Passage 76

　　Malls (商店区) are popular places for Americans to go. Some people spend so much time at malls that they are called mall rats. Mall rats shop until they drop in the hundreds of stores under one roof.

　　People like malls for many reasons. They feel safe because malls have police stations or private security (安全) guards. Parking is usually free, and the weather inside is always fine. The newest malls have beautiful rest area with waterfalls and large green trees.

　　The largest mall in the United States is the Mall of America in Minnesota. It covers 4.2 million square feet. It has 350 stores, eight night clubs, and a seven-acre (公顷) park! There are parking spaces for 12,750 cars. About 750,000 people shop every week.

　　The first indoor mall in the United States was built in 1965 in Edina, Minnesota. People loved doing all their shopping in one place. More malls were built all over the country. Now, malls are like town centers where people come to do many things. They shop, of course. They also eat in food houses that have food from all over the world. They see movies at theatres. Some people even get their daily exercise by doing the new sport of mall walking. Others go to malls to meet friends.

　　In some malls, people can see a doctor or a dentist (牙医) and even attend church. In other words, people can do just about everything in malls. Now residents (居民) can actually live in their favorite shopping center.

　　1. Malls are .

　　A. large shopping centers which also act as town centres

　　B. large parks with shops

　　C. the most popular places Americans go to

　　D. town centers

　　2. Why have malls become so popular?

　　A. Because people can do everything there.

　　B. Because people can do many other things besides shopping for all they need.

　　C. Because people feel safe in malls with police stations around.

　　D. Because people enjoy the fresh air and can have a good rest there.

　　3. Malls have to be large places because .

　　A. many people drive their cars to go to malls

　　B. there have to be some restaurants, clinics and theatres

　　C. many people hope to do sports in the malls

　　D. they have to meet different needs of so many people

　　4.Those are called mall rats.

　　A. who are busy stealing in the mall

　　B. who have visited the biggest malls

　　C. who are often found busy shopping in malls

　　D. who live under the roof of the mall

　　答案与分析：

　　通读全文，本文是说明文。全文说明了美国的malls。

　　1. A 细节题。从文章的前部分我们知道，malls是购物中心，从文章中我们同样看到 “Now, malls are like town centers where people come to do many things”，因此A为最佳选项。

　　2. B 主旨大意题。从最后两段我们可以得此答案。

　　3. D 细节理解题。从文章中我们可以看出，在malls，人们不仅仅购物，还要看电影、做礼拜、看医生、吃饭等。

　　4. C 细节题。从“Some people spend so much time at malls that they are called mall rats”得此答案。

　　Passage 77

　　The producer appeared behind the recording studio window and smiled and waved to me like an old friend. And after I had read out a little test piece, he said, “That’s fine, wonderful, your voice is perfect, lively, wonderful.” Then I read a longer passage in English about the delights of touring in Britain, and another about the delights of visiting London, and both were “excellent” and “just right”, and I began to consider a job in radio.

　　To be honest, I was fairly sure of myself though I lacked experience. Across the room in the Hamburg News Agency where we both worked, a friend named Peter Turner called to me, “I say, Mike, a man on the phone here wants someone to do a recording in English, and I’ m booked up. Would you read something to him in English as a sort of test ?” I did, and they said, “Perfect, lovely, wonderful, …” Would I come round?

　　It was after reading their passage in English in the studio that they noticed my vowel (元音) pronunciations were not altogether King’s English, or even Prince Philip’s, there was a larger silence than usual, then the voice said: “Fine, lovely…, but you said the word ‘castle’ with a short ‘a’. Could we have the passage again please, but this time say ‘castle’.”

　　This was easy. But then he noticed other differences in my pronunciation.

　　“It’s my northern English accent,” I said, angry, because I had to apologize for it.

　　“Oh, I see…but Mike, we’ll have to get it right, I’m afraid. The recording is for teaching English to German schoolchildren, and it must be spoken in the way it is taught in German schools.”

