30篇阅读理解

Passage-31A lady named Mary from California flew to Japan, in her favorite jeans and a casual jacket, to give her first speech. Fourteen hours later, four perfectly dressed Japanese gentlemen greeted her at the airport. Smiling and bowing low, they handed her their business cards. With her bag in one hand, Mary took their cards with the other. She thanked them, glanced briefly at the cards, and put them into her jeans pocket quickly.When the five of them arrived at the hotel, they invited Mary to tea in the lobby (大厅). While sipping tea, the gentlemen presented her with a small gift which she eagerly opened. She was thrilled with the gift and shouted excitedly, “Oh, it's beautiful！”At this point, the four Japanese gentlemen stood up and, bowing only very slightly, said “Sayonara” and left immediately. Poor Mary was left astonished. What did she do wrong?Everything! Her jeans were the first gaffe. Even if you're coming off a bicycle in Japan, you do not meet clients (客人) casually dressed. The second mistake was Mary's handling of their business cards rudely. In Japan, the business card is one of the most important communicative tools. It is always presented and accepted respectfully with both hands. However, Mary put their cards away much too quickly. In Japan, people use business cards as a conversation starter. You chat about each other's cards and work and do not put theirs away until they gently and respectfully place yours in safe keeping. Putting it carelessly into her jeans pocket was the ultimate disrespect.Then, the fourth horror of horrors was that Mary should not have opened the gift in front of her clients. In a land where saving face is critical, it would be embarrassing to discover the gift they gave was not as nice as the one they received. What is worse, Mary hadn't even given them a gift!21. Why did the four Japanese gentlemen leave Mary suddenly?A. Because they had finished the task.B. Because Mary had something more important to do.C. Because they couldn't bear Mary 's behaviour any longer.D. Because Mary felt embarrassed.22. What does the underlined word “gaffe” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?A. ignoranceB. carelessnessC. sadnessD. mistake23. The third mistake Mary made was that she ________.A. kept her clients' cards in a wrong placeB. took her clients' cards with one handC. met her clients in jeansD. used her own card as a conversation starter24. What lesson can we draw from this story?A. Think twice before you take any action.B. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.C. To save time is to lengthen life.D. One false move may lose the game.Passage-32Are some people born clever, and others born stupid? Or is intelligence developed by our environment and our experience? Strangely enough, the answer to these questions is yes. To some extent our intelligence is given to us at birth, and no amount of special education can make a genius out of a child born with low intelligence. On the other hand, a child who lives in a boring environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in rich and varied surroundings. Thus the limits of person’s intelligence are fixed at birth, but whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment. This view, now held by most experts, can be supported in a number of ways.It is easy to show that intelligence is to some extent something we are born with. The closer the blood relationship between two people, the closer they are likely to be intelligence. Thus if we take two unrelated people at random from population, it is likely that their degree of intelligence will be completely different. If on the other hand we take two identical twins, they will very probably be as intelligent as each other. Relations like brothers and sisters, parents and children, usually have similar intelligence, and this clearly suggests that intelligence depends on birth.Imagine now that we take two identical twins and put them in different environments. We might send one, for example, to a university and the other to a factory where the work is boring. We would soon find differences in intelligence developing, and this indicates that environment as well as birth plays a part. This conclusion is also suggested by the fact that people who live in close contact with each other, but who are not related at all are likely to have similar degrees of intelligence.25. Which of these sentences best describes the writer’s point in Paragraph 1?A. To some extent, intelligence is given at birth.B. Intelligence is developed by the environment.C. Some people are born clever and others born stupid.D. Intelligence is fixed at birth, but is developed by the environment.26. It is suggested in this passage that ________ .A. close relation usually have similar intelligenceB. unrelated people are not likely to have different intelligenceC. the closer the blood relationship between people, the more different they are likely to be in intelligenceD. people who live in close contact with each other are not likely to have similar degrees of intelligence27.The phrase “ at random” (Line 3, Para.2) means ________ .A. purposelyB. rationallyC. aimlesslyD. independently28. The best title for this article would be ________ .A. What Does Intelligence Mean?B. On IntelligenceC. We are Born with IntelligenceD. Environment Plays a Part in Developing IntelligencePassage-33If you are interested to find a part-time job or learn something different during your spare time, you can have a look at the following jobs offered by the DC Public Library.Teens of Distinction ProgramThe DC Public Library offers part-time jobs for teens through the Teens of Distinction Program. Teens work 10-12 hours per week all year long, helping the library with important tasks and projects. The Teens of Distinction Program is now hiring! To apply, you have to：● be a DC resident● have and maintain at least a 2.5 grade point average● be 16 to 18 years old● be able to work 10-12 hours per week● be able to work for DCPL for at least 9 monthsOh, and of course you have to impress us with your wonderful personality!Teen Volunteer OpportunitiesIf you want to earn community service hours for school, Youth202 is a good choice.Youth202 is a radio program created by youth and for youth. You can learn radio production skills, interview people around you, and help keep other teens to learn news, events, and anything else you think is important.Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP)Every summer, teens can work here to help library customers organize books and learn lots of new skills, such as program planning, writing and media production.On Friday, January 25 at 12:15 pm, the application for the 2014 SYEP will be open to teens between the ages of 14 and 21.Applications will be processed on a first come, first served basis. Space is limited this year, so teens are encouraged to apply early, and remember not to miss the deadline, Saturday, February 16.33.Working for the Teens of Distinction Program, teenagers will ________．①become a DC resident ②work 10-12 hours per week ③work for DCPL for at least 9 months ④have a wonderful personalityA. ③④B. ②③C. ①②③D. ①③④34.Who has the biggest chance to work for the 2014 SYEP?A. A teenager who applies early.B. A teenager who is popular.C. A teenager who is smart.D. A teenager who gets high grades in exams.35.The aim of text is to ________．A. introduce the DC Public LibraryB. describe the job of library workersC. offer teenager part-time jobs in the DC Public LibraryD. teach how to apply for part-time jobsPassage-34This year some twenty-three hundred teenagers（young people aged from 13 —19）from all over the world will spend about ten months in U. S. homes. They will attend U.S. schools, meet U.S. teenagers, and form impressions of the real America. At the same time, about thirteen hundred American teenagers will go to other countries to learn new languages and gain a new understanding of the rest of the world.Here is a two-way student exchange in action. Fred, nineteen, spent last year in Germany with George’s family. In turn, George’s son Mike spent a year in Fred’s home in America.Fred, a lively young man, knew little German when he arrived, but after two months’ study, the language began to come to him. The school was completely different from what he had expected — much harder. Students rose respectfully(尊敬地) when the teacher entered the room. They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that are usual inthe United States. There were almost no outside activities.Family life, too, was different. The father’s word was law, and all activities were around the family rather than the individual. Fred found the food too simple at first. Also, he missed having a car.“Back home, you pick up some friends in a car and go out and have a good time. In Germany, you walk, but you soon learn to like it.”At the same time, in America, Mike, a friendly German boy, was also forming his idea. “I suppose I should criticize(批评) American schools,” he says. “It is far too easy by our level. But I have to say that I like it very much. In Germany we do nothing but study. Here we take part in many outside activities. I think that maybe your schools are better in training for citizens. There ought to be some middle ground between the two.”21. This year ________ teenagers will take part in the exchange programme between America and other countries.A. twenty-three hundredB. thirteen hundredC. over three thousandD. less than two thousand22. The whole exchange programme is mainly to ________.A. help teenagers in other countries know the real AmericaB. send students in America to travel in GermanyC. let students learn something about other countriesD. have teenagers learn new languages23. What is particular in America schools is that ________.A. there is some middle ground between the two teaching buildingsB. there are a lot of outside activitiesC. students usually take fourteen subjects in allD. students go outside to enjoy themselves in a car24. After experiencing the American school life, Mike thought ________.A. a better education should include something good from both America and GermanyB. German schools trained students to be better citizensC. American schools were not as good as German schoolsD. the easy life in the American school was more helpful to studentsPassage-35The decisions that we make shape us throughout our lives. No matter what decision we make, good or bad, each one puts us on a new road in the future. Make a bad decision? No problem. Learn from the decision and make another decision to get on a different path. This is advice that I got from Tony Robbins in his book Awaken the Giant Within. This is a book that I recommend to anyone wanting to develop a fire to make changes in their life. It helped me to understand how fear of making poor choices was hindering me from becoming the great man who I am today. Now I am not saying I am a well-known person in any particular circle. But I am the king of my castle working hard and trying to make good decisions in regard to the paths that I have chosen. I am a great man in the eyes of my wife and my children. And that is all the recognition that I need in my lifetime. And I know that my past failures have been the building block that I continue to use to build my career and self-image in my community that I live in.Ben Lerer, cofounder of the CEO of Thrillist Media Group, is a good example of this. In an article on the Fast Company website, Lerer talks about this very subject. He says, “ I’ve had to make some really tough decisions but finally,I think the best companies are those that can recognize when something isn’t going right, and fix it, instead of just turninga blind eye because it’s easier.” Great people make decisions. When a decision does not have the desired result, make a different decision. It does not get any simpler than that.25.From Tony Robbin’s Awaken the Giant Within, the writer knew ________.A. making a bad decision is very terribleB. making decisions helps us become a great manC. being afraid to make a bad decision is very naturalD. learning from the bad decision can help make a new choice26.The underlined word “ hindering ” can be replaced by ________.A. stoppingB. stealingC. preservingD. requiring27.