1 . Jack was born without eyes. He was very lucky as he grew up having other kittens (young cats) to socialize (交往) with, and was used to people from the moment he was born. However, when it came time to find the kittens homes, no one knew where Jack would end up.
That’s when I got an e-mail from my friend. All she asked was “Do you still want one of the kittens? There’s one here with no eyes and no one would like to take him”. Without thinking I told her that I did want the kitten.
When we first brought him home, Jack stayed mostly in my room. After about a day he had no issues running around and climbing on everything. At times he gets lost in the house, he’ll stop. But we just call his name and talk to him and it isn’t long before he finds his way back to us.
A few weeks after getting Jack, we got a new cat named Bear. Jack and Bear have become best friends. It doesn’t matter that he can’t see. He always knows when Bear is around. He’ll run across the yard straight to Bear and wrap his front legs around his neck in a big hug. They run after each other around and wrestle (摔跤). They’ll lie down in the grass together when tired.
Jack is truly an inspiration. I’ve owned lots of kittens in my life, but Jack is the happiest and most playful. He doesn’t feel sorry for himself. He doesn’t need pity. I think Jean, owner of Gumbo, another eyeless cat, said it best when she told me that cats don’t have disabilities; they have adaptability.
1. Why did Jack come to the author’s home?| A．The author cared for an eyeless cat. |
| B．The author didn’t mind whether he was blind. |
| C．No other young cats kept him company. |
| D．The author’s friend begged the author to take him home. |
| A．Jack often wrestles with Bear indoors. |
| B．Jack likes to play with a new eyeless cat. |
| C．Jack quickly adapts to the new environment. |
| D．Jack is good at talking and playing with people. |
| A．Trouble. | B．Fun. | C．Luck. | D．Business. |
| A．A cat has nine lives. | B．All is well that ends well. |
| C．God helps those who help themselves. | D．A good beginning makes a good ending. |
2 . When I was a child, I often saw my Grandma throwing bread that was no longer fresh to birds. Not surprisingly, this attracted few birds. Later on, we discovered bird food at the local store. Feeding garden birds in the UK has come a long way since then. Today, the birds can enjoy many kinds of food: from plant seeds to sunflower hearts and from cakes to meat balls. All this comes at a huge cost of about £200m a year. Sometimes, I wonder if we might be feeding our garden birds better than our kids. But maybe it’s worth it. Our generosity is having an important effect on the behavior and even evolution of these birds.
Take the goldfinch for example. In the 1960s, this was a rare bird. Today, goldfinches can be seen in many gardens. Other new visitors include the spotted woodpecker, which has left its usual woodland for food on bird tables. Evolution is meant to progress slowly: over thousands of years. Yet during the past few decades, the beaks of many kinds of birds have become longer because birds with longer beaks can get more food, and then are more likely to live on.
Actually, the British habit of feeding garden birds goes back much further. During the sixth century, St Serf of Fife fed a robin in his garden; during the winter of 1890, workers in London were seen giving their lunches to songbirds. The real change took place in the 1980s, when a few farsighted businessmen realized that encouraging the British to be more generous to garden birds can help them make money. Therefore, various kinds of bird food and modern bird feeders were produced. As a result, the number of species using garden feeding stations increased very quickly, from about 10 to over 100. Then, in 2005, Springwatch came, which turned our love of garden birds into an entertainment show.
Is bird feeding completely good for birds? Not everyone thinks so. Studies by the Zoological Society of London have shown that by bringing together many birds, bird feeders may help the spread of disease. In Australia, some bird experts believe—probably wrongly—that bird feeding creates a “dependence culture”.
But we shouldn’t forget one major benefit of feeding garden birds—it connects millions of people to the natural world. This is especially important for people who seldom reach the wider countryside. As I write this, there comes some noise outside my window: several birds were singing and flying around in my garden. It’s a sight I could only imagine years ago, when feeding garden birds just meant throwing hard bread to them.
1. What does the author mean by saying the underlined part in Paragraph 1?| A．Feeding garden birds is a huge waste of money. |
| B．We spend quite a lot of money on the food of garden birds. |
| C．We should care more for our kids rather than garden birds. |
| D．Feeding garden birds can bring more joy than feeding kids. |
| A．These birds have given up traditional woodland. | B．Food for these birds becomes richer and better. |
| C．Longer beaks mean more chances of survival. | D．These birds grow faster than ever before. |
| A．It is completely good for birds. |
| B．It may help the spread of disease. |
| C．It connects more and more people to the natural world. |
| D．It may reduce birds’ ability to find food by themselves. |
| A．Annoyed. | B．Pleased. | C．Surprised. | D．Bored. |
3 . Car Hire
Hiring a self-drive car really adds to the enjoyment of your holiday. There are so many places of interest to visit, and if you enjoy seeing more than just the city center, there’s no better way to explore than by car.
