient Egypt and diffused throughout the world. In fact, all of these cultural developments occurred separately at different times in many parts of the world.Part CDirections:Read the following text carefully and then translate the underlined segments into Chinese. Your translation should be written carefully on ANSWER SHEET 2. (10 points)There is a marked difference between the education which every one gets from living with others, and the deliberate educating of the young. In the former case the education is incidental; it is natural and important, but it is not the express reason of the association.46 It may be said thatthe measure of the worth of any social institution is its effect in enlarging and improving experience; but this effect is not a part of its original motive. Religious associations began, for example, in the desire to secure the favor of overruling powers and to ward off evil influences; family life in the desire to gratify appetites and secure family perpetuity; systematic labor, for the most part, because of enslavement to others, etc. 47Only gradually was the by-product of the institution noted, and only more gradually still was this effect considered as a directive factor in the conduct of the institution. Even today, in our industrial life, apart from certain values of industriousness and thrift, the intellectual and emotional reaction of the forms of human association under which the world's work is carried on receives little attention as compared with physical output.But in dealing with the young, the fact of association itself as an immediate human fact, gains in importance.48 While it is easy to ignore in our contact with them the effect of our acts upon their disposition, it is not so easy as in dealing with adults. The need of training is too evident; the pressure to accomplish a change in their attitude and habits is too urgent to leave these consequences wholly out of account. 49Since our chief business with them is to enable them to share in a common life we cannot help considering whether or no we are forming the powers which will secure this ability. If humanity has made some headway in realizing that the ultimate value of every institution is its distinctively human effect we may well believe that this lesson has been learned largely through dealings with the young.50 We are thus led to distinguish, within the broad educational process which we have been so far considering, a more formal kind of education -- that of direct tuition or schooling. In undeveloped social groups, we find very little formal teaching and training. These groups mainly rely for instilling needed dispositions into the young upon the same sort of association which keeps the adults loyal to their group.。
2009年12月英语四级阅读理解真题与答案详解
Passage OneQuestions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.Throughout this long, tense election, everyone has focused on the presidential candidates and how they’ll change America. Rightly so, but selfishly, I’m more fascinated by Michelle Obama and what she might be able to do, not just for this country, but for me as an African-American woman. As the potential First Lady, she would have the world’s attention. And that means that for the first time people will have a chance to get up close and personal with the type of African-American woman they so rarely see.Usually, the lives of black women go largely unexamined. The prevailing theory seems to be that we’re all hot-tempered single mothers who can’t keep a man. Even in the world of make-believe, black women still can’t escape the stereotype of being eye-rolling, oversexed females raised by our never-married, alcoholic (酗酒的) mothers.These images have helped define the way all women are viewed, including Michelle Obama. Before she ever gets the chance to commit to a cause, charity or foundation as First Lady, her most urgent and perhaps most complicated duty may be simple to be herself.It won’t be easy. Because few mainstream publications have done in-depth features on regular African-American women, little is known about who we are, what we think and what we face on a regular basis. For better or worse, Michelle will represent us all.Just as she will have her critics, she will also have millions of fans who usually have little interest in the First Lady. Many African-American blogs have written about wh at they’d like to see Michelle bring to the White House—mainly showing the world that a black woman can support her man and raise a strong black family. Michelle will have to work to please everyone—an impossible task. But for many African-American women like me, just a little of her poise (沉着), confidence and intelligence will go a long way in changing an image that’s been around for far too long.57. Why does Michelle Obama hold a strong fascination for the author?A) She serves as a role model for African women.B) She possesses many admirable qualities becoming a First Lady.C) She will present to the world a new image of African-American women.D) She will pay closer attention to the interests of African-American women.58. What is the common stereotype of African-American women according to the author?A) They are victims of violence. B) They are of an inferior violence.C) They use quite a lot of body language. D) They live on charity and social welfare.59. What do many African-Americans write about in their blogs?A) Whether Michelle can live up to the high expectations of her fans.B) How Michelle should behave as a public figure.C) How proud they are to have a black woman in the White House.D) What Michelle should do as wife and mother in the White House.60. What does the author say about Michelle Obama as a First Lady?A) However many fans she has, she should remain modest,B) She shouldn’t disappoint the African-American community.C) However hard she tries, she can’t expect to please everybody.D) She will give priority to African-American women’s concerns.61. What do many African-American women hope Michelle Obama will do?A) Help change the prevailing view about black women.B) Help her husband in the task of changing America.C) Outshine previous First Lady.D) Fully display her fine qualities.Passage TwoQuestions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.When next year’s crop of high-school graduates arrive at Oxford University in the fall of 2009, they’ll be joined by a new face; Andrew Hamilton, the 55-year-old provost (教务长) of Yale, who’ll become Oxford’s vice-chancellor—a position equivalent to university president in America.Hamilton isn’t the only educator crossing the Atlantic. Schools in France, Egypt, Singapore, etc, have also recently made top-level hires from abroad. Higher education has become a big and competitive business nowadays, and like so many businesses, it’s gone global. Yet the talent flow isn’t universal. High-level personnel tend to head in only one direction: outward from America.The chief reason is that American schools don’t tend to seriously consider looking abroad. For example, when the board of the University of Colorado searched for a new president, it wanted a leader familiar with the state government, a major source of th e university’s budget. “We didn’t do any global consideration,” says Patricia Hayes, the board’s chair. The board ultimately picked Bruce Benson, a 69-year-old Colorado businessman and political activist (活动家) who is likely to do well in the main task of modern university presidents: fund-raising. Fund-raising is a distinctively American thing, since U.S. schools rely heavily on donations. The fund-raising ability is largely a product of experience and necessity.Many European universities, meanwhile, are still mostly dependent on government funding. But government support has failed to keep pace with rising student number. The decline in government support has made funding-raising an increasing necessary ability among administrators and has hiring committees hungry for Americans.In the past few years, prominent schools around the world have joined the trend. In 2003, when Cambridge University appointed Alison Richard, another former Yale provost, as its vice-chancellor, the university publicly stressed that in her previous job s he had overseen “a major strengthening of Yale’s financial position.”Of course, fund-raising isn’t the only skill outsiders offer. The globalization of education means more universities will be seeking heads with international experience of some kind of promote international programs and attract a global student body.Foreigners can offer a fresh perspective on established practices.62. What is the current trend in higher education discussed in the passage?A) Institutions worldwide are hiring administrators from the U.S.B) A lot of political activists are being recruited as administrators.C) American universities are enrolling more international students.D) University presidents are paying more attention to funding-raising.63. What is the chief consideration of American universities when hiring top-level administrators?A) The political correctness. B) Their ability to raise funds.C) Their fame in academic circles. D) Their administrative experience.64. What do we learn about European universities from the passage?A) The tuitions they charge have been rising considerably.B) Their operation is under strict government supervision.C) They are strengthening their position by globalization.D) Most of their revenues come from the government.65. Cambridge University appointed Alison Richard as its vice-chancellor chiefly because _____.A) she was known to be good at raising moneyB) she could help strengthen its ties with YaleC) she knew how to attract students overseasD) she had boosted Yale’s academic status66. In what way do top-level administrators from abroad contribute to university development?A) They can enhance the university’s image.B) They will bring with them more international faculty.C) They will view a lot of things from a new perspective.D) They can set up new academic disciplines.参考答案：Passage One文章大意：本文是一篇议论文，选自《新闻周刊》2008年11月刊，题目为MICHELLE OBAMA IS A BLACK SKINNED BEAUTY!。
2009考研英语阅读理解精读(一)
2009考研英语阅读理解精读（一）作者：新东方印建坤第一篇European Union environmental officials have determined that two kinds of genetically modified corn could harm butterflies, affect food chains and disturb life in rivers and streams, and they have proposed a ban on the sale of the seeds, which are made by DuPont Pioneer, Dow Agrosciences and Syngenta. The preliminary decisions are circulating within the European Commission, which has the final say. Some officials there are skeptical of a ban that would upset the powerful biotechnology industry and could exacerbate tensions with important trading partners like the United States. The seeds are not available on the European market for cultivation.In the decisions, the environment commissioner, Stavros Dimas, contends that the genetically modified corn, or maize could affect certain butterfly species, specifically the monarch,and other beneficial insects. For instance, research this year indicates that larvae of the monarch butterfly exposed to the genetically modified corn ''behave differently than other larvae.'' In the decision concerning the corn seeds produced by Dow and Pioneer, Mr. Dimas calls ''potential damage on the environment irreversible.'' In the decision on Syngenta's corn, he says that ''the level of risk generated by the cultivation of this product for the environment is unacceptable.''A decision by the European Union to bar cultivation of the genetically modified crops would be the first of its kind in the trade bloc, and would intensify the continuing battle over genetically modified corn. Banning the applications for corn crops also would mark a bold new step for European environmental authorities, who are already aggressively pursuing regulations on emissions from cars and aircraft, setting it at odds with the United States and angering industries.''These products have been grown in the U.S. and other countries for years,'' said Stephen Norton, a spokesman for the United States trade representative. ''We are not aware of any other case when a product has been rejected after having been reviewed and determined safe'' by European food safety authorities, he said.Barbara Helfferich, a spokeswoman for Mr. Dimas, declined to comment on the specifics of the procedure because commissioners had not yet made a final decision. But she said that the European Union was within its rights to make decisions based on the ''precautionary principle'' even when scientists had found no definitive evidence proving products can cause harm. She said that the decisions by Mr. Dimas could go before the commission within a few weeks, but she said that no date had been set. In the decisions, Mr. Dimas cited recent research showing that consumption of genetically modified ''corn byproducts reduced growth and increased mortality ofnontarget stream insects'' and that these insects ''are important prey for aquatic and riparian predators'' and that this could have ''unexpected ecosystem-scale consequences.''Although still preliminary, his decisions could drastically tilt the policy against future approvals of genetically modified crops, said Nathalie Moll, a spokeswoman for Europabio, an industry group with 80 members including Syngenta, Pioneer and Dow. Europabio says that the crops grown using the genetically modified corn are already imported into several European countries, including France and Germany, where they are used to feed animals like cows and chickens.Rob Gianfranceschi, spokesman at the United States mission to the European Union in Brussels, said it was too early to comment on a decision that had not yet been formalized. But he made clear that the United States remained frustrated with European policies on genetically modified crops.1. The preliminary decisions are made by_____.[A] DuPont Pioneer, Dow Agrosciences and Syngenta[B] European Union environmental officials[C] European Commision[D] Starvros Dimas2. To the decisions, the European Commission officials’ attitudes are _____.[A] skeptical[B] controversial[C] contradictory[D] divergent3. About the decisions, which one of the following statements is TRUE?[A] The decisions aims to put a ban the sale of the seeds of genetically modified corn due to political and biological concerns.[B] The decisions are warmly embraced by all EU members but bitterly rejected by their trade partners.[C] The decisions could probably be made even if no definitive evidence proving the products harmful is found.[D] there is high possibility that the decisions would be approved by the European Commission.4. Mr. Dimas cited many researches on the genetically modified corn in his decision in order to_____.[A] dispel some officials’ doubt on his decisions[B] enhance the strength of his decision-making[C] demonstrate the latest achievement of his decision[D] assure that they can be presented before the commission with solid evidence5. The word “tilt” (Line 1, Paragraph 6) most probably means_____.[A] incline[B] affect[C] induce[D] evoke文章剖析：这篇文章介绍了联合国环境官员就转基因食品提出的决议的一些情况。
2009年考研英语阅读理解题精读篇第四篇
TEXT FOURJust as Norman Mailer, John Updike and Philip Roth were at various times regarded as the greatest American novelist since the second world war, John Ashbery and Robert Lowell vied for the title of greatest American poet. Yet the two men could not be more different. Lowell was a public figure who engaged with politics—in 1967 he marched shoulder-to-shoulder with Mailer in protest against the Vietnam war, as described in Mailer’s novel “The Armies of the Night”. Lowell took on substantial themes and envisioned himself as a tragic, heroic figure, fighting against his own demons. Mr Ashbery’s verse, by contrast, is more beguilingly casual. In his hands, the making of a poem can feel like the tumbling of dice on a table top. Visible on the page is a delicately playful strewing of words, looking to engage with each other in a shyly puzzled fashion. And there is an element of Dada-like play in his unpredictability of address with its perpetual shifting of tones.Lowell, who died in 1977 at the age of 60, addressed the world head on. By contrast, Mr Ashbery, who celebrated his 80th birthday earlier this year, glances wryly at the world and its absurdities. In this edition of his later poems, a substantial gathering of verses selected from six volumes published over the past 20 years, his poetry does not so much consist of themes to be explored as comic routines to be improvised. He mocks the very idea of the gravity of poetry itself. His tone can be alarmingly inconsequential, as if the reader is there to be perpetually wrong-footed. He shifts easily from the elevated to the work-a-day. His poems are endlessly digressive and there are often echoes of other poets in his writings, though these always come lightly at the reader, as though they were scents on the breeze.Lowell wrote in strict formal measures; some of his last books consisted of entire sequences of sonnets. Mr Ashbery can also be partial to particular forms of verse, though these tend to be of a fairly eccentric kind—the cento (a patchwork of other poets’works), for example, and the pantoum (a Malaysian form, said to have been introduced to 19th-century Europe by Victor Hugo). Often he writes in a free-flowing, conversational manner that depends for its success upon the fact that the ending of lines is untrammelled by any concern about whether or not they scan. Within many of his poems, there often seems to be a gently humorous antagonism between one stanza and the next. Mr Ashbery likes using similes in his poetry. This is often the poet’s stock-in-trade, but he seems to single them out in order to send up the very idea of the simile in poetry, as in “Violets blossomed loudly/ like a swear word in an empty tank”.Life, for Lowell, was a serious matter, just as he was a serious man. Mr Ashbery’s approach, as evinced by his poetry, is more that of a gentle shrug of amused bewilderment. Unlike Lowell’s, his poems are neither autobiographical nor confessional. He doesn’t take himself that seriously. “Is all of life a tepid housewarming?” For a poet this is a tougher question to answer than you might think.1.The word “substantial” (Line 4, Paragraph 1) most probably means_____.[A] serious[B] big[C] important[D] real2. The last words of Lowell mean that_____.[A] the world should go forward without stopping.[B] the world should not mourn for him.[C] the world should forget him totally.[D] the world should go on its path for a bright future.3. Which one of the following is NOT the characteristics of Ashbery’s poetry?[A] Some lines are borrowed from the other poets’ works.[B] Stanzas are different from each other in one poem.[C] Words are scattered casually in his poetry.[D] Tones are continuously changing from the highbrow to the common.4. Mr. Ashbery’s similes in poetry are different from that of the other poets in that____[A] he likes to single them out.[B] he uses them in an eccentric way.[C] he uses simile for simile.[D] he uses simile to express his complex thought.5. Why the author think the question Ashbery raised is a tougher one for a poet than we might think?[A] Because a poet looks at things in a very complicated way.[B] Because a poet takes life seriously.[C] Because this question is a difficult one.[D] Because the theme of life is worth thinking for a poet.篇章剖析：这篇⽂章介绍了美国诗⼈Ashbery和其诗歌的特点，⽂章虽然是以两个诗⼈对⽐的形式写作的，但是却对Ashbery着墨偏多，另外⼀个诗⼈洛厄尔只是⼀个陪衬⽽已。
2009十二月