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?A. A bad decision has a bad effect on people.B. The best company can admit and correct a bad decision.C. People should learn how to make a good decision.D. Making a decision is much simpler than changing one.28.What could be the best title of the passage?A. Overcome your fearsB. Take ActionC. Make decisionsD. Trust yourselfPassage-36An old story goes that once there were four single men, leading very boring lives. None of them were married, or had lovers, or did anything exciting. They just sat around all day and played Mahjong. One day they played Mahjong from 11 in the morning until 11 at night. During the game, no matter who won, the winning card was always the “ four columns ” card . The card shows four independent, parallel (平行) columns in two lines. Even more of a coincidence, it was Nov.11th, or 11/11. In order to memorize the day, they nicknamed it Singles Day.Singles Day was first celebrated at various universities in Nanjing, capital city of Jiangsu Province during the 1990s. It got the name Singles Day because the date is comprised of four “ ones ”. These college students have since graduated, and carried their university tradition into society. Singles Day is now a special day for all fashionable youths.The main way to celebrate Singles Day is to have dinner with your Singles friends, but it is important that each person pay their own fee to show their independence. People also hold “ blind date ” parties in an attempt to bid goodbye to their Singles lives.Many singles also choose to say goodbye to their Singles lives on this day. Many attend “ blind date ” parties and many people choose to marry on this day. In addition to meaning “ Singles ”, the four “ ones ” of the date can also mean “ only one ” as in “ the only one for me ”. Some people will use this date and this meaning to tell their special someone that they are the only “ one ” in their heart.29.Singles Day got its name because ________.A. the persons who play Mahjong are four SinglesB. the date is comprised of four “ ones ”C. only Singles person celebrated the dayD. It was first celebrated at universities in Nanjing30.Which of the following is wrong ?A. Singles Day was first celebrated in Nanjing’s universitiesB. Many Singles choose Singles Day to say goodbye to their Singles livesC. The only way to celebrate the Singles Day is to have dinner with your Single friends.D. It was these college graduated students that carried their university’s tradition into society.31.We can infer from the passage that ________.A. the four Singles did not get marriedB. Singles Day receives great popularity among young peopleC. when having dinner, one pays the fee for all his friendsD. on Singles Day many attend parties where blind people were present32.What is the best title for the passage?A. The Origin of Singles DayB. How to Celebrate Singles DayC. Singles DayD. Say Goodbye to Singles DayPassage-37All of us should keep a kitchen diary, showing how much food are left uneaten as garbage.We all waste food, you and me, millions of tons of it. In China, enough food is wasted in restaurants every year to feed 200 million people. In the United States, 40 percent of food is wasted from farm to fork. Each year, the amount of food thrown away in rich countries is almost the same as that produced in sub-Saharan Africa. This raises some important questions.In developing countries, food is lost because farmers do not have appropriate cooling, storage and market access for their crops. Their grains, fruits and vegetables dry up and rot away. In developed countries, the picture is different, andfood is wasted in supermarket, restaurants and at home. China faces both problems, significant losses in farms, as well as at the sale and consumption stages. And the amount of food wasted by Chinese consumers is rapidly increasing.Consumer culture has filled China and urban residents can get quality food from anywhere in the country and from across the planet. Chinese consumers are as particular about their food as those in other countries. In supermarkets, they refuse to buy vegetables that don’t look fresh or have an irregular shape, or milk and other products close to their expiry (有效期) date.Besides, Chinese consumers tend to be generous. In restaurants or at home, often too much food is ordered or cooked and served. So while trooping out of a restaurant, full and happy, with colleagues or friends, they never look back at what’s left untouched on the table. Should Chinese consumers take more responsibility for the waste they create?Everyone deserves to have enough food to eat. Despite China’s impressive success in reducing hunger over the past three decades, the job is not completed yet.33.In developing countries, food is lost mainly ________.A. for the lack of cooling and storageB. because of easy access to marketsC. because of the wet weatherD. because of the quality of the food34.The main reason for food waste in China is ________.A. the effect of consumer cultureB. the convenient food supplyC. the worry about food qualityD. people’s