Hire Charges
What are included
a) Unlimited mileage (英里数).
b) Expenses on oil, maintenance and repairs, which will be repaid on production of invoices (发票).
c) Full insurance except personal accident ( see below ) and contents.
What are not included
a) Personal accident insurance.
b) Garaging, petrol, parking and traffic fines.
Conditions of Hire
★ The shortest rental period at these special low prices is three days. For prices for periods of one or two days you only see our representative at the hotel.
★ Car hire must be booked six weeks or more before arrival in London to guarantee a car. But if you have been unable to make a booking in advance, please see our representative at the hotel who may still be able to help you.
★ The car types on the sheet are examples of the types of cars in each price range, but a particular car cannot be guaranteed.
★ Upon delivery the driver(s) will be asked to sign the car hire company’s Conditions of Hire.
★ If you decide to hire a car, just fill in the Booking Form and return it to us. A booking fee of ￡12 as part of the car hire cost is required.
★ Should you be forced to cancel your car hire booking after payment in full (two weeks before date of hire) , a cancellation charge of £12 will be made.
1. From the advertisement we can see a car hirer will pay ______.| A．insurance against damage to the car | B．insurance against injury to the driver |
| C．the cost of maintenance of the car | D．the cost of repairs to the car |
| A．You have to pay parking fine yourself. |
| B．The company can’t provide all kinds of cars you need. |
| C．When you hire a car from the company, a driver will go together with you. |
| D．You have to pay a booking fee when you hire a car from the company. |
| A．partly returned | B．double paid |
| C．not returned at all | D．returned within six weeks |
| A．it is booked for at least three days | B．it is booked two weeks in advance |
| C．it is booked for two days | D．the booking is made in London |
4 . If you are a recent social science graduate who has had to listen to jokes about unemployment from your computer major classmates, you may have had the last laugh. There are many advantages for the social science major because this high-tech “Information Age” demands people who are flexible and who have good communication skills.
There are many social science majors in large companies who fill important positions. For example, a number of research studies found that social science majors had achieved greater managerial success than those who had technical training or pre-professional courses. Studies show that social science majors are most suited for change, which is the leading feature of the kind of high speed, high-pressure, high-tech world we now live in.
Social science majors are not only experiencing success in their long-term company jobs, but they are also finding jobs more easily. A study showed that many companies had filled a large percentage of their entry-level positions with social science graduates. The study also showed that the most sought-after quality in a person who was looking for a job was communication skills, noted as “very important” by 92 percent of the companies. Social science majors have these skills, often without knowing how important they are. It is probably due to these skills that they have been offered a wide variety of positions.
Finally, although some social science majors may still find it more difficult than their technically trained classmates to land the first job, recent graduates report that they don’t regret their choice of study.
1. Compared with graduates of other subjects, social science graduates _____.| A．are ready to change when situations change |
| B．are better able to deal with difficulties |
| C．are equally good at computer skills |
| D．are likely to give others pressure |
| A．Willingness to take low-paid jobs. | B．Readiness to gain high-tech knowledge. |
| C．Skills in expressing themselves. | D．Part-time work experience. |
| A．keep for some time | B．successfully get |
| C．immediately start | D．lose regretfully |
5 . The definition of community has evolved (升华)for me from childhood to the young adult I am now. My mom was born in America but both her parents were from the Bahamas. It was their culture to take care of the elderly and the sick. And my mom has taught me to be caring to those around us because we're all a part of the "community" , an extension of family.
When I was 9 years old, my family moved to Cape Coral, Florida. Both mom and dad worked full-time, so they registered me to attend an after-school program at the Youth Center. Youth counselors (辅导员) would help me with my homework and play games with me and this was where my interest took root. Community service started with me giving back at the Youth Center.
Then illness struck at home. My grandmother had to have heart surgery and needed hospital treatment. This experience brought me to volunteer at Cape Coral Hospital. I asked if I could learn from the nurse how to give my grandma her medicine and it started here.
I loved being at Cape Coral Hospital. I would bring paperwork to other doctors, bring food to the patients, and make sure the patients were attended. I would help direct visitors to see patients. I would always tell what would cheer the patients up because I had built a relationship with them and their loved ones. I grew to feel the hospital was a part of my community.
After volunteering at the Youth Center and at the Hospital, I've learned that people become sort of an extended family when you care about them. Now I am more considerate of those close to me, neighbors and even strangers who share my resources.