2009十二月Bosses Say !°Yes!± to Ho WorkRising costs of office space, time lost to stressful commuting, and a slow recognition that workers have lives beyond the office!all are strong arguments for letting staff work from home. For the small business, there are additional benefits too!staff are more productive, and happier, enabling firms to keep their headcounts () and their recruitment costs to aminimum. It can also provide competitive advantage, especially when small businesses want to attract new staff but don!ˉt have the budget t offer huge salaries.While company managers have known about the benefits for a long time, many have donelittle about it, sceptical of whether they could trust their employees to work to full capacity without supervision, or concerned about the additional expenses teleworking policies might incur as staff start charging their home phone bills to the business.Yet this is now changing. When communications provider Inter-Tel researched the use ofremote working solutions among small-and-medium-sized UK businesses in April this year, it found that 28% more companies claimed to have introduced flexible working practices than a year ago.The UK network of Business Links confirms that it too has seen a growing interest in remote working solutions from small businesses seeking its advice, and claims that as many as 60-70% of the businesses that come through its doors now offer some form of remote working support to their workforces.Technology advances, including the widespread availability of broadband, are making the introduction of remote working a piece of cake.!°If systems are set up properly, staff can have access to all the resources they have in theoffice wherever they have an internet connection,!± says Andy Poulton, -business advisor at Business Link for Berkshire and Wiltshire. !°There are some very exciting developments which have enabled this.!±One is the availability of broadband everywhere, which now covers almost all of the country (BT claims that, by July, 99.8% of its exchanges will be broadband enabled, with alternative plans in place for even the most remote exchanges). !°This is the enabler,!± Poulton saysYet while broadband has come down in price too, those service providers targeting thebusiness market warn against consumer services masquerading () as business-friendly broadband.!°Broadband is available for as little as15 a month, but many businesses fail to appreciatethe hidden costs of such a service,!± says Neil Stephenson, sales and marketing director at Onyx Internet, an internet service provider based in the north-east of England. !°Providers offering broadband for rock-bottom prices are notorious for poor service, with regular breakdowns and heavily congested () networks. It is always advisable for businesses to look beyond theprice tag and look for a business-only provider that can offer more reliability, with good support.!±Such services don!ˉt cost too muc!quality services can be found for upwards of 30 a mo nth.The benefits of broadband to the occasional home worker are that they can access email inreal time, and take full advantage of services such as internet-based backup or even internet-based phone services.Internet-based telecoms, or V oIP (V oice over IP) to give it its technical title, is an interestingtool to any business supporting remote working. Not necessarily because of the promise of free orreduced price phone calls (which experts point out is misleading for the average business), but because of the sophisticated voice services that can be exploited by the remote worker!facilities such as voicemail and call forwarding, which provide a continuity of the company image for customers and business partners.By law, companies must !°consider seriously!± requests to work flexibly made by a parenwith a child under the age of six, or a disabled child under 18. It was the need to accommodate employees with young children that motivated accountancy firm Wright Vigar to begin promoting teleworking recently. The company, which needed to upgrade its IT infrastructure () toprovide connectivity with a new, second office, decided to introduce support for remote working at the same time.Marketing director Jack O!ˉHern explains that the com pany has a relatively young workforce, many of whom are parents: !°One of the trggers was when one of our tax managers returned from maternity leave. She was intending to work part time, but could only manage one day a week in the office due to childcare. By offering her the ability to work from home, we have doubled her capacity!now she works a day a week from home, and a day in the office. This is great for her, and for us as we retain someone highly qualified.!±For Wright Vigar, which has now equipped all of its fee-earners to be able to work atmaximum productivity when away from the offices (whether that!ˉs from home, or while on the road), this strategy is not just about saving on commute time or cutting them loose from the office, but enabling them to work more flexible hours that fit around their home life.O!ˉHern says: !°Althgh most of our work is client-based and must fit around this, we can!ˉtsee any reason why a parent can!ˉt be on hand to deal with something important at home, if the y have the ability to complete a project later in the day.!±Supporting this new way of working came with a price, though. Although the firm wasupdating its systems anyway, the company spent 10-15% more per user to equip them with a laptop rather than a PC, and about the same to upgrade to a server that would enable remote staff to connect to the company networks and access all their usual resources.Although Wright Vigar hasn!ˉt yet quantified the business benefits, it claims that, in additionto being able to retain key staff with young families, it is able to save fee-earners a substantial amount of !°dead!± time in their working daysThat staff can do this without needing a fixed telephone line provides even more efficiency savings. !°With W-Fi (fast, wireless internet connections) popping up all over the place, even on trains, our fee-earners can be productive as they travel, and between meetings, instead of having to kill time at the shops,!± he adds.The company will also be able to avoid the expense of having to relocate staff to temporary offices for several weeks when it begins disruptive office renovations soon.Financial recruitment specialist Lynne Hargreaves knows exactly how much her firm hassaved by adopting a teleworking str ategy, which has involved handing her company!ˉs data management over to a remote hosting company, Datanet, so it can be accessible by all the company!ˉs consultants over broadband internet connections.It has enabled the company to dispense with its business premises altogether, following the realisation that it just didn!ˉt need them any more. !°The main motivaon behind adopting home working was to increase my own productivity, as a single mum to an 11-year-old,!± says Hargreaves. !°But I soon realised that, as most of our business is done on the phone, email and atoff-site meetings, we didn!ˉt need our offices a all. We!ˉre now saving16,000 a year on rent, plus the cost of utilities, not to mention what would have been spent on commuting.!±1. What is the main topic of this passage?A) How business managers view hi-tech.B) Relations between employers and employees.C) How to cut down the costs of small businesses.D) Benefits of the practice of teleworking.2. From the research conducted by the communications provider Inter-Tel, we learn that .A) more employees work to full capacity at homeB) employees show a growing interest in small businessesC) more businesses have adopted remote working solutionsD) attitudes toward IT technology have changed3. What development has made flexible working practices possible according to Andy Poulton?A) Reduced cost of telecommunications.B) Improved reliability of internet service.C) Availability of the V oIP service.D) Access to broadband everywhere.4. What is Neil Stephenson!ˉs advice to firms contracting internet services?A) They look for reliable business-only providers.B) They contact providers located nearest to them.C) They carefully examine the contract.D) They contract the cheapest provider.5. Internet-based telecoms facilitates remote working by __________.A) offering sophisticated voice services B) giving access to emailing in real timeC) helping clients discuss business at homeD) providing calls completely free of charge6. The accountancy firm Wright Vigar promoted teleworking initially in order to __________.A) present a positive image to prospective customersB) support its employees with children to take care ofC) attract young people with IT expertise to work for itD) reduce operational expenses of a second office7. According to marketing director Jack O!ˉHern, teleworking enabled the compay to__________.A) enhance its market imageB) reduce recruitment costsC) keep highly qualified staffD) minimise its office space8. Wright Vigar!ˉs practice of allowing for more flexible working hours not only benefits the company but helps improve employees!ˉ ___________.9. With fast, wireless internet connections, employees can still be __________ while traveling.10. Single mother Lynne Hargreaves decided to work at home mainly to __________.。
2009硕士研究生英语 阅读理解 第一篇 第一次阅读
2009年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语试题SectionⅡReading Comprehension先把2009年这份题找到。
手拿着题和笔，跟我一步步来噢！！！首先，要弄清楚下列的问题。
问题:文章应该读几次,应该怎么读?（睁大眼睛噢）三次有目的地读具体步骤：第一次目的：做题，按规定时间步骤：a) 看选项，圈关键词，根据谓语动词判断该题是观点题还是细节题。
ⅰ）若为观点题，对应段中一句话。
如果没有找到原词，一定不要慌，急着从其他句找。
其实段中出现的是它的同义词。
所以，以后多积累同义词。
ⅱ）若为细节题，飞快的扫描该段每句前的名词，直到扫描到选项中的词或选型的同义词。
b) 飞快地在段落中，找选项中出现的关键词或关键词的同义词。
举例如下：现在来做第一篇阅读的21题。
第一步：看选项，圈关键词，根据谓语动词判断是观点题还是细节题。
先自己试着圈一下关键词，然后核对和我圈的是否一样。
21. In Wordsworth‟s view, “habit”is characterized by being ____.A. casualB. familiarC. mechanicalD. changeable如果不一样，自己想我是怎么选的。
如果一样，赶紧下一步。
还记得是什么吗？想一下。
答案在下面揭晓。
判断该题是观点题还是细节题In Wordsworth’s view 以Wordsworth的观点这根本就不用看谓语动词，也能判断是观点类的还是细节类的。
所以，平时要树立判断是观点题还是细节题的观念，多积累观点类短语。
还记得遇到观点词，该怎样处理吗？根据选项中圈出的关键词，找对应的一句话。
第二步：飞快地在段落中，找选项中出现的关键词或关键词的同义词。
现在我们来看第一段。
迅速的扫描。
在段中找选项中的关键词，Wordsworth和habit. 以后要练习这种能力。
一般是以句为单位扫描，每句只看最前面的名词。
下面我把扫描过的词，用黄色圈，把最终留下的的词用红色标注。
2009年考研英语真题 真题解析
2009年考研英语真题真题解析IntroductionThe 2009 National Postgraduate Entrance Examination for English (also known as the Gaokao) is a highly significant examination in China. In this document, we will provide a comprehensive analysis of the 2009 exam, discussing the content, structure, and key strategies required to excel in this test. By focusing on understanding the exam format, reviewing the specific questions, and providing valuable insights, we aim to assist students in preparing effectively for the 2009 exam.Exam OverviewThe 2009 National Postgraduate Entrance Examination for English consists of three main sections: listening comprehension, reading comprehension, and translation and writing. The exam is designed to assess the applicants’ listening, reading, and writing skills in English. Each section of the exam carries a specific weightage and has its unique set of challenges.Listening ComprehensionThe listening comprehension section of the exam aims to evaluate the candidates’ ability to understand spoke n English in various situations. The questions are designed to test the applicants’ listening skills, including their comprehension of detailed information, understanding of speakers’ opinions, and ability to identify specific information from a passage.Candidates need to develop effective listening strategies to excel in this section. These strategies may include active listening, note-taking, and summarizing the main points of the passage. Furthermore, regular practice with listening exercises, audio recordings, and English language media can significantly enhance listening abilities.Reading ComprehensionThe reading comprehension section of the 2009 exam comprises a series of passages, each followed by a set of questions. This section assesses the candi dates’ ability to understand and analyze written English. The passages cover a wide range of topics, including literature, science, social issues, and more.To excel in the reading comprehension section, candidates should adopt various strategies such as skimming, scanning, and actively analyzing the passage. Skimming a passage helps candidates to quickly grasp its main idea, while scanning helps locate specific details. Additionally, candidates should pay attention to the organization and structure of the passage, as well as the relationship between different ideas.Translation and WritingThe translation and writing section of the 2009 exam requires candidates to translate a given Chinese passage into English and write an essay on a specific topic. This section evaluates the candidates’ translation skills and ability to express themselves fluently in written English.To excel in this section, candidates should practice translation exercises regularly, focusing on accuracy andcoherence. For the essay writing part, candidates should pay attention to structure, coherence, and clarity. It is crucial to plan the essay and organize ideas before writing, ensuring a logical flow of thoughts.Key Tips for Success1.Familiarize yourself with the exam format:Understanding the structure and requirements of eachsection is essential for efficient preparation.2.Develop a study plan: Create a study timetable andallocate sufficient time for each section of the exam.3.Practice regularly: Consistent practice, includingmock tests and past exam papers, can help to improveperformance and build confidence.4.Strengthen your weak areas: Identify the areaswhere you face difficulties and focus on improving thoseparticular skills.5.Utilize available resources: Make use of studymaterials, online resources, and guidance from experienced teachers or mentors.6.Time management: Understand the time constraintsof each section and practice managing time effectivelyduring preparation.ConclusionThe 2009 National Postgraduate Entrance Examination for English is a challenging test that requires careful preparation and strategic approaches. By understanding the exam format and structure, practicing regularly, and focusing on improving weak areas, candidates can enhance their performance and maximize their chances of success. With determination, consistent effort, and proper guidance, candidates can effectively tackle the exam and achieve their desired results.。
09年考研英语阅读理解题精读篇第三篇
09年考研英语阅读理解题精读篇第三篇TEXT THREEControled bleeding or cauterisation? That was the unappealing choice facing UBS, a Swiss bank which has been badly hurt by the carnage in America's mortgage market. The bank opted for the latter. First it opened the wound, by announcing a hefty $10 billion write-down on its exposure to subprime-infected debt. UBS now expects a loss for the fourth quarter, which ends this month. Then came the hot iron: news of a series of measures to shore up the bank's capital base, among them investments from sovereign-wealth funds in Singapore and the Middle East.Bad news had been expected. UBS's third-quarter write-down of over SFr4 billionin October looked overly optimistic compared with more aggressive markdowns at other banks such as Citigroup and Merrill Lynch. Steep falls in the market value of subprime debt since the end of the third quarter made it certain that UBS would take more pain, given its sizeable exposure to toxic collateralised-debt obligations (CDOs). Analysts at Citigroup were predicting in November that write-downs of up to SFr14 billion were possible.Why then did this new batch of red ink still come as a shock? The answer lies not in the scale of the overall loss, more in UBS's decision to take the hit in one go. The bank's mark-to-model approach to valuing its subprime-related holdings had been based on payments data from the underlying mortgage loans. Although these data show a worsening in credit quality, the deterioration is slower than mark-to-market valuations, which have the effect of instantly crystallising all expected future losses.Thanks to this gradualist approach, UBS had been expected to take write-downs in managed increments of SFr2 billion-3 billion over a period of several quarters. It now appears that the bank has incorporated market values into its model, sending its fourth-quarter write-downs into orbit. The change of approach may be on the adviceof auditors and regulators but it is more likely to reflect a desire by UBS's bosses to avoid months of speculation about the bank's exposure, something that Marcel Rohner, the chief executive, described as "distracting".In a particular indignity for a bank long associated with conservatism, concerns about the level of UBS's capital ratio had even started to surface. Hence the moves to strengthen its tier-one capital, an important measure of bank solidity, by SFr19.4 billion, a great deal more than the write-down. The majority of that money will come from sovereign-wealth funds, the white knights of choice for today's bank in distress. Singapore's GIC, which manages the city-state's foreign reserves, has pledged to buy SFr11 billion-worth of convertible bonds in UBS; an unnamed Middle Eastern investor will put in a further SFr2 billion. UBS will also raise money by selling treasury shares, and save cash by issuing its 2007 dividend in the form of shares. Its capital ratio is expected to end up above 12% in the fourth quarter, a strong position.The majority of that money will come from sovereign-wealth funds, the white knights of choice for today's bank in distress.Hopeful talk of lines being drawn under the subprime crisis has been a feature of banks' quarterly reporting since September. Marrying bigger-than-expected write-downs with bigger-than-expected boosts to capital looks like the right treatment in this environment. But UBS still cannot be sure that its problems are over. Further deterioration in its subprime asset values is possible; the broader economic impact of the credit crunch is unclear; and the damage to the bank's reputation cannot yet be quantified. The patient still needs watching.1. The author uses the metaphor "hot iron" to imply that_____.[A] those measures will do more harm to UBS.[B] those measures will cauterize UBS.[C] those measures will forcefully stop UBS from furthur loss.[D] those measures will control bleeding of UBS.2. Compared with the mark-to-market valuations, the mark-to-model approach could _____.[A] slow down the worsening in credit qualtiy.[B] instantly crystallise all expected future loss.[C] worsen the credit quality.[D] accelerate the deterioration in credit quality.3. The reason that Marcel Rohner thought the chang of approach was "distracting" is____.[A] this change was unexpected to take place in such a situation.[B] this change was result of the advice of auditors and regulators.[C] this change was unfavorite to UBS.[D] this change was taken to make people dispel their guess.4. The phrase "the white knights"(Line 5, Paragraph 5) most probably means____.[A] rich people.[B] saviors.[C] generous people.[D] brave people.5. The author's attitude towards UBS's future is______.[A] optimistic[B] pessimistic[C] uncertain[D] none of the above。
2009年阅读
