1 . Cities usually have a good reason for being where they are, like a nearby port or river. People settle in these places because they are easy to get to and naturally suited to communications and trade. New York City, for example, is near a large harbour at the mouth of the Hudson River. Over 300 years its population grew gradually from 800 people to 8 million. But not all cities develop slowly over a long period of time. Boom towns grow from nothing almost overnight. In 1896, Dawson, Canada, was unmapped wilderness(荒野). But gold was discovered there in 1897, and two years later, it was one of the largest cities in the West, with a population of 30,000.
Dawson did not have any of the natural conveniences of cities like London or Paris. People went there for gold. They travelled over snow-covered mountains and sailed hundreds of miles up icy rivers. The path to Dawson was covered with thirty feet of wet snow that could fall without warming. An avalanche(雪崩) once closed the path, killing 63 people. For many who made it to Dawson, however, the rewards were worth the difficult trip. Of the first 20,000 people who dug for gold, 4,000 got rich. About 100 of these stayed rich men for the rest of their lives.
But no matter how rich they were, Dawson was never comfortable. Necessities like food and wood were very expensive. But soon, the gold that Dawson depended on had all been found. The city was crowded with disappointed people with no interest in settling down, and when they heard there were new gold discoveries in Alaska, they left Dawson City as quickly as they had come. Today, people still come and go — to see where the Canadian gold rush happened. Tourism is now the chief industry of Dawson City — its present population is 762.
1. What attracted the early settlers to New York City?A.Its business culture. |
B.Its small population. |
C.Its geographical position. |
D.Its favourable climate. |
A.Two-thirds of them stayed there. |
B.One out of five people got rich. |
C.Almost everyone gave up. |
D.Half of them died. |
A.They found the city too crowded. |
B.They wanted to try their luck elsewhere. |
C.They were unable to stand the winter. |
D.They were short of food. |
A.The rise and fall of a city. |
B.The gold rush in Canada. |
C.Journeys into the wilderness. |
D.Tourism in Dawson. |
2 . I’ve been working as a UN Peacekeeper in the Central African Republic for the past two years. Before this, I was a pilot and I
The Central African Republic is a relatively small country. Since it got
We peacekeepers
As a woman, I am particularly
My life is not
A.hated | B.enjoyed | C.guarded | D.changed |
A.gave in to | B.looked up to | C.kept up with | D.signed up with |
A.treatment | B.technology | C.independence | D.inspiration |
A.flee | B.return | C.sweep | D.tend |
A.In turn | B.In surprise | C.In response | D.In addition |
A.measure | B.reputation | C.business | D.mission |
A.follow | B.expand | C.monitor | D.block |
A.ensure | B.prove | C.report | D.predict |
A.bridge | B.barrier | C.castle | D.shelter |
A.protected | B.trusted | C.valued | D.doubted |
A.deserve | B.prefer | C.plan | D.fail |
A.gently | B.equally | C.seriously | D.honestly |
A.boring | B.rewarding | C.difficult | D.fancy |
A.association | B.accommodation | C.administration | D.adaptation |
A.available | B.ambitious | C.worthwhile | D.educational |
3 . For decades, India’s time zone has been a hotly debated issue. Back in 1884 when time zones were officially established, two time zones were used — Bombay Time and Calcutta Time. Indian Standard Time (IST) was introduced in 1906, but Calcutta Time and Bombay Time continued to be maintained after
India’s independence in 1947, until 1948 and 1955 respectively. The current single time zone, though a legacy of British rule, is often viewed as a symbol of unity. Yet, not everyone thinks it is a good idea. India stretches 3,000 km from east to west, spanning roughly 30 degrees longitude. This corresponds to a two-hour difference in mean solar time, based on the position of the sun in the sky. Thus, the sun rises nearly two hours earlier in the east than in India’s far west. In Northeastern states, sunrise can be as early as 4 a.m. in summer and sunset by 4 p.m. in winter, much earlier than the official working hours. This results in great loss of daylight hours and more consumption of electricity, and often reduced productivity.
Meanwhile, recent studies point out that the current system leads to a serious problem in education for some students. Nationwide, the school day starts at roughly the same time; thus, children go to bed later and have reduced sleep in west India, where the sun sets later. Such sunset-induced sleep deprivation is more pronounced among the poor, mostly due to their noisy environment and lack of sleep-inducing facilities like window shades or indoor beds. On average, an hour’s delay in sunset time reduces children’s sleep by 30 minutes, and an hour’s delay in annual average sunset time reduces education by about 0.8 years. As a result, children living in locations with later sunsets are less likely to complete primary and middle school education.