1. Who might be the first to expose the author to the sense of community?| A．Counselors at the Youth Center. |
| B．Nurses at Cape Coral Hospital. |
| C．Her grandparents. |
| D．Her mother. |
| A．They were too busy to take care of her. |
| B．They wanted her to do community service. |
| C．The author couldn't finish her homework on her own. |
| D．Becoming a counselor was the author's childhood dream. |
| A．Cheer the patients up. |
| B．Bring food to the patients. |
| C．Help direct visitors to see patients. |
| D．Serve medicine to her grandmother. |
| A．I Love Volunteering | B．Community Is Family |
| C．My Volunteer Experiences | D．My Community and My Family |
6 . Affordable Beach Vacation in Corfu
Corfu, an island off the coast of Greece, offers visitors sunkissed shores with clear water and lots of beaches.
Finding the Perfect Beach
Our first pick is Sidari Beach. It’s a blue flag beach perfect for couples looking for a more private feel, as it’s far from bigger tourist destinations. Issos Beach makes for the perfect place for watching the sunset. Dassia Bay has a bit more water sports. Paleokastritsa is an amazing West Coast village with six beaches on offer, including Rovinia Beach.
Getting around Corfu
Corfu offers bike rentals and bus service as a cheaper alternative (替代) to taxis. The best time to visit Corfu is during the “shoulder season” in April/May. The weather isn’t as warm as the high seasons but it remains perfect. It is not crowded in this period, but you still need to book ahead of schedule as Corfu stays popular throughout the year.
Eating Out For Less
There are a lot of well-priced restaurants but street food is also a big winner. Some popular choices are Souvlakia and Pita Gyros. There are also many cheeses special to Greece, including Tirokafteri and Ladotyri. Corfu also has many unbelievable desserts (甜食). Stazei Meli is a tourist favourite to give them a try.
1. Which place is probably the best choice for couples?| A．Sidari Beach. | B．Dassia Bay. |
| C．Issos Beach. | D．Rovinia Beach. |
| A．Rent a bike. | B．Book in advance. |
| C．Wear warm clothes. | D．Set off in April/May. |
| A．It cooks popular dishes. | B．It severs well-priced food. |
| C．It produces special cheese. | D．It sells amazing desserts. |
7 . Every day around the world, thousands of people with little to no scholarly training in art history walk into museums. They may or may not read notice boards that share relevant information of the artworks or artists. Imagine, before being permitted to direct their eyeballs to the art on the walls, museum visitors were required to read a 15-or 20-page introduction to each piece or each artist. How many people would go to museums if that were the case?
Yet this seems to be the expectation when it comes to reading classic literature. Classic novels typically come with 15-or 20-page introductions, which often include spoilers, assuming that readers do not come to classic books to discover, be absorbed in, and be surprised by the story world. Also, apparently, we mustn't read classics alone, without experts guiding our experiences.
However, classic literature is in a unique position to show us that we' re not alone in our pains and joys. By taking us out of our time, classic books free us to see beyond the set of beliefs we stick to and to connect human experiences that remain alive across time and place. What could be more grounding, more comforting, than seeing ourselves in the battles, longings, and pleasures that have played out across hundreds, thousands of years of human history? Our personal engagement is the first step of a longer journey of discovery that deepens our knowledge and understanding of ourselves and our world. We may for example, feel for Hester Prynne from Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter though we despair of the world she lived in.
While we're letting go of things, let's stop worrying about understanding everything. We can't. It will be fun if we embrace curiosity, the pleasure of working out a mystery, and our common relationships as humans. We can feel, for example, the power of self-sacrifice in Charles Dickens'A Tale of Two Cities even when we lack full understanding of the cultural references and language.
1. Most museum goers_________.| A．lack professional art knowledge |
| B．understand the artworks well |
| C．enjoy reading notice boards |
| D．share common interest in artworks |
| A．Story writers |
| B．Readers' expectations. |
| C．Plots given away in advance |
| D．Guiding experts |
| A．Showing curiosity about the writers |
| B．Letting go of things. |
| C．Working out mysteries. |
| D．Trying to understanding everything. |
| A．We should find more fun from classics. |
| B．Classic literature benefits readers a great deal |
| C．Experts need to give readers better guidance. |
| D．Reading classics is a personal exploration. |
8 . The name England comes from the words “Angle land”. The Angles were people who came from northern Germany in the 5th and 6th centuries, after the Romans had left. The French name for England is Angleterre, which also means “Angle land”. There were also invasions (侵略) of southern England by Saxons and Jutes (people from another part of northern Germany). English people are sometimes called Anglo－Saxons. The Celts who used to live in this area were forced to move back into Scotland, Ireland, Cornwall and into Western France (the area known as Brittany).