2009年阅读湖北卷 AMy grandfather came from Hungary and was the only one in his family who settled down in the United States. The rest of his family remained in Europe. When World War I broke out, he seemed to have become another man, downhearted. Such obvious change was not born out of his welfare, but out of fear. if his only son, my uncle, had to go to war, it would be cousin fighting against cousin.One day in 1918,my Uncle Milton received his draft notice. My grandparents were very upset, But my mother, at the age of 10,felt on top of the world about her soldier brother going off to war. Realizing how he was regarded by his little sister and all of her friends, my uncle bought them al service pins, which meant that they had a loved one in the service. All the little girls were delighted.The moment came when my uncle and the other soldiers, without any training but all in uniforms, boarded the train. The band played and the crowd cheered. Although no one noticed, I‘m sure my grandm other had a tear in her eye for the only son. The train slowly pulled out, but not about a thousand yards when it suddenly paused. Everyone stared in wonder as the train slowly returned to the station. There was a dead silence before the doors opened and the men started to step out. Someone shouted, ―The war is over.‖ For a moment, nobody moved, but then the people heard someone bark orders at the soldiers. The men lined up in two lines, walked down the steps, and with the band playing, marched down the street, as returning heroes, to be welcomed home. My mother said it was great day, but she was just a little disappointed that it didn‘t last a tiny bit longer.51.What the grandfather was most worried about was .A. the spread of the world warB. the safety of his living two cousinsC. a drop in his living standardsD. his relatives killing each other52.The underlined phrase ―draft notice‖ means ――A. order for army serviceB. train ticket for EuropeC. letter of rejectionD. note of warning53.What did the ―service pins‖(in Para.2)stand for in the dyes of the little girls?A. Strength.B. Courage.C. Victory.D. Honor.54.Which of the following words can best describe the ending of the story?A. Disappointing.B. Unexpected.C. Uncertain.D. Inspiring.BThree years ago, five parrots were set free in a wild place of Arizona, thousands of miles from the Channel Islands in Jersey where they had been looked after by zookeepers. No evolutionary strategies informed them how to behave in this new Landscape of mountainous pine forest unoccupied by their king for 50 years. To the researchers‘ surprise, they fai led to make contact with a group of wild parrots imported from Mexico and set free at the same time. Within 24 hours the reintroducing ended in failure, and the poor birds were back in cages, on their way to the safety of the Arizona reintroduction programme.Ever since then, the programme has enjoyed great success, mainly because the birds now being set free are Mexican birds illegally caught in the wild, confiscated (没收) on arrival north of the border, and raised by their parents in the safety of the programme. The experience shows how little we know about the behaviour and psychology(心理) of parrots, as Peter Bennett, abird researcher, points out:‖ Reintroducing speci es of high intelligence like parrots is a lot more difficult. People like parrots, always treating them as nothing more than pets or valuable ‗collectables‘.‖Now that many species of parrot are in immediate danger of dying out, biologists are working together to study the natural history and the behaviour of this family of birds. Last year was an important turning point: conservationists founded the World Parrot Trust, based at Hayle in Cornwall, to support research into both wild and caged birds.Research on parrots is vital for two reasons. First, as the Arizona programme showed, when reintroducing parrots to the wild, we need to be aware of what the birds must know if they are to survive in their natural home. We also need to learn more about the needs oft parrots kept as pets, particularly as the Trust‘s campaign does not attempt to discourage the practice, but rather urges people who buy parrots as pets to choose birds raised by humans.55.What do we know about the area where the five parrots were reintroduced?A. Its landscape is new to parrots of their king.B. It used to be home to parrots of their kind.C. It is close to where they had been kept.D. Pine trees were planted to attract birds.56.The reintroducing experience three years ago shows that man-raised parrots ______.A. can find their way back home in JerseyB. are unable to recognize their parentsC. are unable to adapt to the wildD. can produce a new species57.Why are researches on parrots important according to the passage?A. The Trust shows great concern for the programme.B. We need to knows more about how to preserve parrotsC. Many people are interested in collecting parrots.D. Parrots‘ intelligence may some day benefit people.58.According to the passage , people are advised_______.A. to treat wild and caged parrots equally B to set up comfortable homes for parrots C. not to keep wild parrots as pets D. not to let more parrots go to the wildCWhen I was seven my father gave me a Timex, my first watch. I loved it, wore it for years, and haven‘t had another one since it stopped ticking a decade ago. Why? Because I don‘t need one. I have a mobile phone and I‘m always near someone with an iPod or something like that. All these devices(装置)tell the time----which is why, if you look around, you‘ll see lots of empty wrists; sales of watches to young adults have been going down since 2007.But while the wise have realized that they don‘t need them, others—apparently including some distinguished men of our time—are spending total fortunes on them. Brands such ad Rolex, Patek Philippe and Breitling command shocking prices, up to $250,000 for a piece.This is ridiculous. Expensive cars go faster than cheap cars. Expensive clothes hang better than cheap clothes. But these days all watches tell the time as well as all other watches. Expensive watches come with extra functions----but who needs them? How often do you dive to 300 meters into the sea or need to find your direction in the area around the South Pole? So why pay that much of five years‘ school fees for watches that allow you to do these things?If justice were done, the Swiss watch industry should have closed down when the Japanese discovered how to make accurate watches for a five-pound note. Instead the Swiss reinvented the watch, with the aid of millions of pounds‘worth of advertising, as a message about the man wearing it. Rolexes are for those who spend their weekends climbing icy mountains; a PatekPhilippe is for one from a rich or noble family; a Breitling suggests you like to pilot planes across the world.Watches are now classified as ―investments‖(投资). A 1994 Philippe recently sold for nearly $350,000, while 1960s Rolexes have gone from $15,000 to $30,000 plus in a year. But a watch is not an investment. It‘s a toy for self-satisfaction, a matter of fashion. Prices may keep going up----they‘ve been rising for 15 years. But when of fashion. Prices may keep going up----they‘ve been rising for 15 years. But when fashion moves on, the owner of that $350,000 beauty will suddenly find his pride and joy is no more a good investment than my childhood Times.59 The sales of watches to young people have fallen because they__________.A have other devices to tell the timeB think watches too expensiveC prefer to wear an iPodD have no sense of time60 It seems ridiculous to the writer that_______________.A. people dive 300 meters into the seaB. expensive clothes sell better than cheap onesC .ch eap cars don‘t run as fast as expensive onesD. expensive watches with unnecessary functions still sell61 What can be learnt about Swiss watch industry from the passage?A. It targets rich people as its potential customers.B. It‘s hard for the industry t o beat its competitors.C. It wastes a huge amount of money in advertising.D. It‘s easy for the industry to reinvent cheap watches.62 Which would be the best title for the passage?A. Timex or Rolex?B. My Childhood TimexC. Watches? Mot for Me!D. Watches----a Valuable CollectionDA few years ago, Paul Gerner began to gather a group of architects in Las Vegas to ask them what it would take to design a public school that used 50 percent less energy ,cost much less to build and obviously improved student learning .‖I think half of then fell off their chairs ,‖Gerner says.Gerner manages school facilities (设施)for Clark county, Nevada, a district roughly the size of Massachusetts. By 2018,143,000 additional students will enter the already crowded public-education system. Gerner needs 73 new schools to house them. Four architecture teams have nearly finished designing primary school prototypes (样品) ; they plan to consruct their schools starting in 2009. The district will then assess how well the schools perform, and three winners will copy those designs in 50 to 70 new buildings.Green schools are appearing all over , but in Clark County, which stands out for its vastness, such aggressive targets are difficult because deign requirements like more natural light for students go against the realities of a desert climate.‖ One of the biggest challenges is getting the right site orientation(朝向),‖ Mark McGinty, a director at SH Architecture, says.His firm recently completed a high school in Las Vegas. ―You have the same building, same set of windows, but if its orientation is incorrect and it faces the sun, it will be really expensive to cool.‖Surprisingly, the man responsible for one of re most progressive green-design competitions has doubts about ideas of eco-friendly buildings.‖I don‘t believe in the new green religion,‖ Gerner says, ―Some of the building technologies that you get are im practical. I‘m interested inthose that work.‖But he wouldn‘t mind if some green features inspire students. He says he hopes to set up green energy systems that allow them to learn about the process of harvesting wind and solar power.‖You never know what‘s going to start the interest of a child to study math and science,‖ he says.63．How did the architects react to Gerner‘s design requirements?A. They lost balance in excitement.B. they showed strong disbelief.C. they expressed little interest.D. they burst into cheers. 64．Which order of steps is followed in carrying out the project?A. Assessment－Prototype－Design－Construction.B. Assessment－Design－Prototype－Construction.C. Design－Assessment－Prototype－Construction.D. Design－Prototype－Assessment－Construction.65．What makes it difficult to build green schools in Clark County?A. The large size.B. Limited facilities.C. The desert climate.D. Poor natural resources.66．What dose Gerner think of the ideas of green schools?A. They are questionable.B. They are out of date.C. They are advanced.D. They are practical.ESunday is more like Monday than it used to be, Places of business that used to keep daytime ―business hours‖ are now open late into the night. And on the Internet, the hour of the day and the day of the week have become irrelevant (不相关的).A half century ago in the United states, most people experienced strong and precise dividing lines between days of rest and days of work, school time and summer time, Today the boundaries still exist, but they seem not clear.The law in almost all states used to require stores to close on Sunday; in most, it no longer does ,It used to keep the schools open in all seasons except summer, in most, it still does. And whether the work week should strengthen its legal limits, or whether it should become more ―flexible‖ is often debated, How should we ,as a society, organize our time? Should we go even further in relaxing the boundaries of time until we live in a world in which every minute is much like every other?These are not easy questions even to ask. Part of the difficulty is that we rarely recognize the ―law of time‖ even when we meet it face to face. We know as children that we have to attend school a certain number of hours, a certain number of days, a certain number of years –but unless we meet the truant officer (学监) ,we may well think that we should go to school due to social custom and parents‘ demand rather than to the law. As adults we are familiar with ―extra pay for overtime working.‖ but less familiar with the fact that what constitutes(构成) ―overtime‖ is a matter of legal definition. When we turn the clock forward to start daylight – saving time, have we ever thought to ourselves;‖Here is the law in action‖? As we shall see, there is a lot of law that has great influence on how organize and use time: compulsory education law, overtime law, and daylight – saving law- as well as law about Sunday closing, holidays, being late to work, time zones, and so on. Once we begin to look for it ,we will have no trouble finding a law of time to examine and assess.67.By s aying‖ Sunday is more like Monday than it used to be,‖ the writer means that ______.A. work time is equal to rest timeB. many people have a day off on Monday,C. it is hard for people to decide when to restD. the line between work time and rest time is unclear68.The author raises the questions in Paragraph 2 to introduce the fact that people____.A. fail to make full use of their timeB. enjoy working overtime for extra payC. are unaware of the law of timeD. welcome flexible working hours69.According to the passage, most children tend to believe that they go to school because they____.A. need to acquire knowledgeB. have to obey their parentsC. need to find companionsD. have to observe the law70.What is the main idea of the passage?A. Our life is governed by the law of timeB. How to organize time is not worth debating.C. New ways of using time change our society.D. Our time schedule is decided by social customs山东卷 A.A year ago August, Dave Fuss lost his job driving a truck for a small company in west Michigan. His wife, Gerrie, was still working in the local school cafeteria, but work for Dave was scarce, and the price of everything was rising. The Fusses were at risk of joining the millions of Americans who have lost their homes in recent years. Then Dave and Gerrie received a timely gift—＄7,000，a legacy （遗产）form their neighbors Ish and Arlene Hatch, who died in an acc ident . ―It really made a difference when we were going under financially.‖ says Dave.But the Fusses weren‘t the only folks in Alto and the neighboring town of Lowell to receive unexpected legacy from the Hatches. Doxens of other families were touched b y the Hatches‘ generosity. In some cases, it was a few thousand dollars ; in other, it was more than ＄100,000.It surprised nearly everyone that the Hatches had so much money, more than ＄3 million—they were am elderly couple who lived in an old house on what was left of the family farm .Children of the Great Depression, Ish and Arlene were known for their habit of saving, They thrived own （喜欢）comparison shopping and would routinely go from store to store, checking prices before making a new purchase .Through the years, the Hatches paid for local children to attend summer camp when their parents c ouldn‘t afford it. ―Ish and Arlene never asked you needed anything,‖ says their friend Sand Van Weelden, ―They could see things they could do go make you happier, and they would do them.Even more extraordinary was that the Hatches had their farmland distributed. It was the Hatches‘ wish that their legacy—a legacy of kindness as much as one of dollars and cent —should enrich the whole community （社区）and Ish and Arlene Hatch‘s story .Neighbors helping neighbors ——that was Ish and Arlene Hatch‘s story.56. According go the text, the Fusses___________A. were employed by a truck companyB. were in financial difficultyC. worked in a school cafeteriaD. lost their home57. Which of the following is true of the Hatches?A. They had their children during the Great DepressionB. They left the family farm to live in an old houseC. They gave away their possessions to their neighborsD. They helped their neighbors to find jobs58. Why would the Hatches routinely go from store?A. They decided to open a storeB. They wanted to save moneyC. They couldn‘t afford expensive thingsD. They wanted to buy gifts for local kids59. According to Sand Van Weelden, the Hatches were___________.A. understandingB. optimisticC. childlikeD. curious60 What can we learn from the text?A. The community of Alto was poorB. The summer camp was attractive to the parentsC. Sandy Van Weelden got a legacy form the HatchesD. The Hatches would like the neighbors to follow their exampleB.―In only six days I lost seven pounds of weight.‖―Two full inches in the first three days!‖These are the kinds of statements used in magazine, newspaper, radio and television ads, promising new shapes and new looks to those who buy the medicine or the device. The promoters of products say they can shape the legs, slim the face, smooth wrinkles, or in some other way to beauty or desirability.Often such products are nothing more than money-making things for their promoter. The re they produce are questionable, and some are dangerous to health.To understand how these products can be legally promoted to the public, it is necessary? Understand something of the laws covering their regulation. If the product is a drug, FDA（Food Drug Administration）can require proof （证明）under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act that safe and effective before it is put on the market . But if the product is a device, FDA. has no author to require premarketing proof of safety or effectiveness. If a product already on the marker danger to health, FDA. can request the producer or distributor to remove it from the a voluntarily, or it can take legal action ,including seizure （查封）of the product.One notable case a few years ago involved an electrical device called the Relaxacisor, had been sold for reducing the waistline. The Relaxacisor produced electrical shocks to the ## through contact pads. FDA. took legal action against the distributor to stop the sale of the ## the grounds that it was dangerous to health and life.Obviously, most of the devices on the maker never been the subject of court proceedings （法律诉讼）,and new devices appear continually, Before buying, it is up to the consumer to the safety or effectiveness of such items.61．It can be inferred that ads mentioned in the text are ______.A. objectiveB. costlyC. unreliableD. illegal 62．Which of the following is true according to the text?A. The court is in charge of removing dangerous product.B. New products are more likely to be questionable.C. The production of a device must be approved by FDA.D. The promoters usually just care about profits.63. FDA. can ask for the proof of safety and effectiveness of a product ________.A. if it is a drugB. if it is a deviceC. if its consumers make complaintsD. if its distributors challenge FDA‘s authority64. The Relaxacisor is mentioned as_______.A. a product which was designed to produce electricityB. a product whose distributor was involved in a legal caseC. a successful advertisement of a beauty productD. an example of a quality beauty product65. The author intends to __________A. make consumers aware of the promoters‘ false promisesB. show the weakness of the law on product safetyC. give advice on how to keep young and beautifulD. introduce the organization of FDA.C.Few laws are so effective that you can see results just days after they take effect. But in the nine days since the federal cigarette tax more than doubled—to $1. 01 per pack—smokers have jammed telephone ―quit lines‖ across the country seeking to kick the habit.T his is not a surprise to public health advocates. They‘ve studied the effect of state tax increases for years, finding that smokers, especially teens, are price sensitive. Nor is it a shock to the industry, which fiercely fights every tax increase.The only wonder is that so many states insist on closing their ears to the message. Tobacco taxes improve public health, health, they raise money and most particularly, they deter people from taking up the habit as teens, which is when nearly all smokers are addicted. Yet the rate of taxation varies widely.In Manhattan, for instance, which has the highest tax in the nation, a pack of Marlboro Light Kings cost ＄10.06 at one drugstore Wednesday. Charleston, S, C., where the 7-cent-a-pack tax is the lowest in the nation. The price was $4. 78.The influence is obvious.In New York, high school smoking hit a new low in the latest surveys—13.8%, far below the national average. By comparison, 26% of high school students smoke in Kentucky, Other low-tax states have similarly depressing teen-smoking records.Hal Rogers, Representative from Kentucky, like those who are against high tobacco taxes, argues that the burden of the tax falls on low-income Americans ―who choose to smoke.‖ That‘s true, But there is more reason in keeping future generations of low-income workers from getting hooked in the first place, As for today‘s a dults, if the new tax drives them to quit, they will have more to spend on their families, cut their risk of cancer and heart disease and feel better.66 The text is mainly about___________.A. the price of cigarettesB. tie rate of teen smokingC. the effect of tobacco tax increaseD. the differences in tobacco tax rate67 What does the author think is a surprise?A. Teen smokers are price sensitive.B. Some states still keep the tobacco tax low.C. Tobacco taxes improve public health.D. Tobacco industry fiercely fights the tax rise.68. The underlined word "deter‖ in Paragraph 3 most probably means .A. discardingB. removeC. benefitD. free69. R ogers‘ attitude towards the low-income smokers might be that of .A. toleranceB. unconcernC. doubtD. sympathy70. What can we learn from the last paragraph?A. The new tax will be beneficial in the long run.B. Low-income Americans are more likely to fall ill.C. Future generations will be hooked on smoking.D. Adults will depend more on their families.D.An increase in students applying to study economics at university is being attributed to （归因于）the global economic crisis awakening a public thirst for knowledge about how the financial system works.Applications for degree courses beginning this autumn were up by 15% this January, according to UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. A. spokesman for the Royal Economic Society said applications to do economics at A-level were also up.ProfessorJohn Beath, the president of the society and a leading lecture at St Andrews University, said his first-year lectures-which are open to students from all departments—were drawing crowds of 400, rather than the usual 250.―There are a large number of students who are not economics majors, who would like to learn something about it. One of the things I have done this year is to relate my teaching to contemporary events in a way that one hasn‘t traditionally done. ‖ He added.University applications rose 7% last year. But there were rises above average in several subjects. Nursing saw a 15% jump, with people‘s renewed interest in caters in the pub ic sector （部门）, which are seen as more secure in economic crisis.A. recent study showed almost two thirds of parents believed schools should do more to teach pupils about financial matters, and almost half said their children had asked them what was going on, although a minority of parents felt they did not understand it themselves well enough to explain.Zack Hocking, the head of Child Trust Funds, said: ―It‘s possible that one good thing to arise from the downturn will be a generation that‘s financial ly wiser and better equipped to manage their money through times of economic uncertainty.‖71. Professor John Beath‘s lectures are .A. given in a traditional wayB. connected with the present situationC. open to both students and their parentsD. warmly received by economics72. Incomes in the public sector are more attractive because of their .A. greater stabilityB. higher payC. fewer applicationsD. better reputation73. in the opinion of most parents .A. eccentrics should be the focus of school teachingB. more students should be admitted to universitiesC. the teaching of financial matters should be strengthened.D. children should solve financial problems themselves74. According to Hocking, the global economic crisis might make the youngsters .A. wiser in money managementB. have access to better equipmentC. confide about their future careersD. get jobs in Child Trust Funds75. Wha t‘s the main idea of the text?A. Universities have received more applications.B. Economics is attracting an increasing numbers studentsC. college students benefit a lot from economic uncertaintyD. parents are concerned with children‘s subject sele ction.。