　　I read the passage again…and again…and again. But of course you cannot change the pronunciation of a lifetime in an hour. The studio men were in the state of having lost hope and underlined the vowels which caused me to feel angry, so that I’d remember them. Few, really. But because I had to concentrate (集中) on them, I made a lot of mistakes in my reading. Everyone got somewhat irritable (easily made angry), so we all went out for a beer.

　　1.Broadcasting did not make Mike nervous .

　　A. although he had never done any before

　　B. because he worked in a news agency

　　C. because he was used to talking on the phone

　　D. although the passages were long

　　2. What happened after Mike had read the third passage?

　　A. They made him repeat it.

　　B. They said nothing.

　　C. They began to discuss the King’s English.

　　D. They could not understand one of the words.

　　3. They wanted Mike to change his pronunciation because .

　　A. German schoolchildren did not like a northern accent

　　B. it was different from the English taught in German schools

　　C. it was different from the English spoken in Germany

　　D. German schoolchildren were taught through recordings

　　4. Why did Mike’s reading of the passage get worse?

　　A. He needed a drink to clear his throat.

　　B. He was trying to do the recording in an hour.

　　C. He was trying hard to get certain sounds right.

　　D. He could not learn so many new sounds.

　　答案与分析

　　通读全文，本文是记叙文。全文记叙了这样一件事：“我”因为圆润的声音通过了电台的播音考试，然而在为一商家录音时，因为“我”的英语不符合他们的标准，却没有完成任务。

　　1. A 细节题。从第一段以及第二段的“To be honest, I was fairly sure of myself though I lacked experience”我们可以得此答案。

　　2. A 细节理解题。在测试中“我”先读了一段测试题。然后“I read a longer passage in English about the delights of touring in Britain, and another about the delights of visiting London”，因此这次录音是第三个文章。

　　3. B 细节题。从 “The recording is for teaching English to German schoolchildren, and it must be spoken in the way it is taught in German schools”得此答案。

　　4. C 细节题。从文中我们可以看出他所读的个别元音老是达不到别人的要求。

　　Passage 78

　　Rome--Doctors and medical groups around the world last weekend reacted with strong opposition(反对) to the news that an Italian specialist is on the brink of cloning the first human baby.

　　Dr. Severino Antinori, who is the head of a hospital in Rome, has been referred to in an Arab newspaper as claiming(声称) that one of his patients is eight weeks pregnant (怀孕) with a cloned baby.

　　Antionori refused to comment on the reports, but in March 2001 he said he hoped to produce a cloned embryo (卵) for implantation within two years. So far seven different kinds of mammals have already successfully cloned, including sheep, cats and most recently rabbits.

　　Doctors showed their doubt and were strongly opposed although they admitted that human cloning would finally come true unless there was a worldwide ban on the practice.

　　Professor Rudolf Jaeniscb of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said: “I find it astonishing that people do this where the result can be foretold that it will not be a normal baby. It is using humans as guinea pigs. It makes people feel sick.”

　　But Ronald Green, director of the Ethics Institute at Darmouth College in the US, said it is unlikely that an eight-week-old pregnancy would lead to a birth.

　　So far all cloned animals have suffered from some different serious disorders, many of them dying soon after their births.

　　Doctors are opposed to human cloning because they are worried about the welfare of the cloned child if there is one.

　　“There are no benefits of cloned human beings, just harm,” said Dr Michael Wilks of the UK.