Despite various requests and proposals for multiple time zones, the government is keen to retain the current system. Reasons provided include prevention of confusion and safety issues regarding railway and flight operations.
1. Which of the following illustrates the Indian time zone system since 1955?A. | B. |
C. | D. |
A.Noisy. | B.Distant. | C.Flexible. | D.Outstanding. |
A.The number of traffic accidents can be reduced. |
B.Children may have better-quality sleep and education. |
C.India may have more energy resources to generate electricity. |
D.The country may rid itself of the impact of British colonization. |
A.7 p.m. | B.6 p.m. | C.5 p.m. | D.4 p.m. |
4 . As cultural symbols go, the American car is quite young. The Model T Ford was built at the Piquette Plant in Michigan a century ago, with the first rolling off the assembly line(装配线) on September 27, 1908. Only eleven cars were produced the next month. But eventually Henry Ford would build fifteen million of them.
Modern America was born on the road, behind a wheel. The car shaped some of the most lasting aspects of American culture: the roadside diner, the billboard, the motel, even the hamburger. For most of the last century, the car represented what it meant to be American—going forward at high speed to find new worlds. The road novel, the road movie, these are the most typical American ideas, born of abundant petrol, cheap cars and a never-ending interstate highway system, the largest public works project in history.
In 1928 Herbert Hoover imagined an America with “a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage.” Since then, this society has moved onward, never looking back, as the car transformed America from a farm-based society into an industrial
The cars that drove the American Dream have helped to create a global ecological disaster. In America the demand for oil has grown by 22 percent since 1990.
The problems of excessive(过度的)energy consumption, climate change and population growth have been described in a book by the American writer Thomas L. Friedman. He fears the worst, but hopes for the best.
Friedman points out that the green economy(经济)is a chance to keep American strength. “The ability to design, build and export green technologies for producing clean water, clean air and healthy and abundant food is going to be the currency of power in the new century.”
1. Why is hamburger mentioned in paragraph 2?A.To explain Americans’ love for travelling by car. |
B.To show the influence of cars on American culture. |
C.To stress the popularity of fast food with Americans. |
D.To praise the effectiveness of America’s road system. |
A.Decline of economy. | B.Environmental problems. |
C.A shortage of oil supply. | D.A farm-based society. |
A.Ambiguous. | B.Doubtful. |
C.Hopeful. | D.Tolera |
5 . Switzerland is surrounded by three of Europe’s major—and most populous—countries: France, Germany and Italy. For thousands of years, the region has been a busy trade
Switzerland is a popular place to do business, a center of education and a favorite travel destination. At the heart of this success story lies a stable political system. The county has not gone through any major political changes since the foundation of the federal state inn 1848. This has created space for economic, social and artistic development. Federalism, the successful integration of different cultures, and the mechanisms of direct democracy are all means to increase the
Political stability is also
Stability, a well-developed sense of service and discretion, and a strong currency have turned Switzerland into a leading financial center. From a historical
In terms of income, assets and per capita gross national product. Switzerland ranks among the top in the world.
The
All these factors make Switzerland a safe country with a low crime rate. The Swiss
A.business | B.partner | C.route | D.channel |
A.boasts | B.brags | C.occupies | D.claims |
A.networks | B.links | C.planes | D.tourBys |
A.welfare | B.consciousness | C.participation | D.obligation |
A.complication | B.diversity | C.liberation | D.simplicity |
A.manageable | B.negligible | C.expandable | D.exhaustible |
A.undermined | B.eliminated | C.underrated | D.expressed |
A.Crimes | B.Strikes | C.Accidents | D.Appeals |
A.Thanks to | B.Contrary to | C.In combination with | D.In case of |
A.argument | B.perspective | C.attitude | D.stance |
A.few | B.boundless | C.abundant | D.nonexistent |
A.exceeding | B.variable | C.resulting | D.unbelievable |
A.By contrast | B.To sum up | C.As a rule | D.Put differently |
A.value | B.deny | C.consider | D.suspect |
A.Tie | B.Contribute | C.Add | D.Adjust |
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communis Party of China Central Committee, led the new top leadership of the CPC to Yan’ an,
The trip, which took place five days
Led by Xi, the other six
Xi said that the trip was made to recollect the glorious period in which the Party developed in Yan’ an, reminisce(缅怀)about the splendid achievements of the older generation of
7 . Population:Is 8 billion people too many?