大学英语三级试题
广东白云学院2009—2010 年第二学期大学英语公共四级试题（A卷）适用专业及方向：大学英语非英语专业学生层次：本科年级：06 级限时：120 分钟考试形式：闭卷考场要求：笔试说明：考试时可带的资料或其他要求的，请老师在出卷时在此做详细说明。
Part I: Vocabulary and Structure (15%) (30 minutes)Section ADirections: There are 20 incomplete sentences in this part. For each sentence there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You must choose the one answer that best completes the sentence. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center.1. The newspaper ________ two people were killed in the accident.A) says B) talks C) calls D) asks2. She told us briefly about how they succeeded in ________ the new product.A) develop B) to develop C) developed D) developing3. The big IT company will ________ a new research center in the city.A) set up B) break up C) get up D) turn up4. I ________ at 130 kilometers per hour when the policeman stopped me.A) had driven B) have driven C) drive D) was driving5. Information about the new system is easy to ________ on the Internet.A) like B) go C) find D) open6. I’d like to introduce you ________ James Stewart, the new manager of our department.A) with B) to C) of D) on7. We had a(n) ________ with him about this problem last night.A) explanation B) impression C) exhibition D) discussion8. We talked for more than three hours without ________ a cup of tea.A) to have B) having C) have D) had9. They had to give up the plan because they had ________ money.A) come up to B) got along with C) run out of D) taken charge of10. ________ she joined the company only a year ago, she’s already been promoted twice.A) Although B) Because C) If D) When 11. This heavy traffic is ________ for this time of the day.A) actual B) natural C)formal D) normal12. he began to feel hungry since the previous evening.A) not having eaten B) not have eatenC) not eating D) having not eaten13. The teacher recommended that each student ________ a plan for the summer vacation.A) would make B) made C) make D) makes14. He is very popular with his schoolmates and feels ________ to win the election.A) confusing B) confident C) convincing D) conscious15. Nowhere else in this area ________ such a beautiful scene.A) is it B) is there C) it is D) there is16. These children are quick ________ learning, we’ll have them trained in new methods.A) from B)for C) at D) on17. His health ________, Tom had to leave the army in 1990.A) failing B) failed C) did fail D) had failed18. Since they aren’t answering my telephone, they ________.A) should have left B) need have leftC) would have left D) must have left19. The flight was supposed to take off at ten o’clock, but ________ we had to wait until eleveno’clock.A) in vainB) in advance C) in case D) in effect20. There was a knock at the door again, and it was the second time someone ________ me thatevening.A) has interrupted B) had interruptedC) would have interruptedD) should have interruptedSection BDirections: There are also 10 incomplete statements here. You should fill in each blank with the proper form of the word given in brackets. Write the word or words in the corresponding space on the Answer Sheet.21. The new (nation) ________ museum will be open to the public next week.22. This question is (difficult) ________ than the one I have answered.23. The secretary has been working for the same (manage) ________ for over 5 years.24. The hotel, (build) _________ 100 years ago, still looks new.25. We are pleased to learn that that problem (solve) ________ at yesterday’s meeting.26. I want (point out) ________ that a decision about the matter must be made at once.27. Although she is young for the job, she is very (experience) ________.28. The new rules for environmental protection have been (wide) ________ accepted by the public.29. We demand that the tour guide (tell) ________ us immediately about any change in the schedule.30. Thank you for your letter of November 15, (invite) ________ us to the trade fair on December 10.Part II Reading Comprehension (50%) (50 minutes)Directions:This part is to test your reading ability. There are 5 tasks for you to fulfill. You should read the reading materials carefully and do the tasks as you are instructed.Task 1Directions:After reading the following passage, you will find 5 questions or unfinished statements, numbered 31 to 35. For each question or statement there are 4 choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should make the correct choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center.Each time we produce a new English dictionary, our aim is always the same: what can we do to make the dictionary more helpful for students of English? As a result of our research with students and discussions with teachers, we decided to focus on providing more examples for this English dictionary. Examples help students to remember the word they have looked up in the dictionary because it is easier both to remember and to understand a word within a context (上下文). The examples also show that words are often used in many different contexts. For these reasons, we have included 40 per cent more examples in this new book.We edit all the examples to remove difficult words and to make sure they are easier to understand.We very much hope this new book will be of use not only to the students of English but also to the teachers.31. The aim of the author in producing this new dictionary is to ________.A) correct mistakes in the old dictionaryB) make it more helpful for studentsC) increase the number of wordsD) add pictures and photos32. A word is easier to remember and understand if it is ________.A) included in a word listB) pronounced correctlyC) explained in EnglishD) used in a context33. What is special about this new dictionary?A) It is small and cheap.B) It has a larger vocabulary.C) It has 40% more examples.D) It is designed for students and teachers.34. The purpose of removing difficult words in the examples is to ________.A) make them easier to understandB) provide more useful wordsC) introduce more contextsD) include more examples 35. The passage is most probably taken from ________.A) a letter to the editorB) a comment on a novelC) an introduction to a dictionaryD) a news-report in the newspaperTask 2Directions:This task is the same as Task 1. The 5 questions or unfinished statements are numbered 36 to 40.What is the better way of staying away from the cold winter days? Come out to our Hall Markets in the beautiful countryside, full of color, fun, music and delicious food! With over 350 stalls (摊位) selling wonderful home-made and home-grown goods, this will surely be a great day out.The Hall Markets are held on the first Sunday of each month from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at Hall Village. They are operated by Hartley Lifecare Co. Ltd. All the income will go to help and support service for people with disabilities (残疾).Volunteers (志愿者) play an important part in the success and pleasant atmosphere at the Hall Markets. Hartley Lifecare is always grateful to have you serve as volunteers with the Hall Markets.If you are interested in being one of our volunteers and spending a few hours with us each month, please contact us during business hours on 6260 5555.36. According to the passage, the Hall Markets are held ________.A) in the countrysideB) to attract volunteersC) to promote winter salesD) by people with disabilities37. There are over 350 stalls in the Hall Markets that ________.A) are operated by the disabledB) offer free food to volunteersC) sell home-made goodsD) are open day and night38. The income made by the Hall Markets goes to ________.A) expand Hartley Lifecare Co. Ltd.B) support service for the disabledC) create more fun for customersD) develop local economy39. When are the Hall Markets open?A) The first Sunday of each month.B) Every day from 10 am to 3 pm.C) The first day of each month.D) Every weekend in winter.40. This passage is written for the purpose of inviting ________.A) touristsB) villagersC) businessmenD) volunteersTask 3Directions:The following is a letter. After reading it, you should complete the information by filling in the blanks marked 41through 45 in no more than 3 words in the table below.2 November, 2008Dear Dr. Yamata,The Association of Asian Economic Studies is pleased to invite you to be this year’s guest speaker at its annual international symposium (研讨会). The symposium will be held for 3 days from December 22nd to 24th, 2008. This year’s topic will be Economic Development in Asia. About 100 people from various countries will be attending the symposium. They would be pleased to meet you and share their views with you.The Association will cover all the expenses of your trip to this symposium.As the program is to be announced on December 1st, 2008, will you kindly let us know before that time whether your busy schedule will allow you to attend our symposium? We are looking forward to your favorable reply.Yours sincerely,John SmithJohn SmithSecretary of Association of Asian Economic StudiesLetter of InvitationWriter of the letter: 41Organizer of the Symposium: Association of 42Guest speaker to be invited: Dr. YamataStarting date of the symposium: 43Number of guests invited: about 44Topic of the symposium: 45 in AsiaTask 4Directions:The following is part of an index (索引). After reading it, you are required to find the items equivalent to (与…等同) those given in Chinese in the table below. Then you should put the corresponding letters in the brackets on the Answer Sheet, numbered 46 through 50.A ---------- after-sales serviceB ---------- business licenseC ---------- business riskD ---------- dead stockE ---------- department storeF ---------- import licenseG ---------- limited companyH ---------- net weightI ---------- packing chargeJ ---------- price tagK ---------- purchasing powerL ---------- seller’s marketM ---------- shipping dateN ---------- shopping rushO ---------- show windowP ---------- supermarketQ ---------- trade agreementExamples: (D) 滞销品(I) 包装费46. ( ) 净重( ) 百货商店47. ( ) 购买力( ) 商业风险48. ( ) 超级市场( ) 卖方市场49. ( ) 有限公司( ) 售后服务50. ( ) 装船日期( ) 进口许可证Task 5Directions:The following is an advertisement. After reading it, you are required to complete the statements that follow the questions (No.51 to No.55). You should write your answers in no more than 3 words on the corresponding Answer Sheet.Yanton Playingfield CommitteeGrounds-person (场地管理员) WantedThe Yanton Playingfield Committee has for many years been fortunate to have Eddie Christiansen as grounds-person at its sports ground in Littlemarsh. However, after 10 years of service, Eddie has decided it’s time to retire in July. The committee wishes him the best for his retired life.However, this leaves us needing a new grounds-person. This role is part-time, averaging around 5 hours per week. The duties involve the mowing (除草), rolling, and trimming (修剪) of the field edges. Applicants (求职人) need to be able to drive and use the equipment needed for the above-mentioned duties.Applicants can either contact Hugh Morris, 42 Spencer Avenue, tel. 765-4943780, to discuss or register an interest in the position, or any member of the Playingfield Committee.51. Which organization is in need of a grounds-person?The _____________________________________________________.52. Why is a new grounds-person needed?Because the former grounds-person, Eddie Christiansen, has decided it’s time to _____________.53. What are the duties of a grounds-person?His duties involve the mowing, _________________ of the field edges.54. What should applicants be able to do?They should be able to _________ the equipment needed for the duties.55. Who is the contact person?____________________________________ or any committee member.Part III Translation -- English into Chinese (20%) (20 minutes)Directions: This part, numbered 56 to 60, is to test your ability to translate English into Chinese. Each of the four sentences (N0.56 to No.59) is followed by four choices of suggested translation marked A), B), C) and D). Make the best choice and write the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet. Write your translation of the paragraph (No.60) in the corresponding space on the Translation/Composition Sheet.56. Seldom can people find international news on the front page of this popular local newspaper.A) 人们不会在这份地方报纸前几页上寻找重要的国际新闻。
2009考研英语阅读理解精读(二)
2009考研英语阅读理解精读（二）新东方印建坤第一篇In a world where sight and sound seem to reign supreme, all it takes is a cursory glance at the size of the perfume industry to realise that smell matters quite a lot, too. Odours are known to regulate moods, thoughts and even dating decisions, which is why any serious romantic will throw on the eau de toilette before going out for a night on the town. Yet in all these cases, those affected are aware of what they are smelling. Unlike the media of sight and sound, in which subliminal messages have been studied carefully, the potential power of subliminal smells has been neglected.Wen Li and her colleagues at Northwestern University in Chicago are now changing that. In particular, they are investigating smells so faint that people say they cannot detect them. The idea is to see whether such smells can nevertheless change the way that people behave towards others.Dr Li's experiment, the results of which have just been published in Psychological Science, employed 31 volunteers. These people were exposed to three different odours at low concentration. One was the fresh lemon scent of citral. The second was the neutral ethereal perfume of anisole. The third was the foul sweaty smell of valeric acid. And the concentrations really were low. In the case of valeric acid, for example, that concentration was seven parts per trillion—a level only just detectable by bloodhounds. As a control, Dr Li used a mineral oil that has no detectable smell at any concentration.The participants were asked to sniff a jar containing either one of the three odours or the scentless oil, and then press a button to indicate whether they thought the jar smelled of anything. Immediately after that, a picture of a face would appear on a screen in front of them for just over a second. Each participant was asked to rate the face's “likeability”.Dr Li found that the odours helped shape people's judgments about the faces when their responses indicated that they had not smelled anything. When someone had been exposed to valeric acid, for example, he tended to react negatively to a face. Exposure to citral, by contrast, made that face seem, on average, more friendly.(Obviously, the same face was not shown to any given participant more than once.) Even more intriguing, however, was that when participants did consciously perceive a smell, its effect on face-perception disappeared.What is going on is unclear. If smells can carry useful information about personality (which is possible), then the effect would be expected to be the same whether or not the chemical in question is detected subliminally. If they do not carry such information, then it is hard to see what use the subliminal reaction is. Nevertheless, it is there.The findings do, however, demonstrate what might be a powerful method of manipulation. Indeed, Dr Li considers the potential uses to be vast. Business meetings might be made more pleasant by releasing appropriate fragrances into the air in unsmellable amounts. Conversely, fights might be started by putting people in the presence of a faint foul odour. Advertising hoardings might benefit from a little olfactory tweaking and cinema audiences could be reduced to floods of tears at the appropriate moment. The sweet smell of success might, in other words, actually be undetectable.1. Dr. Li is carrying out such an investigation in order to _____.[A] find out how smells regulate moods in a subtle and nuanced way[B] prove that smell plays an equally important role in daily life as that of sight and sound[C] find out if people are sensitive to faint smells[D] find out if faint smells could influence people’s judgement of others2.The mineral oil is used in Dr. Li’s experiment to _____.[A] control the concentration of odours in a slightly detectable degree[B] act as a group of comparison with that of the other smells[C] regulate the participants’ moods by decreasing the smell’s concentration[D] protect the participants from losing sense of smell3. The word “likeability” (Line 3, Paragraph 4) most probably means_____.[A] similarity[B] likeness[C] loveliness[D] likelihood4. When the participants conciously smelt the valeric acid, they tended to_____.[A] make negative judgement to a face[B] make positive judgement to a face[C] make biased judgement to a face[D] make fair judgement to a face5. From Dr. Li’s experiment, it can be infered that_____.[A] one’s reaction to subliminal smells reflect useful information about his or her personality[B] subliminal smells can influence people’s interaction with each other[C] subliminal smells have no effect on people’s conscious face-perception.[D] subliminal smells turn out to be a means of powerful manipulation in terms of business success.文章剖析：这篇文章介绍了细微气味对人们的影响。
广西南宁市青秀区第二中学2023-2024学年中考五模英语试题含答案
广西南宁市青秀区第二中学2023-2024学年中考五模英语试题含答案注意事项：1．答题前，考生先将自己的姓名、准考证号填写清楚，将条形码准确粘贴在考生信息条形码粘贴区。
2．选择题必须使用2B铅笔填涂；非选择题必须使用0．5毫米黑色字迹的签字笔书写，字体工整、笔迹清楚。
3．请按照题号顺序在各题目的答题区域内作答，超出答题区域书写的答案无效；在草稿纸、试题卷上答题无效。
4．保持卡面清洁，不要折叠，不要弄破、弄皱，不准使用涂改液、修正带、刮纸刀。