being particular about it35.How do Chinese feel when they leave restaurants with much food left behind?A. Generous.B. Unconscious.C. Wealthy.D. Valuable.Passage-38When we’re young and we dream of love and fulfillment（满足感）, we think perhaps of moon-covered Parisian nights or walks along the beach at sunset.No one tells us that the greatest moments of a lifetime are short, unplanned and nearly always catch us off guard.Not long ago，as I was reading a bedtime story to my seven-year-old daughter, Annie，I became aware of her focused look. She was staring at me with a faraway, blank expression. Apparently, completing The Tale of Samuel Whiskers was not as important as we first thought.I asked what she was thinking about."Mommy," she whispered, "I just can't stop looking at your pretty face."I almost dissolved（溶解）on the spot.Little did she know how many trying moments the glow of her sincerely loving statement would carry me through over the following years.Not long after, I took my four-year-old son to an elegant department store, where the sweet notes of a classic love song drew us toward a tuxedoed ( 穿晚礼服的) musician playing a grand piano. Sam and I sat down on a marble bench nearby, and he seemed as astonished by the pleasant theme as I was.I didn't realize that Sam had stood up next to me until he turned, took my face in his little hands and said, "Dance with me."If only those women walking under the Paris moon knew the joy of such an invitation made by a round-cheeked boy with baby teeth. Although shoppers openly chuckled(咯咯笑) and pointed at us as we glided（滑行）and whirled （旋转）around the open space, I would not have traded a dance with such a charming young gentleman if I'd been offered the universe.1. From the passage we know_______.A. Annie knew how important she was to her mother.B. shoppers didn’t notice the author dancing with her son.C. there are bedtime stories in the Tale of Samuel Whiskers.D. Sam was not surprised at the music which was played in the store.2. When the author knew her daughter could not stop looking at her pretty face, she felt_______.A. sadB. deeply movedC. annoyedD. ashamed3. Why wouldn’t the author trade a dance with her son even if she was given the world?A. Because she knew she wouldn’t be given the universe .B. Because her son was the most important person to her .C. Because she thought she was the happiest one at the moment.D. Because it was very important for the author to dance with her son.4. What does the author want to prove by showing two examples of her kids?A. Her kids love her very much.B. She enjoys staying with her kids.C. The greatest moments of a lifetime always come unexpectedly.D. Those women walking under the moon should enjoy the happiness with kids.Passage-39Time and how we experience it have always puzzled us. Physicists have created fascinating theories, but their time is measured by a pendulum（钟摆）and is not psychological time, which leaps with little regard to the clock or calendar. As someone who understood the difference remarked, “When you sit with a nice girl for two hours it seems like a minute, but when you sit on a hot stove, a minute seems like two hours.”Psychologists have long noticed that larger units of time, such as months and years, fly on swifter wings as we age. They also note that the more time is structured with schedules and appointments, the more rapidly it seems to pass．For example, a day at the office flies compared with a day at the beach. Since most of us spend fewer days at the beach and more at the office as we age, an increase in structured tune could well be to blame for why time seems to speed up as we grow older．Expectation and familiarity also make time seem to flow more rapidly. Almost all of us have had the experience of driving somewhere we’ve never been before. Surrounded by unfamiliar scenery, with no real idea of when we’ll arrive, we experience the trip as lasting a long time. But the return trip, although exactly as long, seems to take far less time. The unfamiliarity of the journey has become routine. Thus taking a different route on occasion can often help slow the clock.When days become as identical as beads（小珠子）on a string, they mix together, and even months become a single day. To fight this, try to find ways to interrupt the structure of your day—to stop time. Learning something new is one of the ways to slow the passage of time. One of the reasons the days of our youth seems so full and long is that these are the days of learning and discovery. For many of us, learning ends when we leave school, but this doesn’t have to be.5. The quotation（引用语）in the first paragraph is used to indicate ______.A. psychological time is quite puzzlingB. time should not be measured by a pendulumC. physical time is different from psychological timeD. physical theory has nothing to do with the true sense of time6. Why do units of time fly faster as we grow older?A. Our sense of time changes.B. We spend less time at the beach.C. More time is structured and scheduled.D. Time is structured with too many appointments.7. What is the main idea of the passage?A. It gives various explanations about time.B. It describes how we experience time psychologically.C. It shows the different ideas of physicists and psychologists on time.D. It explains why time flies fast and how to slow it down psychologically.Passage-40While reading a story on 20-somethings complaining about how the economy is ruining their life plans, I couldn't help but think the 20-somethings sound like a bunch of spoiled children who grow up expecting everything to be easy for them. As a 20-something myself, I certainly share their disappointment –my husband and I probably won't be able to buy a house until we're in our forties, and we two are burdened by student loans. But why should it