The world’s population has reached 8 billion people.
For now, we can both acknowledge the downsides of the 8 billionth human and believe this is an occasion worth celebrating.
A.We’ve reached this milestone |
B.Actually, some population alarmism is appropriate |
C.The end of population expansion is now foreseeable |
D.The truth is that the population in developed nations has remained stable |
E.With any luck, the massive challenge of global aging will spur innovation |
F.The increasing global population will put more pressure on resources and produce far more emissions |
G.In contrast, various experts have been put forward “nightmare consequences” about overpopulation since 1960s |
8 . Fragile. Oversensitive. Glued to their phones.
Never before have the lives of any generation of teens been as flooded with mobile technology and social media as the teens of this generation.
To conclude, the teens of this generation differ in many ways from their predecessors (前辈), in some ways more positive than others.
A.No wonder the self-confidence and mental health of teens have been damaged. |
B.Yet, the effects of technology on this generation of teens are not all bad. |
C.Is this what comes to mind when we think of the teens of this generation? |
D.Their parents or grandparents were likely less connected and more isolated. |
E.Moreover, in the older generations’ mind, the teens today are more individualistic. |
F.As a result, this might be why the teens today are more open-minded and progressive. |
G.Every generation is a product of the cultural, political and economic events of their time. |
Today, there are groups of native people around the world that still live a traditional lifestyle. Some live in remote parts of South America,
10 . If you want to disturb the car industry, you'd better have a few billion dollars: Mom-and-pop carmakers are unlikely to beat the biggest car companies. But in agriculture, small farmers can get the best of the major players. By connecting directly with customers, and by responding quickly to changes in the markets as well as in the ecosystems(生态系统), small farmers can keep one step ahead of the big guys. As the co-founder of the National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC, 美国青年农会)and a family farmer myself. I have a front-row seat to the innovations among small farmers that are transforming the industry.
For example, take the Quick Cut Greens Harvester, a tool developed just a couple of years ago by a young farmer, Jonathan Dysinger, in Tennessee, with a small loan from a local Slow Money group. It enables small-scale farmers to harvest 175 pounds of green vegetables per hour—a huge improvement over harvesting just a few dozen pounds by hand—suddenly making it possible for the little guys to compete with large farms of California. Before the tool came out, small farmers couldn't touch the price per pound offered by California farms. But now, with the combination of a better price point and a generally fresher product, they can stay in business.
The sustainable success of small farmers, though, won't happen without fundamental changes to the industry. One crucial factor is secure access to land. Competition from investors, developers, and established large farmers makes owning one's own land unattainable for many new farmers.
From 2004 to 2013, agricultural land values doubled, and they continue to rise in many regions.
Another challenge for more than a million of the most qualified farm workers and managers is a non-existent path to citizenship — the greatest barrier to building a farm of their own. With farmers over the age of 65 outnumbering(多于)farmers younger than 35 by six to one, and with two-thirds of the nation's farmland in need of a new farmer, we must clear the path for talented people willing to grow the nation's food.
There are solutions that could light a path toward a more sustainable and fair farm economy, but farmers can't clumsily put them together before us. We at the NYFC need broad support as we urge Congress to increase farmland conservation, as we push for immigration reform, and as we seek policies that will ensure the success of a diverse and ambitious next generation of farms from all backgrounds. With a new farm bill to be debated in Congress, consumers must take a stand with young farmers.
1. The author mentions car industry at the beginning of the passage to introduce .A.the progress made in car industry |
B.a special feature of agriculture |
C.a trend of development in agriculture |
D.the importance of investing in car industry |
A.Loans to small local farmers are necessary. |
B.Technology is vital for agricultural development. |
C.Competition between small and big farms is fierce |
D.Small farmers may gain some advantages over big ones. |
A.To gain more financial aid. |
B.To hire good farm managers. |
C.To have farms of their own. |
D.To win old farmers’ support. |
A.Seek support beyond NYFC. |
B.Expand farmland conservation. |
C.Become members of NYFC. |
D.Invest more to improve technology. |