Ⅰ. 单项选择1、- The dress looks so _____ on you. -Yes, it fits me _____.A．well; good B．well; wel C．good; well D．good; good2、一The pen writes well though it is only worth fifteen yuan.一Let me have a try. So .A．it is B．it does C．is it D．does it3、–What were you doing at eight last night?-- I in my office at that time.A．worked B．works C．was working4、-Have you found the information about the famous people ______ you can use for the report?-Not yet. I’ll search some on the Internet.A．who B．what C．whom D．which5、My little sister saw _____outside. Shall we go and have a look?A．strange something B．anything strangeC．something strange D．strange anything6、—Why don’t you like winter in Beijing?—Because it is __________ winter in Guangzhou.A．as cold as B．much colder thanC．not so clod as D．not colder than7、--I saw John in the park this morning..--It _____be him. He has gone to HongKong.A．can’t B．can C．mustn’t D．must8、--Could you tell me ?--Next Monday.A．when you will go to Beijing B．when will you go to BeijingC．how will you go to Beijing9、The traffic in Chongqing has been even ________ since Jialingjiang Bridge was closed for repairs.A．good B．better C．heavy D．heavier10、—Someone the classroom when I passed.—Well, it wasn’t m e.A．is cleaning B．has cleaned C．was cleaning D．will cleanⅡ. 完形填空11、There have been many great inventions that change the way we live. The first great 1 was one that is still very important today—the wheel. This made it easy for man 2 heavy things and to travel long distances. For hundreds of years after that, there were 3 great inventions like the wheel. Then in the early 1800’s the world started to change 4 . There was little unknown land left in the world. People did not have to search much any more. In the second half of the 19th century many great inventions were made. 5 them were the camera, the electric light and the radio. These have all become a big part of our life today.The first part of the 20th century saw more great inventions. The helicopter (直升机) in 1909. Movies 6sound in 1926. The computer in 1928. This was also a time when a new 7 was first made. Nylon (尼龙) came out in 1935. It changed the kind of clothes people wear. Of course new inventions continued to be made. Man began looking 8 ways to go into space. Russia made the first step. Then the United States took another. Since then other countries, including China and Japan, 9 their steps into space. In 1969 man took his biggest step away from earth. 10 first walked on the moon. This was certainly just a beginning. New inventions will someday allow us to do things we have never yet dreamed of.1．A．scientist B．artist C．musician D．invention2．A．carry B．carrying C．to carry D．carried3．A．few B．a few C．little D．a little4．A．largely B．differently C．greatly D．freely5．A．Between B．Among C．Before D．After6．A．in B．of C．on D．with7．A．mistake B．product C．world D．material (材料)8．A．for B．out C．after D．around9．A．made B．were made C．have made D．had made10．A．Chinese B．Japanese C．Americans D．RussiansⅢ. 语法填空12、(B) Complete the passage with the proper forms of given words.Zengzi was a famous thinker in Chinese history. His 1．(teach) was Confucius (孔子).One day, Zengzi’s wife was going to the m arket to sell something for money without their son. The boy kept 2．(cry) and shouting. She said to her son, “When I come back, I’ll kill our pig to make a meal for you.”But she didn’t do as she said. “How can you cheat a child?” Zengzi said 3．(serious) “The small child only 4．(follow)the example of his parents. If you cheat him, he may cheat 5．(other) like you.” Having said this, Zengzi raised the knife and killed the pig.Ⅳ. 阅读理解A13、Do you enjoy reading? Here readers of your age from all over the United States recommend (推荐) great books for you to read:My favorite book is Don’t Die, My Love by Lurlene McDaniel. I love all her books, but this was the first one I read and I have to say, it is by far my favorite. It doesn’t end like other books, and I c ried while reading.I think Nancy Drew is great! Nancy is a detective (侦探) who has many fantastic ideas! I love it because it’s a book from when my grandma was my age, and I can share the fun with her!I highly recommend Skinny Bones by Barbara Park. It is funny so please add it on your book list. You don’t want to miss out funny stories！I would suggest ______ by Judy Blume. It is based on real things that happened to Judy Blume. It is about a girl, Alice, who meets some girls at a new state. They become friends, make a club and meet once a week. They stop after two weeks because they all like a boy in their class and put him as number one. I think every girl should read this because it is about our growing up.I read a book called Neela: Victory Song and it was so good I read it twice! It takes place in India in 1936 and this 12-year-old girl named Neela tries to save her father! It has lots of history in it! I also learned a lot about different cultures! The author’s name is Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.1．According to the reader, Skinny Bones can be described as a ________ story.A．sad B．history C．funny D．detective2．From which book can we learn different cultures?A．Skinny Bones. B．Nancy Drew. C．Don’t Die, My Love. C．Neela: Victory Song.3．Who is most probably an Indian author?A．Judy Blume. B．Barbara Park.C．Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. D．Lurlene McDaniel.4．The best name of the 4th book is ________.A．My Secret B．Growing TroubleC．Three Friends D．Alice Learns a Lesson5．Which is TRUE about Nancy Drew?A．It doesn’t have a common ending like other books.B．It’s based on real things that happened to the author.C．It’s about a12-year-old girl who tries to save her father.D．Both the reader and the reader’s grandma love this book.B14、What’s on TV?6:00 ③Let’s talk! Guest: Animal expert Jim Porter⑤Cartoons⑧News⑨News7:00 ③Cooking with CathyTonight: Chicken with mushrooms.⑤Movie “A laugh a Minute”(1955)James Rayburn.⑧Spin for Dollars!⑨Farm Report7:30 ③Double Trouble(comedy)The twins disrupt the high school dance.⑨Wall Street Today: Stock Market Report8:00 ③NBA Basketball. Teams to be announced⑧Movie “At day’s End”(1981)Michael Collier, Julie Romer.Drama set in World WarⅡ.⑨News Special“Saving Our Waterways: Pollution in the Mississippi”.1．If you were a housewife, which program would probably interest you most? A．Let’s Talk! B．Wall Street Today.C．Cooking with Cathy. D．Farm Report.2．If you’d like to watch something about pollution, you could turn on the TV to. A．Channel 5 at 6:00 B．Channel 9 at 8:00C．Channel 8 at 7:00 D．Channel 3 at 7:303．Which is most probably the News Channel?A．3. B．5. C．8. D．9.C15、Fans of basketball all know who LeBron James is. His fans like to call him King James. The 33-year-old basketball star was again the best player in the last season of the NBA．The most popular American sports magazine Sports Illustrated also named him the best player for the fourth season in a row (连续).King James was born on December 30 in Ohio, the USA．He is 203cm tall and weighs 113kg. He is the perfect combination (结合）of strength, size and speed. Some people see him as the best physical specimen (体格范本）in sport.James beat Golden State Warriors’ player Stephen Curry, 29, to the number one place, even though Curry had a great season. Last season (2015-2016), the two top players led their teams to the highest rank of the NBA．So people had different ideas about who might be the best player. James finally won the award because he helped his team Cleveland Cavaliers beat Curry’s team in the NBA Finals.To his fans all over the world, James is the king. He is also a hero to many sports fans in the United Sates, especially in his hometown Cleveland. At a celebration in the city after he won the NBA Finals, James made a short speech and thanked everybody in his team. He said that he could not have won the award without them. He even bought each of them a gold headphone as a gift!James also started The LeBron James Family Foundation. It raises money and helps people in need. By now, the foundation has spent $41 million sending poor children to universities in his hometown. Maybe that is another reason why his fans love him so much.1．When was LeBron James born?A．On December 30, 1983. B．On December 30, 1984.C．On December 3, 1985. D．On December 3, 1986.2．What does the underlined word “them” refer to?A．James，teammates. B．James’ family.C．James’ fans.D．James’ friends.3．Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?A．LeBron James is four years older than Curry.B．LeBron James is a member of Cleveland Cavaliers.C．Curry didn’t win the award because he had a bad season.D．The foundation helps poor children continue their education in James’ hometown.4．Why do so many people love James?A．Because Sports Illustrated often names him the best player.B．Because he always leads his team to beat Curry’s team.C．Because he is willing to help others and plays basketball well.D．Because he likes sending gold headphones to his fans.D16、To:**********************Date: Monday, 7th October, 3:34 p.m.From:**********************Subject: ComplaintDear Mr. Price,I have eaten in your restaurant many times and have always been happy with the food and service. This makes what happened last Saturday even more disappointing(失望).It was my son’s birthday so we booked a non-smoking table at your restaurant for 7:30 p.m. We arrived on time but were told that our table was not yet ready. At 8:00 p.m., we were given a table in the smoking area. I asked to move but I was told that there were no other tables. A lot of people were smoking so it was uncomfortable and unhealthy.Our first waitress, Janet, was very polite and helpful. She gave us free drinks for waiting so long. Our food also came quickly and looked fresh and tasty. When my wife had eaten most of her meal, she found a dead cockroach(蟑螂)in her vegetables. She was shocked and wanted to leave. At first, the waitress told us it was a piece of garlic(作料).When we told her it had legs, she apologized and took the food away.We asked for the pay for my wife’s meal bill, expecting not to pay for my wife’s meal. Nobody came. After 15 minutes, I asked to see the manager. The headwaiter told us that you were on holiday. I complained again about the horrible cockroach. He told me Janet had finished work. He didn’t believe my story and gave me a bill for three meals. I argued with him but was forced(被迫)to pay.The waitress, Janet, was always friendly, but I would like an apology from your impolite headwaiter and a fullrefund(退款)for our meal. It cost $68. Until then, I will not be eating at your restaurant or recommending it to anyone. You can contact me at 742-3254 or through e-mail if you want more information.Thank you for your attention.Yours sincerely,Raymond Yuen1．The headwaiter didn’t believe Mr. Yuen because _______.A．the waitress hadn’t told him about what happenedB．he believed that the cockroach was garlicC．he didn’t want to p ay Mr. Yuen backD．the manager was on holiday2．What does Mr. Yuen want to pay for now?A．Nothing. B．Two meals.C．Three meals. D．Only the drinks.3．Mr. Yuen wanted Mr. Price to ______.A．say sorry to his familyB．let the headwaiter stop working in the restaurantC．get the headwaiter to say sorryD．get the headwaiter and Janet to say sorryE17、When we talk about stars, especially women stars，it seems that they are always young，pretty and own charming body shapes．But recently a Britain's Got Talent（英国达人）star Susan Boyle has changed ourviewsabsolutely(完全地)．Simon Cowell，one of the judges of the talent show spoke of his shock over Ms Boyb's voice. “This lady came up，and I'm thinking, ‘This will take five seconds and I can go to have a cup of tea.’ That changed when she began to sing I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables. She knew we were going to have that reaction and just to see that look of satisfaction on her face midway through —it was one of my favorite moments,” Cowell said.The performance was posted On line and before long，the 6-year-old Scottish woman has been famous all over the world．Speaking from her home in Scotland,MsBoyle said that she hadn't thought of changing her appearance．She said that her friend helped her with make-up．“I mean，that's hardly a makeover.” she added．Ms. Boyle also spoke of the reason she first began to explore her vocal(歌唱的) talents．”I was kind of slow at school, so getting something like singing was a good way of hiding behind that and thus it built my confidence．’’1．．Susan Boyle is __________．A．a judge B．a reporter C．a beautiful lady D．a Scottish woman2．．Susan Boyle had a look of satisfaction on her face when she was singing because ______.A．she was confident of her singingB．she was satisfied with the judgesC．she was pretty and in good shapeD．she sang the song，I Dreamed a Dream from Lea Miserables3．. What does the underlined word “views” mean?A．见解B．预告C．复习D．景色4．．According to the passage，which is NOT true?A．It was the vocal talents that built Susan's confidence．B．Susan Boyle was not good at her lessons when at school．C．Susan Boyle became famous because of her appearance．D．Simon Cowell didn't think Susan Boyle a good singer at the time sight．5．What can we learn from Susan Boyle's success?A．It's never too old to learn．B．It's easier to succeed at the age of 6．C．If you have a dream，try to make it come true!D．If you are not able to study well，to be a singer instead．F18、The British Museum One of the greatest museums in the world. There are famous exhibitions from ancient Egypt, Rome, Greece and other parts of the world.Open:10 a.m.--5 p.m.(Monday to Saturday) and 2.30 p.m.--6 p.m.(Sunday).Free entrance.Clink Prison In this old London prison you can experience prison life. You can also have your birthday party here!Open:10a.m.--6 p.m. (Monday to Friday)Adults: £3.50; children: £2.50The London Eye Take a bird's-eye view of the capital on this amazing big wheel. Spectacular views at night!Open:9:30 a.m.--8:30 p.m.Adults: £11.50; students/over sixties £9.00; children £5.75 under fives free.The Globe Theatre Visit the replica (复制品) of the old theatre. Learn about the life and plays of Shakespeare.Open:9 a.m.--12 a.m. (Monday to Friday)Adults: £7.50; children: £4.50The National Gallery This has one of the really great collections of paintings in the world. Don't miss it! Open: 10 a.m.--6 p.m. (Monday to Saturday) and 2 p.m.--6 p.m. (Sunday) Adults: £ 13.50; children: £10:001．Ann has just arrived in London, she enjoys plays very much, where should she go first?A．The National Gallery B．The Globe TheatreC．The London Eye D．The British Mesum2．Alan is a photographer, and he wants some pictures of London at night, ______ is the place for him. A．The National Gallery B．The Globe TheatreC．The London Eye D．The British Mesum3．Which of the following can you see in the British Museum?A．Exhibitions from ancient Egypt.B．A bird's- eye view of London.C．Something about the plays of Shakespeare.D．What prison life was like.4．Hector wants to spend his birthday with his girl friend in Clink Prison, how much does he have to pay?A．£3.50. B．£4.50. C．£10. D．£7.5．Joe is going to the National Gallery, which time of the following is OK ?A．10:30 a.m., Sunday B．6:00 a.m., TuesdayC．9:30 a.m., Friday D．3:00 p.m., WednesdayⅤ.书面表达19、书面表达。
2009年考研英语历年真题阅读理解精读笔记（22）
TEXT 2 Being a man has always been dangerous.There are about 105 males born for every 100 females, but this ratio drops to near balance at the age of maturity, and among 70 year olds there are twice as many women as men.But the great universal of male mortality is being changed.Now, boy babies survive almost as well as girls do.This means that, for the first time, there will be an excess of boys in those crucial years when they are searching for a mate.More important, another chance for natural selection has been removed.Fifty years ago, the chance of a baby (particularly a boy baby) surviving depended on its weight.A kilogram too light or too heavy meant almost certain death.Today it makes almost no difference.Since much of the variation is due to genes, one more agent of evolution has gone. There is another way to commit evolutionary suicide: stay alive, but have fewer children.Few people are as fertile as in the past.Except in some religious communities, very few women has 15 children.Nowadays the number of births, like the age of death, has become average.Most of us have roughly the same number of offspring.Again, differences between people and the opportunity for natural selection to take advantage of it have diminished.India shows what is happening.The country offers wealth for a few in the great cities and poverty for the remaining tribal peoples.The grand mediocrity of today-everyone being the same in survival and number of offspring-means that natural selection has lost 80% of its power in upper middle class India compared to the tribes. For us, this means that evolution is over; the biological Utopia has arrived.Strangely, it has involved little physical change.No other species fills so many places in nature.But in the past 100,000 years-even the past 100 years-our lives have been transformed but our bodies have not.We did not evolve, because machines and society did it for us.Darwin had a phrase to describe those ignorant of evolution: they "look at an organic being as a savage looks at a ship, as at something wholly beyond his comprehension."No doubt we will remember a 20th century way of life beyond comprehension for its ugliness.But however amazed our descendants may be at how far from Utopia we were, they will look just like us.55. What used to be the danger in being a man according to the first paragraph?［A］ A lack of mates.［B］ A fierce competition.［C］ A lower survival rate.［D］ A defective gene.56. What does the example of India illustrate?［A］ Wealthy people tend to have fewer children than poor people.［B］ Natural selection hardly works among the rich and the poor.［C］ The middle class population is 80% smaller than that of the tribes.［D］ India is one of the countries with a very high birth rate.57. The author argues that our bodies have stopped evolving because.［A］ life has been improved by technological advance［B］ the number of female babies has been declining［C］ our species has reached the highest stage of evolution［D］ the difference between wealth and poverty is disappearing58. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?［A］ Sex Ratio Changes in Human Evolution.［B］ Ways of Continuing Man's Evolution.［C］ The Evolutionary Future of Nature.［D］ Human Evolution Going Nowhere.agent11 n.代理商（⼈），代表amaze5 v.使惊奇，使惊愕，使惊叹argue19 v.①争论，辩论；②认为，主张，论证；③说服author69 n.①作者；②创始⼈average17 n.平均（数）；a.①平均的；②普通的，⼀般的；v.平均，均分balance5 v.称，（使）平衡；n.①天平，秤；②平衡，均衡；③差额，结余，余款being9 n.①⽣物，⼈；②存在，⽣存commit8 v.①把...交托给，提交；②犯（错误），⼲（坏事）community17 n.①同⼀地区的全体居民，社会，社区；②共同体，团体competition16 n.①⽐赛；②竞争comprehension3 a.理解（⼒），领悟crucial5 a.⾄关重要的，决定性的decline14 v./n.①下倾，下降，下垂，衰落；②斜⾯，倾斜；v.拒绝，谢绝depend16 v.（on）取决于，依靠，信赖，相信descendant1 n.⼦孙，后代describe14 v.描述，形容diminish1 v.缩⼩，减少，递减disappear4 v.不见，消失doubt8 n./v.怀疑，疑虑evolution11 n.进化，渐进，演化evolve3 v.（使）发展，（使）进化excess4 a.过量的，额外的；n.过量，过剩female4 a.⼥的，雌的fertile2 a.①肥沃的，富饶的；②能⽣育的fierce3 a.①凶猛的，残忍的；②激烈的，强烈的gene5 n.基因grand1 a.①盛⼤的，豪华的；②重⼤的，主要的ignorant2 a.①⽆知的，愚昧的；②不知道的illustrate6 v.①举例说明，阐明；②图解，加插图involve20 v.①卷⼊，陷⼊，连累；②包含，含有，涉及lower9 a.较低的，下级的，下游的；v.降下，放低male4 n./a.男性（的），雄性（的）mate1 n.①伙伴，同事；②配偶nature14 n.①⾃然界，⼤⾃然；②性质，本性，天性offspring4 n.①⼦孙，后代；②结果，产物opportunity11 n.机会organic3 a.①器官的；②有机的；③有机体的phrase6 n.短语，词语，习语physical7 a.①物质的，有形的；②⾁体的，⾝体的；③⾃然科学的，物理的poverty5 n.贫穷，贫困rate31 n.①⽐率，率；②等级；③价格，费⽤；v.①估价；②评级，评价ratio2 n.⽐，⽐率religious4 a.宗教的，信教的，虔诚的savage1 a.①野蛮的，未开化的；②凶恶的，残暴的；n.野蛮⼈selection8 n.①选择，挑选；②选集，精选物species7 n.（物）种，种类suicide7 n.①⾃杀；②⾃取灭亡survival5 n.①幸存，⽣存；②幸存者，残存物survive11 v.①幸免于，幸存；②⽐...长命tend26 v.①趋向，往往是；②照料，看护title6 n.①书名，标题；②头衔，称号transform5 v.①改变，变换；②变压；③转化；④改造tribe1 n.部落，家族universal4 a.①普遍的，全体的，通⽤的；②宇宙的，世界的upper1 a.①上⾯的；②上部的，较⾼的variation2 n.①变化，变动；②变种，变异wealthy2 a.富裕的，丰富的wholly1 ad.完全地，全部，⼀概according47 ad.依照，根据advance10 v.①前进，进展；②推进，促进；③提出（建议等）；④提前；n.①前进，进展；②预付，预⽀advantage13 n.优势, 有利条件biological3 a.⽣物学的defective2 a.有缺陷的；n.有缺陷的⼈evolutionary4 a.进化的maturity1 n.成熟，完备mediocrity1 n.平常，平凡mortality1 n.死亡率technological9 a.科技的tribal1 a.部落的，种族的难句1Again, differences between people and the opportunity for natural selection to take advantage of it have diminished.［结构分析］1. 本句句⼦主⼲是:... difference ... and the opportunity ... have diminished；2. 主语是⽤and连接的两个并列的名词短语difference between people 和the opportunity for natural selection to take advantage of it；［本句难点］不要把and理解为连接的是people和the opportunity；［⽅法对策］根据句⼦意思，明确主句主语是⽤and连接的两个并列的名词短语；［例句精译］⼈与⼈之间的差异和利⽤差异进⾏⾃然选择的机会再⼀次减少。
2009年版Reading task[1].ppt1
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She provided items for the women so they could sew, knit and make goods to sell.