be different? Being young people in America, shouldn't they take up all of the challenges and opportunities that this country offers?Consider some of these views shared in the story: Jennifer, 29, owner of a two-bedroom apartment with her husband, worries that she won't be able to have children for at least a decade because they can't afford to buy a house yet.I read that, and I thought what planet she is living on where you need to own a house in order to have kids? Has she ever visited a developing country, or even downtown areas in this one? Home ownership is a luxury（奢华）, not a fertility requirement.A 26-year-old man in the story is disappointed that he can't afford to get a Ph. D. in literature. Well, that sounds a bit like expressing disappointment that no one will pay you to write poetry on the beach in Thailand for five years.Yes, it's sad that these young people feel so lost. But I think the problem is their extremely high expectations, not economic reality. Beth Kobliner, author of Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties, says that she thinks people's expectations grow up when their wealth appears to be increasing. Their parents probably see their home values rise along with their investments. "So we have people who have grown up in an environment where people have great expectations of what living well means," says Kobliner.This recession（经济衰退）will certainly play a role in forcing those expectations into more realistic group. In the meantime, it seems much better for our mental health to focus on being grateful—for our one-bedroom apartments, for living in modern cities, or perhaps just for being able to eat three meals a day—than on longing for some kind of luxurious life.8. What makes the author think the 20-somethings sound like a bunch of spoiled children?A. They expect everything to be easy for them.B. They complain that the economy is ruining their life plans.C. They are unwilling to face all of the challenges.D. They are burdened by student loans.9. Which of the following is NOT one of the complaints of the 20-somethings?A. They can't have children for at least a decade for they can't afford to buy a house.B. They have only a one-bedroom apartment to live in.C. They can't buy a house until 40 and are burdened by student loans.D. They despair of not being able to afford to get a Ph. D. in literature.10. What's Kobliner's attitude towards the 20-somethings with high expectations ?A. Unbearable.B. Opposing.C. Doubtful.D. Understanding.Passage-41My daughter’s birthday is May 29. She was 6 by then. As it was Monday, we preferred to cele brate it earlier, i.e. on Saturday 27 May. This was easier for me as I’m free on Saturdays. On Thursdays the entire family was busy packing the presents and putting funny pins on them. I promised my little princess that I would wake her up early in the morning and distribute the presents to her classmates.I woke up at 05:30. After I took a bath, I planned to wake her up…but…as I came out from the bathroom, I realized that an earthquake struck. I screamed to wake mu husband up and asked him to carry my daughter; and ran out of our house. It happened for just 3minuts, but…some cracks appeared on the wall.However, as we had planned, I went to my daughter’s school at 08:00 but no one was there except the teacher who warned us to get back to our house. On the w ay home I heard a police cried out loud: “Stay calm, no tsunami!”After some discussions, we decided to give them to the children in hospital. Entering the hospital, I was really shocked. There were thousands of people bleeding and dying outside the rooms.A boy came up with a bandage(绷带)on his head. He stared at me with his questioning eyes as if he wanted to say: “Could I have one?” Quickly I handed over one present to him. He received it then ran to his mom, shouted: “Mommy…there is a turtle pin on it!!”His eyes glittered. God, I can’t ever forget his glittering eyes!1. Why did they celebrate their daughter’s birthday ahead of schedule?A. Because they knew there would be an earthquake.B. Because they were busy on May, 29.C. Because Saturday was a lucky day.D. Because their daughter hoped so.2. The family packed the present and pinned something funny on themA. to sell them before the earthquakeB. to give then to the children in hospitalC. to give them to the daughter’s classmatesD. to show them to the daughter’s teacher for praise3. Which of the following is right according to the passage?A. The destruction and injury caused by the earthquake were not serious.B. The earthquake broke out when the writer was taking a bath.C. When the earthquake hit the city, the writer’s husband was still asleep.D. They were too frightened to carry their daughter out.4. Which of the following words can be used to describe the writer?A. Unselfish.B. Coward.C. Hardworking.D. Funny.Passage-42Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona. He moved there a few years ago, and I was eager to see his new place and meet his friends.My earliest memories of my father are of a tall, handsome, successful man devoted to his work and family but uncomfortable with his children. As a child I loved him. He seemed unhappy with me unless I got straight A’s and unhappy with my boyfriends if their fathers were not as "successful" as he was. Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to struggle to think up things to say, feeling on guard.On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father's friends for lunch at an outdoor cafe. We walked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son's funny facial expressions. Gone was my father's critical (挑剔的) air and strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my father, who seemed so friendly and interesting to be around? What had held him back before?。