England at first became a series of kingdoms, the strongest of which was Wessex (the name comes from West－Saxon). The names of many of the areas in England come from this period—for example, the name Sussex comes from South－Saxon, Essex from East－Saxon, and East Anglia from East－Angle. The Vikings then came from Denmark, and later the Normans invaded from France. Eventually England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland were united, forming the United Kingdom.
The English language is the main language spoken throughout England, although there are many different accents. It can be difficult to know how to spell or to pronounce some English words, because the language has been influenced by Latin and Greek (languages used at the time of the Romans, and used in religion and education until recent times), German (the language of the Angles, Saxons and Jutes), French(the language of the Normans), Gaelic/Scots (Celtic languages) and Danish (the language of the Vikings).
There are now many people throughout the United Kingdom who speak a foreign language either as their first or second language, mainly due to immigration (移民) from Europe or the Commonwealth (countries which used to be part of the British Empire).
1. What's the first paragraph mainly about?| A．The origin of the name England. |
| B．The Celts used to live in England but left for some reason. |
| C．Southern England once was attacked by Saxons and Jutes. |
| D．Angles and Saxons came from different parts of northern Germany. |
| A．Sussex | B．Wessex |
| C．Essex | D．East Anglia |
| A．English words are hard to spell and to pronounce. |
| B．England had been invaded by most of the countries of Europe. |
| C．The English language was influenced by several foreign languages. |
| D．It's hard for people who have different English accents to communicate. |
| A．Because they are required to learn a foreign language at school. |
| B．Because they plan to live outside the UK in the future. |
| C．Because they have moved from other countries. |
| D．Because they have worked in other countries. |
9 . When I was young, I was a terrible student. I didn’t
Each Christmas, I would get a package from Grandmother. “Another
Although I was not interested in
During my second term in college, I sat in my Children’s Literature class. Our teacher
I
| A．avoid | B．like | C．suggest | D．stop |
| A．obvious | B．available | C．important | D．possible |
| A．toy | B．phone | C．bag | D．book |
| A．look for | B．play with | C．break down | D．clean up |
| A．Suddenly | B．Gradually | C．Finally | D．Curiously |
| A．school | B．Christmas | C．children | D．gifts |
| A．provided | B．filled | C．left | D．helped |
| A．mean | B．familiar | C．natural | D．silly |
| A．college | B．sport | C．diet | D．job |
| A．received | B．asked | C．wanted | D．showed |
| A．rest | B．explain | C．cry | D．travel |
| A．agree | B．happen | C．afford | D．hope |
| A．tell | B．give | C．read | D．lend |
| A．hurried | B．pretended | C．continued | D．refused |
| A．teacher | B．writer | C．manager | D．doctor |
10 . Many of us listen to music while we work, thinking that it will help us to concentrate on the task at hand. And in fact, recent research has found that music can have beneficial effects on creativity. When it comes to other areas of performance, however, the impact of background music is more complicated.
The idea that listening to music when working is beneficial to output probably has its roots in the so-called “Mozart Effect”. Put simply, this is the finding that the spatial reasoning ability is increased immediately after listening to the music of Mozart’s, compared to no sound at all.
How sound affects performance has been the topic of research for over 40 years, and is observed through a phenomenon called the irrelevant sound effect. To study the irrelevant sound effect, participants in the research are asked to complete a simple task which requires them to recall a series of numbers or letters in the exact order in which they saw them. The tricky thing is being able to do this while ignoring any background noise.
Two key characteristics of the irrelevant sound effect are required for its observation. First, the task must require the people to use their rehearsal ability, and second, the sound must contain acoustical variation. Where the sound does not vary much acoustically, the performance of the task is much closer to that observed in quiet conditions.
The irrelevant sound effect itself comes from attempting to process two sources of ordered information at the same time—one from the task and the other from the sound. Unfortunately, only the former is required to successfully perform the recall task, and the effort to ensure that irrelevant order information from the sound is not processed actually hinders this ability.
A similar conflict is also seen when reading in the presence of lyrical music. In this situation, the two sources of words—from the task and the sound—are in conflict. The cost is poorer performance of the task in the presence of music with lyrics.
What this all means is that whether having music playing in the background helps or hinders performance depends on the task and the type of music, and only understanding this relationship will help people maximize their productivity levels.
1. “Mozart Effect” is mentioned to .| A．explain how music can relax people | B．show music can improve performance |
| C．advise people to listen to Mozart’s music | D．stress Mozart’s music gains wide attention |
| A．Interesting. | B．Awkward. | C．Unexpected. | D．Expected. |
| A．support an idea | B．make a contrast | C．introduce a topic | D．describe a fact |
| A．Music shapes your life | B．Music develops your creativity |
| C．Choose quiet music for your work | D．Does music make you concentrate? |