She started a prison school for the children to give them something to do.
Prisoners were no longer chained to the decks during the voyage.
Elizabeth Fry also set up a training cocontinued to help others until she died on 12 October 1845.
visited the poor and sick.
Later, although Elizabeth had 11 children, she continued to do her charity work.
She first visited Newgate Prison in 1813 and was horrified by what she saw.
Elizabeth visited prisons all over Britain and argued for improvements.
She wrote a book about prison conditions.
She helped improve conditions on prison ships travelling to Australia.
Prisoners had to pay for everything in gaol (监狱).
There were no toilets, just a bucket in the corner, and little drinking water.
2009考研英语真题英语一阅读部分
Text 1①Habits are a funny thing.②We reach for them mindlessly, setting our brains on auto-pilot and relaxing into the unconscious comfort of familiar routine. ③“Not choice, but habit rules the unreflecting herd,”William Wordsworth said in the 19th century. ④In the ever-changing 21st century, even the word“habit”carries a negative implication.①So it seems paradoxical to talk about habits in the same context as creativity and innovation. ②But brain researchers have discovered that when we consciously develop new habits, we create parallel paths, and even entirely new brain cells, that can jump our trains of thought onto new, innovative tracks.①Rather than dismissing ourselves as unchangeable creatures of habit, we can instead direct our own change by consciously developing new habits.②In fact, the more new things we try—the more we step outside our comfort zone—the more inherently creative we become, both in the workplace and in our personal lives.①But don't bother trying to kill off old habits；once those ruts of procedure are worn into the brain, they're there to stay. ②Instead, the new habits we deliberately press into ourselves create parallel pathways that can bypass those old roads.①“The first thing needed for innovation is a fascination with wonder,”says Dawna Markova, author of The Open Mind. ②“But we are taught instead to‘decide', just as our president calls himself‘the Decider.'”③She adds, however, that“to decide is to kill off all possibilities but one. ④A good innovational thinker is always exploring the many other possibilities.”①All of us work through problems in ways of which we're unaware, she says.②Researchers in the late 1960s discovered that humans are born with the capacity to approach challenges in four primary ways: analytically, procedurally, relationally (or collaboratively) and innovatively.③At the end of adolescence, however, the brain shuts down half of that capacity, preserving only those modes of thought that have seemed most valuable during the first decade or so of life.①The current emphasis on standardized testing highlights analysis and procedure, meaning that few of us inherently use our innovative and collaborative modes of thought. ②“This breaks the major rule in the American belief system—that anyone can do anything,”explains M.J. Ryan, author of the 2006 book This Y ear I Will...and Ms. Markova's business partner. ③“That's a lie that we have perpetuated, and it fosters commonness. ④Knowing what you're good at and doing even more of it creates excellence.”⑤This is where developing new habits comes in.21.In Wordsworth's view,“habits”is characterized by being__________.[A] casual[B] familiar[C] mechanical[D] changeable22.Brain researchers have discovered that the formation of new habits can be__________.[A] predicted[B] regulated[C] traced[D] guided23.The word“ruts”(Para. 4) is closest in meaning to__________.[A] tracks[B] series[C] characteristics[D] connections24.Dawna Markova would most probably agree that__________.[A] ideas are born of a relaxing mind[B] innovativeness could be taught[C] decisiveness derives from fantastic ideas[D] curiosity activates creative minds25.Ryan's comments suggest that the practice of standardized testing__________.[A] prevents new habits form being formed[B] no longer emphasizes commonness[C] maintains the inherent American thinking mode[D] complies with the American belief systemText 2①It is a wise father that knows his own child, but today a man can boost his paternal (fatherly) wisdom —or at least confirm that he's the kid's dad. ②All he needs to do is shell out $30 for a paternity testing kit (PTK) at his local drugstore—and another $120 to get the results.①More than 60,000 people have purchased the PTKs since they first became available without prescriptions last year, according to Doug Fogg, chief operating officer of Identigene, which makes the over-the-counter kits. ②More than two dozen companies sell DNA tests directly to the public, ranging in price from a few hundred dollars to more than $2,500.①Among the most popular: paternity and kinship testing, which adopted children can use to find their biological relatives and families can use to track down kids put up for adoption. ②DNA testing is also the latest rage among passionate genealogists—and supports businesses that offer to search for a family's geographic roots.①Most tests require collecting cells by swabbing saliva in the mouth and sending it to the company for testing. ②All tests require a potential candidate with whom to compare DNA.①But some observers are skeptical. ②“There's a kind of false precision being hawked by people claiming they are doing ancestry testing,”says Troy Duster, a New Y ork University sociologist. ③He notes that each individual has many ancestors—numbering in the hundreds just a few centuries back. ④Y et most ancestry testing only considers a single lineage, either the Y chromosome inherited through me n in a father's line or mitochondrial DNA, which is passed down only from mothers. ⑤This DNA can reveal genetic information about only one or two ancestors, even though, for example, just three generations back people also have six other great-grandparents or, four generations back, 14 other great-great-grandparents.①Critics also argue that commercial genetic testing is only as good as the reference collections to whicha sample is compared. ②Databases used by some companies don't rely on data collected systematically but rather lump together information from different research projects. ③This means that a DNA database may have a lot of data from some regions and not others, so a person's test results may differ depending on the company that processes the results. ④In addition, the computer programs a company uses to estimate relationships may be patented and not subject to peer review or outside evaluation.26.In Paragraphs 1 and 2, the text shows PTK's___________.[A] easy availability[B] flexibility in pricing[C] successful promotion[D] popularity with households27.PTK is used to___________.[A] locate one's birth place[B] promote genetic research[C] identify parent-child kinship[D] choose children for adoption28.Skeptical observers believe that ancestry testing fails to___________.[A] trace distant ancestors[B] rebuild reliable bloodlines[C] fully use genetic information[D] achieve the claimed accuracy29.In the last paragraph, a problem commercial genetic testing faces is___________.[A] disorganized data collection[B] overlapping database building[C] excessive sample comparison[D] lack of patent evaluation30.An appropriate title for the text is most likely to be___________.[A] Fors and Againsts of DNA Testing[B] DNA Testing and Its Problems[C] DNA Testing Outside the Lab[D] Lies Behind DNA TestingText 3①The relationship between formal education and economic growth in poor countries is widely misunderstood by economists and politicians alike. ②Progress in both areas is undoubtedly necessary for the social, political and intellectual development of these and all other societies；however, the conventional view that education should be one of the very highest priorities for promoting rapid economic development in poor countries is wrong. ③We are fortunate that it is, because building new educational systems there and putting enough people through them to improve economic performance would require two or three generations.④The findings of a research institution have consistently shown that workers in all countries can be trained on the job to achieve radically higher productivity and, as a result, radically higher standards of living.①Ironically, the first evidence for this idea appeared in the United States. ②Not long ago, with the country entering a recession and Japan at its pre-bubble peak, the U.S. workforce was derided as poorly educated and one of the primary causes of the poor U.S. economic performance. ③Japan was, and remains, the global leader in automotive-assembly productivity.④Y et the research revealed that the U.S. factories of Honda, Nissan, and Toyota achieved about 95 percent of the productivity of their Japanese counterparts—a result of the training that U.S. workers received on the job.①More recently, while examining housing construction, the researchers discovered that illiterate, non-English-speaking Mexican workers in Houston, Texas, consistently met best-practice labor productivity standards despite the complexity of the building industry's work.①What is the real relationship between education and economic development? ②We have to suspect that continuing economic growth promotes the development of education even when governments don't force it. ③After all, that's how education got started. ④When our ancestors were hunters and gatherers 10,000 years ago, they didn't have time to wonder much about anything besides finding food. ⑤Only when humanity began to get its food in a more productive way was there time for other things.①As education improved, humanity's productivity potential increased as well. ②When the competitive environment pushed our ancestors to achieve that potential, they could in turn afford more education. ③This increasingly high level of education is probably a necessary, but not a sufficient, condition for the complex political systems required by advanced economic performance.④Thus poor countries might not be able to escape their poverty traps without political changes that may be possible only with broader formal education.⑤A lack of formal education, however, doesn't constrain the ability of the developing world's workforce to substantially improve productivity for the foreseeable future.⑥On the contrary, constraints on improving productivity explain why education isn't developing more quickly there than it is.31.The author holds in Paragraph 1 that the importance of education in poor countries__________.[A] is subject to groundless doubts[B] has fallen victim of bias[C] is conventionally downgraded[D] has been overestimated32.It is stated in Paragraph 1 that the construction of a new educational system__________.[A] challenges economists and politicians[B] takes efforts of generations[C] demands priority from the government[D] requires sufficient labor force33.A major difference between the Japanese and U.S. workforces is that__________.[A] the Japanese workforce is better disciplined[B] the Japanese workforce is more productive[C] the U.S. workforce has a better education[D] the U.S. workforce is more organized34.The author quotes the example of our ancestors to show that education emerged__________.[A] when people had enough time[B] prior to better ways of finding food[C] when people no longer went hungry[D] as a result of pressure on government35.According to the last paragraph, development of education__________.[A] results directly from competitive environments[B] does not depend on economic performance[C] follows improved productivity[D] cannot afford political changesText 4①The most thoroughly studied intellectuals in the history of the New World are the ministers and political leaders of seventeenth-century New England. ②According to the standard history of American philosophy, nowhere else in colonial America was“so much importance attached to intellectual pursuits.”③According to many books and articles, New England's leaders established the basic themes and preoccupations of an unfolding, dominant Puritan tradition in American intellectual life.①To take this approach to the New Englanders normally means to start with the Puritans' theological innovations and their distinctive ideas about the church—important subjects that we may not neglect. ②But in keeping with our examination of southern intellectual life, we may conside r the original Puritans as carriers of European culture, adjusting to New World circumstances.③The New England colonies were the scenes of important episodes in the pursuit of widely understood ideals of civility and virtuosity.①The early settlers of Massachusetts Bay included men of impressive education and influence in England. ②Besides the ninety or so learned ministers who came to Massachusetts churches in the decade after 1629, there were political leaders like John Winthrop, an educated gentleman, la wyer, and official of the Crown before he journeyed to Boston.③These men wrote and published extensively, reaching both New World and Old World audiences, and giving New England an atmosphere of intellectual earnestness.①We should not forget, however, that most New Englanders were less well educated.②While few craftsmen or farmers, let alone dependents and servants, left literary compositions to be analyzed, it is obvious that their views were less fully intellectualized. ③Their thinking often had a traditional superstitious quality. ④A tailor named John Dane, who emigrated in the late 1630s, left an account of his reasons for leaving England that is filled with signs.⑤Sexual confusion, economic frustrations, and religious hope—all came together in a decisive moment when he opened the Bible, told his father that the first line he saw would settle his fate, and read the magical words:“Come out from among them, touch no unclean thing, and I will be your God and you shall be my people.”⑥One wonders what Dane thought of the careful sermons explaining the Bible that he heard in Puritan churches.①Meanwhile, many settlers had slighter religious commitments than Dane's, as one clergyman learned in confronting folk along the coast who mocked that they had not come to the New World for religion. ②“Our main end was to catch fish.”36.The author holds that in the seventeenth-century New England__________.[A] Puritan tradition dominated political life[B] intellectual interests were encouraged[C] politics benefited much from intellectual endeavors[D] intellectual pursuits enjoyed a liberal environment37.It is suggested in Paragraph 2 that New Englanders__________.[A] experienced a comparatively peaceful early history[B] brought with them the culture of the Old World[C] paid little attention to southern intellectual life[D] were obsessed with religious innovations38.The early ministers and political leaders in Massachusetts Bay__________.[A] were famous in the New World for their writings[B] gained increasing importance in religious affairs[C] abandoned high positions before coming to the New World[D] created a new intellectual atmosphere in New England39.The story of John Dane shows that less well-educated New Englanders were often__________.[A] influenced by superstitions[B] troubled with religious beliefs[C] puzzled by church sermons[D] frustrated with family earnings40.The text suggests that early settlers in New England__________.[A] were mostly engaged in political activities[B] were motivated by an illusory prospect[C] came from different intellectual backgrounds[D] left few formal records for later reference文- 汉语汉字编辑词条文，wen，从玄从爻。