　　1. What do the underlined words on the brink of in the first paragraph mean most probably?

　　A. on the side of　B. on the point of

　　C. in search of　D. in favour of

　　2. What is the doctors’ general attitude to cloning of humans according to the passage?

　　A. They are against it.　

　　B. They support it.

　　C. They welcome it.　

　　D. They pay no attention to it.

　　3. What does the underlined word ban in the third paragraph mean most probably?

　　A. order that forbids cloning　

　　B. suggestion to carrying on cloning

　　C. anger at cloning　

　　D. cheer for cloning

　　4. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

　　A. Doctor Severion Antinori is strongly opposed to cloning human beings.

　　B. Up to now, seven kinds of animals have been cloned, including sheep, cats, humans and rabbits.

　　C. Professor Rudolf Jaenisch carrying on an experiment on cloning an eight-week-old embryo.

　　D. Ronald Green doubts about the future successful birth of the so-called cloned embryo.

　　5. Which is the best title for the passage?

　　A. The Success of Cloning Humans.　

　　B. The Anger at Cloning Humans.

　　C. Failure of Cloning Humans.　

　　D. First Cloned Human?

　　通读全文，本文讲述的是在一些科学家提出克隆人后，世界各地的医生和医务工作者纷纷反对。

　　1. B 词义理解题。从第二段“one of his patients is eight weeks pregnant (怀孕) with a cloned baby”我们可以得知，克隆人还没有诞生，但是即将诞生。on the point of意思是“即将”。

　　2. A 细节题。从第一段得此答案。

　　3. A 词义理解题。联系“human cloning would finally come true unless there was a worldwide ban on the practice”全句，我们可以看出作者认为，克隆人最终是要实现的，除非全世界禁止实施。

　　4. D 细节题。从“it is unlikely that an eight-week-old pregnancy would lead to a birth”得此答案。

　　5. D 主旨大意题。B有较大干扰性。文章不仅仅讲述的是人们对克隆人的反对，同时讲了克隆人是不可行的。

　　Passage 79

　　It is natural that children are curious (好奇的) about the world around them. For example, they want to know how their hearts beat. They want to know why the ocean water tastes salty.

　　As children grow up, they become curious about different kinds of things. When they are babies, they are interested in the parts of their bodies and in the smiles of their mothers. The they become interested in the physical world around them: the plants, the animals, the sky. Later, they become interested in the things that people have made: wheels, bicycles, cars. And when they are adults, their curiosity continues. Sometimes this curiosity leads to a career (生涯、职业) in science.

　　Scientists spend their lives trying to find out about the world. Those who work with the earth sciences study the earth, the oceans, and the skies. Other scientists who study living things work with the biological sciences. A third group of scientists study the physical sciences, e. g. physics, chemistry .

　　These scientists have already discovered a lot about our world. For example, they tell us why your heart beats fast when you run. They say that when you are quiet, your heart normally beats sixty-five or seventy-five times a minute. Your heart is a pump (泵) that pumps blood to all parts of the body. The blood carries oxygen and nutrition. When you run, your muscles work very hard and use the nutrition that the blood carries to them. The muscles need oxygen, too . So your brain sends a signal to the heart. The signal means that the muscles need more nutrition and oxygen. Then the heart beats fast and sends blood quickly to the muscles. It may beat 90 to 140 times a minute.

　　Of course, scientists cannot answer all of our questions. If we ask, “Why does the ocean water taste salty” scientists will say that the salt comes from rocks. When a rock gets very hot or very cold, it cracks. Rain falls into cracks. The rain then carries the salt into the earth and into the rivers. The rivers carry the salt into the ocean. But then we ask , “What happens to the salt in the ocean? The ocean does not get saltier every year.” Scientists are not sure about the answer to this question.

　　We know a lot about our world, but there are still many answers that we do not have, and we are curious.

　　1. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

　　A. People are curious in the same way.

　　B. People in different countries are interested in different things.

　　C. Men and women are curious about different things.

　　D. People of different ages are interested in different things

　　2. Scientists who work with the biological sciences study____.

　　A. the earth , the oceans and the sky B. man-made things

　　C. plants and animals D. ocean water

　　3. When you run, your muscles need ____.

　　A. more nutrition and oxygen B. more signals

　　C. more salt D. water

　　4. A rock cracks _____.

　　A. in wet regions B. in dry regions

　　C. at very high or very low temperatures D. when salty water falls in

　　5. People are always curious because ____.

　　A. they cannot explain many things B. they know nothing about the world

　　C. they know little about the world D. they want to be scientists

　　答案与分析

　　人人都有好奇心，无论是小孩还是成人，这是这篇议论文的论点。文章还通过具体事例说明了就是因为“好奇心”，人类科学才得以发展。

　　1. D 本题为正误判断题。根据文章第二段的描述，人处于不同的年龄阶段，所好奇的对象也随之而不同，因此选D比较恰当。

　　2. C 细节理解题。本题是对词汇知识的测试。文章第三段第二句有如下文： “Other scientists who study living things work with the biological sciences.”其中 “living things”(生物)等同于 “plants and animals”,故选C。