2009年考研英语阅读理解精读100篇（高分版）TEXT10
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TEXT TEN A boy or a girl? That is usually the first question asked when a woman gives birth. Remarkably, the answer varies with where the mother lives. In rich countries the chances of its being a boy are about 5% higher than in poor ones. Equally remarkably, that figure has been falling recently. Several theories have been put forward to explain these observations. Some argue that smoking plays a role, others that diet may be important. Neither of these ideas has been supported by evidence from large studies. But new research points to a different factor: stress. Strange as it might seem, the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001 shed light on the enigma. Studies noting the sex of babies conceived in New York during the week of the attacks found a drop in the ratio of males to females. That is consistent with earlier studies, which revealed a similar shift in women who became pregnant during floods and earthquakes and in time of war. Moreover, a study carried out eight years ago by researchers at the University of Aarhus, in Denmark, revealed that women who suffered the death of a child or spouse from some catastrophic illness around the time they conceived were much more likely to give birth to girls than to boys. Taken together, these results suggest that acute stress to a woman at the time of conception shifts the sex ratio towards girls. However, Carsten Obel, a researcher at Aarhus who was not involved in the earlier study, wondered if the same might be true of chronic stress too. In a paper just published in Human Development, he shows that it is. Dr Obel used a set of data collected between 1989 and 1992. During that period 8,719 expectant mothers were asked to fill in questionnaires that inquired, among other things, about their level of stress. Dr Obel found that the more stressed a mother had been, the less chance she had of having given birth to a boy. Only 47% of children born to women in the top quartile of stress were males. That compared with 52% for women in the bottom quartile. Dr Obel suspects the immediate cause is that male pregnancies are more likely to miscarry in response to stress than female pregnancies are, especially during the first three months. However, that is difficult to prove. More intriguing, though, is the ultimate cause, for he thinks it might be adaptive, rather than pathological. That is because the chances are that a daughter who reaches adulthood will find a mate and thus produce grandchildren. A son is a different matter. Healthy, strapping sons are likely to produce lots of grandchildren, by several women-or would have done in the hunter-gatherer societies in which most human evolution took place. Weak ones would be marginalised and maybe even killed in the cut and thrust of male competition. If a mother’s stress adversely affects the development of her fetus then selectively aborting boys, rather than wasting time and resources on bringing them to term, would make evolutionary sense. That, in turn, would explain why women in rich countries, who are less likely to suffer from hunger and disease, are more likely to give birth to sons. That this likelihood is, nevertheless, falling suggests that rich women’s lives may be more stressful than they used to be. 1. The author begins the passage by_____. [A] presenting an argumentation [B] explaining a phenomenon [C] raising a question [D] making a comparison 2. The ratio of giving birth to a boy is falling in rich countries because_____. [A] the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001 exerted huge negative impact [B] women are facing greater pressure than past [C] women are under new pressure now which they seldom faced in the past [D] male pregnancies are more easily to miscarry 3. Which of the following can explain Dr Obel’s opinion that the ultimat cause is adaptive rather than pathological? [A] 47% of children born to women in the top quartile of stress were males while 52% in the bottom quartile. [B] Women in rich countries are more likely to give birth to boys [C] Women selectively abort boys rather than waste time and resources on bringing them to term for fear of male competition. [D] Women who suffer from calamity in conception are more likely to give birth to girls. 4. Women in the hunter-gatherer societies are more likely to give birth to daughters because_____. [A] they agree that giving birth to daughters is beneficial in the evolutionary sense [B] sons are likely to produce lots of grandchildren with several women [C] they think it is a better practice for a daughter to produce grandchildren with only one mate [D] they think bringing sons to term is wasting time and resources. 5.From this passage, we may draw a conclusion that_____. [A] acute stress is more likely to cause women to choose aborting boys than chronic stress. [B] stress to a woman at the time of conception, whether acute or chronic, will shift the sex ratio towards girls. [C] more girls will be born in the future because today’s women, in both rich and poor countries, suffer from increasing pressure. [D] chronic stress is more decisive in influencing the women’s pregnancies. ⽂章剖析： 这篇⽂章是介绍影响婴⼉出⽣性别原因的⼀个新的研究成果－－压⼒。
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INDEPENDENT READING PROGRAM*Students involved in the Independent Reading Program must choose their reading titles from this list. New titles are added on a monthly basis - check the library website (churchill.vsb.bc.ca) often or ask one of the teacher-librarians! The new titles are in blue and underlined.Level Key: C = Challenging M = Moderate E = Easy EE = Double EasyAuthor Title At Churchill Library Level Adams, Richard Watership Down Fantasy C Adams, W. Royce Rairarubia Fantasy EE Adiga, Aravind The White Tiger Classic M Aker, Don The First Stone Teen M Albom, Mitch The Five People You Meet in Heaven General E Ali, Monica Brick Lane Classic C Allende, Isabel City of the Beasts Fantasy M Allende, Isabel Daughter of Fortune Classic – historical C Allende, Isabel Inés of my Soul Classic –historical C Alvarez, Julia How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents Classic M Alvarez, Julia In the Time of the Butterflies Classic M Anderson, Laurie Halse Speak Teen M Angelou, Maya I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Classic C Anonymous Go Ask Alice Teen MAtwood, Margaret The Handmaid’s Tale Classic CAtwood, Margaret The Penelopiad Classic M Austen, Jane Persuasion Classic – historical M Avi The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle Teen – historical E Avi Wolf Rider: A Tale of Terror Mystery E Babbitt, Natalie Tuck Everlasting Fantasy EE Bacon, Charlotte There is Room for You General CBadami, Anita Rau Can You Hear the Nightbird Call? Classic CBadami, Anita Rau Hero’s Walk Classic C Banks, Lynne Reid Dungeon, The Teen – historical EE Barker, Clive Abarat (1) Fantasy E Barker, Clive Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War (2) Fantasy E Beah, Ishmael A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier General (non-fiction) M Bell, William Stones Teen E Blackwood, Gary The Shakespeare Stealer Mystery – historical E Bone, Ian The Song of An Innocent Bystander Teen M Boukreev, Anatoli The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest General M Boyne, John The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas Teen – historical EBoyden, Joseph Three Day Road Classic CBoyden, Joseph Through Black Spruce Classic CBradford, Karleen Angeline Teen – historical EE Brashares, Ann The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Teen E Bray, Libba A Great and Terrible Beauty Mystery – historical M Brontë, Charlotte Jane Eyre Classic – historical C Brontë, Emily Wuthering Heights Classic – historical C Brooks, Geraldine Nine Parts of Desire Non-fiction: 305.48 BRO C Brooks, Geraldine Year of Wonders General – historical C Brooks, Kevin Being Teen M Brooks, Kevin Road of the Dead Mystery E Brown, Dan Angels and Demons Mystery M Brown, Dan Da Vinci Code Mystery M Brown, Dan Digital Fortress Mystery M Bunting, Eve SOS Titanic Teen – historical E Burchett, Jan Deception (4) (The Lady Grace Mysteries) Mystery – historical EBurtinshaw, Julie The Freedom of Jenny Teen – historical EE Byars, Betsy McMummy Teen – humour E Camus, Albert The Outsider Classic C Card, Orson Scott Ender’s Game SF M Card, Orson Scott Ender’s Shadow (1) SF M Card, Orson Scott Shadow of the Hegemon (2) SF M Card, Orson Scott Shadow Puppets (3) SF M Card, Orson Scott Shadow of the Giant (4)SF M Caroll, Lewis Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Classic – fantasy M Cashore, Kristin Graceling Fantasy E Cassidy, Anne Looking for JJ Teen E Chalifour, Francis After Teen E Chang, Jung Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China Non-fiction: 921 CHA C Chevalier, Tracy Burning Bright Teen – historical M Chevalier, Tracy The Girl with a Pearl Earring Classic – historical M Chevalier, Tracy The Lady and the Unicorn General – historical MChoy, Wayson The Jade Peony Classic M Christie, Agatha And Then There Were None Mystery M Clare, Cassandra City of Bones Fantasy M Coelho, Paulo The Alchemist Classic M Coelho, Paulo The Valkyries General M Coelho, Paulo Veronika Decides to Die Teen M Cole, Stephen Thieves Like Us Teen E Colfer, Eoin Artemis Fowl (1) Fantasy E Colfer, Eoin Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident (2) Fantasy E Colfer, Eoin Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code (3) Fantasy E Colfer, Eoin Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception (4) Fantasy E Colfer, Eoin Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony (5) Fantasy E Colfer, Eoin Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox (6) Fantasy E Colfer, Eoin The Supernaturalist SF E Colfer, Eoin The Wish List Fantasy ECoupland, Douglas Girlfriend in a Coma General CCoupland, Douglas Hey Nostradamus! General C Courtenay, Bryce The Power of One General C Creedon, Catherine Blue Wolf Fantasy EE Crichton, Michael Next SF M Crossley-Holland, Kevin Arthur: The Seeing Stone (1) Fantasy M Crossley-Holland, Kevin Arthur: At the Crossing Places (2) Fantasy M Crossley-Holland, Kevin Arthur: King of the Middle March (3) Fantasy M Crossley-Holland, Kevin Gatty’s Tale Teen – historical M Cushman, Karen Catherine, Called Birdy Teen – historical E Cushman, Karen Matilda Bone Teen – historical E Cushman, Karen The Midwife’s Apprentice Teen – historical E Dai, Sijie Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress General MDavies, Robertson Fifth Business Classic C Davis, Kenneth C. Don’t Know Much About Geography Non-fiction: 910 DAV MDay, Frank Parker Rockbound Classic C Dessen, Sarah Dreamland Teen E Dessen, Sarah Keeping the Moon Teen E DiCamillo, Kate The Tale of Despereaux Fantasy E Dickens, Charles A Tale of Two Cities Classic – historical C Dickens, Charles Great Expectations Classic – historical C Dokey, Cameron Beauty Sleep Fantasy – fairy tale retold E Dokey, Cameron Before Midnight Fantasy – fairy tale retold E Dokey, Cameron Golden Fantasy – fairy tale retold E Dokey, Cameron The Storyteller’s Daughter Fantasy – fairy tale retold E Donnelly, Jennifer A Northern Light Classic – historical M Doran, Colleen A Distant Soil: The Gathering Graphic Novel M Doyle, Brian Angel Square Teen E Draper, Sharon M. Copper Sun Teen – historical EDuane, Diane So You Want to be a WIZARD Fantasy E Dumas, Alexandre The Count of Monte Cristo Classic – historical C du Maurier, Daphne Rule Britannia SF C Dunant, Sarah The Birth of Venus General – historical C Duncan, Lois Killing Mr. Griffin Teen E dyer, kc Ms Zephyr’s Notebook Teen Edyer, kc Seeds of Time (1)Fantasy Edyer, kc Secret of Light (2)Fantasy Edyer, kc Shades of Red (3) Fantasy EEldridge, Jim Spy Smuggler: Lelaud, Paul, France, 1942-1944 Teen – historical E Ellis, Deborah The Breadwinner(1)Teen E Ellis, Deborah Mud City (2) Teen E Ellis, Deborah Parvana’s Journey (3)Teen E Ellis, Deborah I Am a Taxi Teen E Erickson, Carolly The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette Teen – historical E Fforde, Jasper The Eyre Affair (1) Fantasy C Fforde, Jasper Lost in a Good Book (2) Fantasy C Fforde, Jasper Well of Lost Plots, The (3) Fantasy C Fielding, Helen Bridget Jones’s Diary (1)General M Fielding, Helen Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2)General MFindley, Timothy Not Wanted on the Voyage Classic CFindley, Timothy The Wars Classic – historical CFinlay, Jamieson The Blue Roan Child Fantasy M Finney, Patricia Assassin (1) (The Lady Grace Mysteries) Mystery – historical E Finney, Patricia Betrayal (2) (The Lady Grace Mysteries) Mystery – historical E Finney, Patricia Conspiracy (3) (The Lady Grace Mysteries) Mystery – historical E Fisher, Catherine Darkwater Hall Mystery – horror E Fisk, Pauline Red Judge, The Fantasy E Fitch, Janet White Oleander Classic C Fitzgerald, F. Scott The Great Gatsby Classic C Flagg, Fannie Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop CaféGeneral M Fleischman, Paul Whirligig Teen M Flewelling, Lynn Luck in the Shadows (1) Fantasy M Flewelling, Lynn Stalking Darkness (2) Fantasy M Flewelling, Lynn Traitor’s Moon (3)Fantasy M Foer, Jonathan Safran Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close General M Foon, Dennis Skud Teen M Frazier, Charles Cold Mountain Classic - historical C Fredericks, Mariah The True Meaning of Cleavage Teen M Friesen, Gayle The Isabel Factor Teen E Funke, Cornelia Inkheart Fantasy E Funke, Cornelia The Thief Lord Fantasy E Gaiman, Neil Anansi Boys Fantasy M Gaiman, Neil Neverwhere Mystery – horror M Gaiman, Neil Sandman: Season of Mists Graphic Novel M Gaiman, Neil Stardust Fantasy E García Márquez, Gabriel Chronicle of a Death Foretold Classic C García Márquez, Gabriel Love in the Time of Cholera Classic C Garcia, Christina Dreaming in Cuban Classic M Gardner, Graham Inventing Elliot Teen E Gavin, Jamila The Blood Stone Teen – historical M George, Elizabeth What Came Before He Shot Her General C George, Elizabeth With No One as Witness Mystery MGhosh, Amitav The Glass Palace General CGibb, Camilla Sweetness in the Belly General C Gibbons, Kaye Ellen Foster Classic M Godbersen, Anna The Luxe (1) Teen M Godbersen, Anna Rumours (2) Teen M Godbersen, Anna Envy (3) Teen M Golden, Arthur Memoirs of a Geisha Classic CGrahame, Kenneth The Wind in the Willows Classic M Grahame-Smith, Seth Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Fantasy C Greene, Bette The Summer of My German Soldier Teen – historical E Gregory, Philippa The Other Boleyn Girl Classic – historical C Grisham, John The Brethren General MGruen, Sara Water for Elephants General M Guevara, Ernesto “Che” The Motorcycle Diaries Non-fiction: 918 GUE M Gutman, Dan The Homework Machine Teen EE Haley, Alex Roots General – historical C Hamilton, Jane Book of Ruth General M Haworth-Attard, Barbara Theories of Relativity Teen E Haynes, Diane Flight or Fight Teen E Hearn, Julie Ivy Teen – historical M Hearn, Julie The Merrybegot Teen – historical E Hearn, Lian Across the Nightingale Floor (1) Fantasy M Hearn, Lian Grass for his Pillow (2)Fantasy M Hearn, Lian Brilliance of the Moon (3)Fantasy M Henkes, Kevin Words of Stone Teen E Herbert, Frank Dune (1) SF M Herbert, Frank Dune Messiah (2) SF M Herbert, Frank Children of Dune (3)SF M Herbert, Frank God Emperor of Dune (4) SF MHill, Lawrence The Book of Negroes Classic C Hoban, Russell The Mouse and his Child Fantasy M Hobb, Robin Ship of Magic (1) Fantasy C Hobb, Robin Mad Ship (2) Fantasy C Hobb, Robin Ship of Destiny (3) Fantasy CHoleman, Linda Search of the Moon King’s Daughter Teen – historical E Holub, Josef An Innocent Soldier Teen – historical E Hopkins, Ellen Burned Teen M Hopkins, Ellen Crank Teen M Hopkins, Ellen Identical Teen M Hopkins, Ellen Impulse Teen C Horowitz, Anthony Stormbreaker Mystery – adventure E Hornby, Nick How to be Good General M Hosseini, Khaled The Kite Runner Classic C Hosseini, Khaled A Thousand Splendid Suns Classic C Hrdlitschka, Shelly Sister Wife Teen E Irving, John A Widow for One Year Classic C Irving, John The World According to Garp Classic C Jacobs, Kate The Friday Night Knitting Club General M James, P.D. The Lighthouse Mystery E Jansson, Tove Finn Family Moomintroll Fantasy EEJohnston, Wayne Navigator of New York Classic C Jordan, Robert The Eye of the World Fantasy C Juby, Susan Another Kind of Cowboy Teen M Kalogridis, Jeanne The Borgia Bride Classic – historical CKay, Guy Gavriel The Summer Tree (1) Fantasy MKay, Guy Gavriel The Wandering Fire (2) Fantasy MKay, Guy Gavriel Ysabel Fantasy E Kayson, Susanna Girl, Interrupted General M Khadra, Yasmina Swallows of Kabul General MGeneral E King, Stephen Different Seasons: Rita Hayworth and ShawshankRedemptionKing, Stephen The Eyes of the Dragon Fantasy MKing, Thomas Medicine River General C Kingsolver, Barbara The Bean Trees Classic C Kingsolver, Barbara The Poisonwood Bible Classic C Kingsolver, Barbara Prodigal Summer Classic CKinsella, W.P. Shoeless Joe Classic MKlass, David Danger Zone Teen E Koja, Kathe Buddha Boy Teen EE konigsburg, e.l.Silent to the Bone Mystery EE Koontz, Dean Watchers Mystery – horror MKorman, Gordon The Discovery (Dive: Book One) Teen – adventure EEKorman, Gordon The Deep (Dive: Book Two)Mystery – adventure EEKorman, Gordon The Danger (Dive: Book Three)Mystery – adventure EEKorman, Gordon The Contest (Everest: Book One)Mystery – adventure EE Korman, Gordon The Climb (Everest: Book Two) Teen EE Korman, Gordon The Summit (Everest: Book Three) Teen EEKorman, Gordon Shipwreck (Island: Book One) Teen – adventure EE Korman, Gordon No More Dead Dogs Teen E Krakauer, Jon Into the Wild General (non-fiction) M Krakauer, Jon Into Thin Air General (non-fiction) C Krakauer, Jon Under the Banner of Heaven General (non-fiction) C Kwok, Helen The Concubine’s Daughter General M L’Engle, Madeleine A Wrinkle in Time Fantasy EE L’Engle, Madeleine The Moon by Night Teen M Laird, Elizabeth Kiss the Dust Teen ELaurence, Margaret The Stone Angel General C Lawrence, Caroline The Thieves of Ostia Teen – historical ELawson, Julie White Jade Tiger Teen – fantasy – historical EELawson, Mary Crow Lake Classic – historical CLee, Sky Disappearing Moon CaféClassic – historical C LeGuin, Ursula A Wizard of Earthsea (1) Fantasy M LeGuin, Ursula The Tombs of Atuan (2) Fantasy M Levy, Andrea Small Island Classic C Lewis, C.S. The Magician’s Nephew (1)Fantasy E Lewis, C.S.The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2)Fantasy E Lewis, C.S. The Horse and his Boy (3) Fantasy E Lewis, C.S. Prince Caspian (4) Fantasy E Lewis, C.S. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (5) Fantasy E Lewis, C.S. The Silver Chair (6) Fantasy E Lewis, C.S. The Last Battle (7) Fantasy E Lewis, H.J. Hidden Talent Teen EE Lipsyte, Robert The Contender Teen E Loh, Vyvyanne Breaking the Tongue General – historical C Lowry, Lois Gathering Blue SF E Lowry, Lois The Giver SF E Lowry, Lois Number the Stars Teen – historical E Ludlum, Robert The Bourne Identity Mystery – spy M Lynch, Jim The Highest Tide Teen M Mac, Carrie Pain and Wastings Teen EMacDonald, Ann-Marie Fall on your Knees Classic CMacLeod, Alistair No Great Mischief Classic C MacPhail, Catherine Run, Zan, Run Teen E Mandela, Nelson A Long Walk to Freedom Non-fiction: 921 MAN C Maraire, J. Nozipo Zenzele General E Marks, Graham Zoo Teen – adventure EMartel, Yann Life of Pi Classic M Martin, George R.R. A Game of Thrones (1) Fantasy C Martin, George R.R. A Clash of Kings (2) Fantasy C Martin, George R.R. A Storm of Swords (3) Fantasy C Matheson, Richard I Am Legend SF – horror M Matthews, L.S. Fish Teen E Mayes, Frances Under the Tuscan Sun General (non-fiction) C Mayle, Peter A Year in Provence General (non-fiction) E Mazer, Harry A Boy at War Teen – historical EE McBay, B./Heneghan, J. Waiting for Sarah Mystery – horror EMcClintock, Norah Over the Edge (1) Mystery (MACC) EMcClintock, Norah Double Cross (2) Mystery (MACC) EMcClintock, Norah Scared to Death (3) Mystery (MACC) E McCormick, Patricia Cut Teen M McCourt, Frank Angela’s Ashes Non-fiction: 921 MACC C McIntosh, Fiona Myrren’s Gift (1)Fantasy M McIntosh, Fiona Blood and Memory (2) Fantasy M McIntosh, Fiona Bridge of Souls (3) Fantasy M McMillan, Terry How Stella Got Her Groove Back General (MACM) MMcNamee, Graham Acceleration Mystery EMcNaughton, Janet An Earthly Knight Fantasy EMelling, O.R. The Hunter’s Moon, (Book I, The Chronicles ofFantasy E Faerie)Fantasy E Melling, O.R. The Summer King, (Book II, The Chronicles ofFaerie)Fantasy E Melling, O.R. The Light-Bearer’s Daughter, (Book III,Chronicles of Faerie)Melling, O.R. The Book of Dreams (Book IV, The Chronicles ofFantasy M Faerie)Messud, Claire The Emperor’s Children Classic C Meyer, Stephenie Twilight (1) Teen – fantasy M Meyer, Stephenie New Moon (2) Teen – fantasy M Meyer, Stephenie Eclipse (3) Teen – fantasy M Meyer, Stephenie Breaking Dawn (4) Teen – fantasy M Meyer, Stephenie The Host SF M Mikaelsen, Ben Touching Spirit Bear Teen E Miklowitz, Gloria D. War Between the Classes Teen EMitchell, W.O. Who Has Seen the Wind General C Modesitt Jr., L.E. The Soprano Sorceress (1) Fantasy M Modesitt Jr., L.E. The Spellsong War (2) Fantasy M Modesitt Jr., L.E. Darksong Rising (3) Fantasy M Modesitt Jr., L.E. The Shadow Sorceress (4) Fantasy M Modesitt Jr., L.E. Shadowsinger (5) Fantasy MMontgomery, L.M. Anne of Green Gables (1) Teen – historical EMontgomery, L.M. Anne of Avonlea (2) Teen – historical E Moore, A & Gibbons, D Watchmen Graphic Novel MMoore, Lisa Alligator Classic C Morgan, Robert Gap Creek General C Moriarty, Jaclyn Year of Secret Assignments Teen E Morpurgo, Michael Kensuke’s Kingdom Teen – historical EEMorrissey, Donna Downhill Chance Classic – historical C Mortenson, Greg Three Cups of Tea General CMosionier, Beatrice In Search of April Raintree General M Mosse, Kate Labyrinth Fantasy – mystery C Muchamore, Robert The Recruit (CHERUB #1) M Muchamore, Robert Class A (CHERUB #2) M Muchamore, Robert Maximum Security (CHERUB #3) M Murakami, Haruki A Wild Sheep Chase C Myers, Walter Dean Monster Teen M Myers, Walter Dean Slam! Teen E Namioka, Lensey April and the Dragon Lady Teen E Namioka, Lensey Ties That Bind, Ties That Break Teen E Némirovsky, Irène Suite Française Classic – historical CNickel, Barbara Hannah Waters and the Daughter of JohannTeen – fantasy – historical E Sebastian BachNickel, Barbara The Secret Wish of Nannerl Mozart Teen – historical E Nimmo, Jenny Midnight for Charlie Bone (1) Fantasy E Nimmo, Jenny The Time Twister (2) Fantasy E Nimmo, Jenny The Blue Boa (3) Fantasy E Nimmo, Jenny The Castle of Mirrors (4) Fantasy E Nimmo, Jenny Charlie Bone and the Hidden King (5) Fantasy ENimmo, Jenny Charlie Bone and the Wilderness Wolf (6) Fantasy E Nimmo, Jenny Charlie Bone and the Shadow of Badlock (7) Fantasy E Nimmo, Jenny The Snow Spider Trilogy Fantasy M Nix, Garth Sabriel (1) Fantasy E Nix, Garth Lirael (2) Fantasy E Nix, Garth Abhorsen (3) Fantasy E Nixon, Joan Lowery Murdered, My Sweet Mystery E Nolan, Han Born Blue Teen E O’Brien, Robert C.Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH Fantasy EE Olsen, Sylvia White Girl Teen MOndaatje, Michael Anil’s Ghost Classic COndaatje, Michael Divisadero Classic COppel, Kenneth Airborn (1) Fantasy MOppel, Kenneth Skybreaker (2) Fantasy MOppel, Kenneth Darkwing Fantasy EOppel, Kenneth Silverwing (1) Fantasy EOppel, Kenneth Sunwing (2) Fantasy EOppel, Kenneth Firewing (3) Fantasy E Osborne, Frances Lilla’s Feast Classic – historical (non-fiction) C Ostow, Micol Westminster Abby Teen E Paolini, Christopher Eragon (1) Fantasy M Paolini, Christopher Eldest (2) Fantasy M Paolini, Christopher Brisingr(3) Teen M Park, Linda Sue A Single Shard Teen – historical EE Pattou, Edith East Fantasy E Paulsen, Gary Hatchet Teen E Paulsen, Gary Nightjohn Teen EPearson, Kit Awake and Dreaming Teen – fantasy E Peet, Mal Tamar General – historical M Peters, Julie Anne Define “Normal”Teen E Picoult, Jodi My Sister’s Keeper General C Picoult, Jodi Nineteen Minutes General C Pierce, Tamora Alanna. The First Adventure (1) Fantasy E Pierce, Tamora In the Hand of the Goddess (2) Fantasy E Pierce, Tamora Lioness Rampant (4) Fantasy E Pierce, Tamora The Woman Who Rides Like a Man (3) Fantasy E Pierce, Tamora Trickster’s Choice (1)Fantasy M Pierce, Tamora Trickster’s Queen (2)Fantasy M Porter, Pamela The Crazy Man Teen E Pullman, Philip The Golden Compass (1)Fantasy M Pullman, Philip The Subtle Knife (2)Fantasy M Pullman, Philip The Amber Spyglass (3) Fantasy M Puzo, Mario The Godfather General M Rai, Bali Rani and Sukh Teen EE Redfield, James Celestine Prophecy General M Renault, Mary The Bull from the Sea General – historical C Renault, Mary The Last of the Wine General – historical C Rhys, Jean Wide Sargasso Sea General – historical CRicci, Nino Lives of the Saints Classic – historical CRichardson, Bill After Hamelin Fantasy M Richardson, V.A. House of Windjammer Teen – historical ERobertson, Ray What Happened Later General M Riordan, Rick The Lightning Thief (1) Fantasy E Riordan, Rick The Sea of Monsters (2) Fantasy E Riordan, Rick The Titan’s Curse (3)Fantasy E Riordan, Rick The Battle of the Labyrinth (4) Fantasy E Riordan, Rick The Last Olympian (5) Fantasy ERobinson, Eden Monkey Beach Classic C Rowling, J.K. H arry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone (1)Fantasy E Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets (2) Fantasy ERowling, J.K. Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Askaban (3) Fantasy E Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire (4) Fantasy M Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix (5) Fantasy M Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince (6) Fantasy M Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows (7) Fantasy M Rowling, J.K. Tales of Beedle the Bard Fantasy E Rozan, S.J. China Trade Mystery M Rubinstein, Gillian Galax-Arena SF E Rylant, Cynthia I Had Seen Castles Teen E Sachar, Louis Holes Teen EE Sachar, Louis Small Steps Teen E Sacco, Joe Palestine Graphic Novel M Salvatore, R.A. Homeland Fantasy M Saramago, JoséBlindness Classic C Saul, John The God Project Mystery – horror M Saul, John The Presence Mystery – horror M Schlink, Bernhard The Reader Classic M Sebold, Alice The Lovely Bones Classic M Setterfield, Diana The Thirteenth Tale Classic C Shan, Darren Cirque du Freak (1) Mystery – horror E Shan, Darren The Vampire’s Assistant (2)Mystery – horror E Shan, Darren Tunnels of Blood (3) Mystery – horror E Shan, Darren Vampire Mountain (4) Mystery – horror E Shan, Darren Trials of Death (5) Mystery – horror E Shan, Darren Vampire Prince, The (6) Mystery – horror E Sheth, Kashmira Blue Jasmine Teen E Sheth, Kashmira Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet Teen EE Shinn, Sharon The Shape-Changer’s Wife Fantasy M Sidhwa, Bapsi Water Classic M Skelton, Matthew Endymion Spring Fantasy ESlade, Arthur Megiddo’s Shadow Teen – historical MSlipperjack, Ruby Honour the Sun General C Slovo, Gillian Every Secret Thing, My Family, My Country Non-fiction: 921 SLO C Smith, Alexander McCall The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency (1) Mystery M Smith, Alexander McCall Tears of the Giraffe (2) Mystery M Smith, Alexander McCall Morality for Beautiful Girls (3) Mystery M Smith, Alexander McCall The Kalahari Typing School for Men (4) Mystery M Smith, Alexander McCall The Full Cupboard of Life (5) Mystery M Smith, Alexander McCall Blue Shoes and Happiness (7) Mystery M Smith, Alexander McCall Good Husband of Zebra Drive (8) Mystery M Smith, Alexander McCall Miracle at Speedy Motors (9) Mystery M Smith, Scott Ruins, The Horror M Snicket, Lemony The Bad Beginning (1) Teen EE Snicket, Lemony The Reptile Room (2) Teen EE Snicket, Lemony The Wide Window (3) Teen EE Snicket, Lemony The Miserable Mill (4) Teen EE Snicket, Lemony The Austere Academy (5) Teen EE Snicket, Lemony The Ersatz Elevator (6) Teen EE Snicket, Lemony The Vile Village (7) Teen EE Snicket, Lemony The Hostile Hospital (8) Teen EE Snicket, Lemony The Carnivorous Carnival (9) Teen E Snicket, Lemony The Slippery Slope (10) Teen E Snicket, Lemony The Grim Grotto (11) Teen E Snicket, Lemony The Penultimate Peril (12) Teen E Snicket, Lemony The End (13) Teen E Sotzek, H.G. Making the Grade Teen EEGeneral (non-fiction) C Souad Bu rned Alive: A Survivor of an “Honor Killing”Speaks OutSparks, Nicholas A Walk to Remember Teen M Spiegelman, Art Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale Graphic Novel ESpiegelman, Art Maus II: A Survivor’s Tale Graphic Novel E Spinelli, Jerry Milkweed Teen E Spinelli, Jerry Stargirl Teen E Staples, Suzanne Fisher Shabanu (1) Teen E Staples, Suzanne Fisher Haveli (2) Teen E Steinbeck, John East of Eden Classic – historical C Steinbeck, John The Grapes of Wrath Classic – historical C Stevenson, R.L. Treasure Island Classic – historical M Stoker, Bram Dracula Classic – historical C Strasser, Todd Give a Boy a Gun Teen M Sundaresan, Indu The Twentieth Wife Classic – historical C Tan, Amy The Kitchen God’s Wife General – historical M Ten Boom, Corrie The Hiding Place General – historical (non-fiction) M Tepper, Sheri Gate to Women’s Country SF C Thal, Lilli Mimus Teen – historical MThornton, Duncan Kalifax (1) Fantasy EEThornton, Duncan Captain Jenny & the Sea of Wonders (2) Fantasy EThornton, Duncan The Star-Glass (3) Fantasy E Tiffany, Grace My Father had a Daughter General – historical M Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit Classic – fantasy C Tolkien, J.R.R. The Fellowship of the Ring (1) Classic – fantasy C Tolkien, J.R.R. The Two Towers (2) Classic – fantasy C Tolkien, J.R.R. The Return of the King (3) Classic – fantasy C Tsukiyama, Gail The Samurai’s Garden Classic – historical M Tyler, Anne Digging to America Classic C Ung, Luong First They Killed My Father General (non-fiction) M Van Camp, Richard The Lesser Blessed Teen M Van Draanen, Wendelin Flipped Teen E Vanderbes, Jennifer Easter Island General C Vantrease, Brenda R. The Illuminator General – historical C Verne, Jules Journey to the Centre of the Earth Classic – historical M Walker, Alice The Color Purple Classic M Walls, Jeannette The Glass Castle General (non-fiction) C Walters, Minette The Sculptress Mystery M Waters, Sarah The Night Watch General – historical C Wells, Rebecca Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood General C Westerfeld, Scott Uglies (1) SF E Westerfeld, Scott Pretties (2) SF E Westerfeld, Scott Specials (3) SF E Westerfeld, Scott Extras (4) SF E Westerfeld, Scott The Secret Hour (Midnighters #1) Fantasy M Westerfeld, Scott Touching Darkness (Midnighters #2) Fantasy M Whedon, Joss Fray Graphic Novel EE White, E.B. Charlotte’s Web Classic –children’s EE Willis, Connie Passage SF C Wright, Richard Black Boy Non-fiction: 921 WRI C Wulffson, Don Soldier X Teen – historical E Ye, Ting-Xing Throwaway Daughter Teen E Zamyatin, Yevgeny We SF C Zevin, Gabrielle Elsewhere Teen E Zindel, Paul The Pigman Teen E *for more information about this program and its development see Ms. J. McKinlay。