　　3. A细节题。文章第四段几处都有交待“…your muscles work very hard and use the nutrition…The muscles need oxygen, too …The signal means that the muscles need more nutrition and oxygen.”，因此选A。

　　4. C 本题是对文章细节的考查。文章倒数第二段第三句已予以说明(When a rock gets very hot or very cold, it cracks), 因此选C。

　　5. A深层理解题。根据文章最后一句 “We know lot about our world, but there are…”，可断定答案B和答案C为错的。而答案D “人们想当科学家”并不是好奇的原因，且相反，正因为人们对某些事情的不理解，才产生了好奇心，才立下了当科学家的志向。所以选A最为恰当。

　　Passage 80

　　Except for the sun, the moon looks the biggest object in the sky. Actually it is one of the smallest, and only looks big because it is so near to us. Its diameter is only 2160 miles (3389 km), or a little more than a quarter of the diameter of the earth.

　　Once a month, or, more exactly, once every 29.5 days, at the time we call “full moon”, its whole disc looks bright. At other times only part of it appears bright, and we always find that this is the part which faces towards the sun, while the part facing away from the sun appears dark. People could make their pictures better if they kept this in mind — only those parts of the moon which are lighted up by the sun are brighter. This shows that the moon gives no light of its own. It only throws back the light of the sun, like a huge mirror hung in the sky.

　　Yet the dark part of the moon’s surface is not completely black; usually it is just light enough for us to be able to see its shape, so that we speak of seeing “the old moon in the new moon’s arms”. The light by which we see the old moon does not come from the sun, but from the earth. We know well how the surface of the sea or of snow, or even of a wet road, may throw back uncomfortably much of the sun’s light on to our faces. In the same way the surface of the whole earth throws back enough of the sun’s light on to the face of the moon for us to be back to see the parts of it which would otherwise be dark.

　　1. Why is the dark part of the moon not completely black?

　　A. The earth throws back sunlight on to the moon.

　　B. The sun shines on the moon’s surface.

　　C. The moon throws back the light from the sun.

　　D. The moon has light of its own.

　　2. How often do we see the moon as its brightest?

　　A. Once every week.B. Once every year.

　　C. Once every 29.5 days.D. Once every 27 days.

　　3. What is meant by “seeing the old moon in the new moon’s arms” ?

　　A. We can see the dark parts of the moon, though not clearly.

　　B. The new moon is at its brightest.

　　C. The dark parts of the moon are bright enough for us to see.

　　D. Part of the moon’s surface is lighted by the sun.

　　4. Which of these is true?

　　A. The moon which appears round at its brightest is called full moon.

　　B. The moon’s diameter is exactly one fourth of that of the earth.

　　C. The light by which we see the old moon comes from the sun.

　　D. The part of the moon which is not lighted by the sun is completely dark.

　　答案与分析

　　通读全文，本文是说明文。全文说明了月球的一些情况。

　　1. A 细节理解题。从最后一段，尤其从 “In the same way the surface of the whole earth throws back enough of the sun’s light on to the face of the moon for us to be back to see the parts of it which would otherwise be dark”得此答案。

　　2. C 细节题。从“Once a month, or, more exactly, once every 29.5 days, at the time we call ‘full moon’, its whole disc looks bright”得此答案。

　　3. A 词义理解题。从“Yet the dark part of the moon’s surface is not completely black; usually it is just light enough for us to be able to see its shape, so that we speak of seeing ‘the old moon in the new moon’s arms’”得此答案。

　　4. A 细节题。从“at the time we call “full moon”, its whole disc looks bright”得此答