下面有3篇短文，每篇短文后有5道题。请根据短文内容，为每题确定1个最佳选项。
第一篇 Trying to Find a Partner
One of the most striking findings of a recent poll in the UK is that of the people interviewed, one in two believes that it is becoming more difficult to meet someone to start a family with.
Why are many finding it increasingly difficult to start and sustain intimate relationships? Does modern life really make it harder to fall in love? or are we making it harder for ourselves?
It is certainly the case today that contemporary couples benefit in different ways from relationships. Women no longer rely upon partners for economic security or status. A man doesnt expect his spouse to be in sole charge of running his household and raising his children.
But perhaps the knowledge that we can live perfectly well without a partnership means that it takes much more to persuade people to abandon their independence.
In theory, finding a partner should be much simpler these days. Only a few generations ago, your choice of soulmate was constrained by geography, social convention and family tradition. Although it was never explicit, many marriages were essentially arranged.
Now those barriers have been broken down. You can approach a builder or a brain surgeon in any bar in any city on any given evening. When the world is your oyster ,you surely have a better chance of finding a pearl.
But it seems that the old conventions have been replaced by an even tighter constraint: the tyranny of choice.
The expectations of partners are inflated to an unmanageable degree: good looks, impressive salary, kind to grandmother, and right socks. There is no room for error in the first impression.
We think that a relationship can be perfect. If it isnt, it is disposable. We work to protect ourselves against future heartache and dont put in the hard emotional labor needed to build a strong relationship. Of course, this is complicated by realities. The cost of housing and child-rearing creates pressure to have a stable income and career before a life partnership.
31. What does the recent poll show?
A. It is getting more difficult for a woman to find her husband.
B. It is getting increasingly difficult to start a family.
C. It is getting more difficult for a man to find his wife.
D. It is getting increasingly difficult to develop an intimate relationship with your spouse.
32. Which of the following is NOT true about a contemporary married couple?
A. The wife doesnt have to raise the children all by herself.
B. The husband doesnt have to support the family all by himself.
C. The wife is no longer the only person to manage the household.
D. They will receive a large sum of money from the government.
33. Which of the following was NOT a constraint on ones choice of soulmate in the old days?
A. The health condition of his or her grandmother.
B. The geographical environment.
C. The social convention.
D. The family tradition.
34. Which of the following is NOT expected of a partner according to this passage?
A. Good looks.
B. An impressive career.
C. A high salary.
D. A fine sense of humor.
35. The word sustaincould be best replaced by
A. reduce.
B. shake.
C. maintain.
D. weaken.
第二篇 Milosevics Death
Former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic was found dead last Saturday in his cell at the Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. The 64-year-old had been on trial there since February 2002.
Born in provincial Pozarevac in 1941,he was the second son of a priest and a school teacher. Both of his parents died when he was still a young adult. The young Milosevic was untypical, says Slavoljub Djukic, his unofficial biographer. He was not interested in sports, avoided excursionsand used to come to school dressed in the old-fashioned way-white shirt and tie. One of his old friends said, he could imagine him as a station-master or punctiliouscivil servant.
Indeed that is exactly what he might have become, had he not married Mira. She was widely believed to be his driving force.
At university and beyond he did well. He worked for various firms and was a communist party member. By 1986 he was head of Serbias Central Committee. But still he had not yet really been noticed.
It was Kosovo that gave him his chance. An autonomous province of Serbia, Kosovo was home to an Albanian majority and a Serbian minority. In 1989,he was sent there to calm fears of Serbians who felt they were discriminated against. But instead he played the nationalist card and became their champion. In so doing ,he changed into a ruthless and determined man. At home with Mira he plotted the downfall of his political enemies. Conspiringwith the director of Serbian TV, he mounted a modern media campaign which aimed to get him the most power in the country.
He was elected Serbian president in 1990.In 1997,he became president of Yugoslavia. The rest of the story is well-known: his nationalist card caused Yugoslavias other ethnic groups to fight for their own rights, power and lands. Yugoslavia broke up when four of the six republics declared independence in 1991.War started and lasted for years and millions died. Then Western countries intervened. NATO bombed Yugoslavia, and he eventually stepped down as state leader in 2000.
Soon after this, Serbias new government, led by Zoran Djindjic, arrested him and sent him to face justice at the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal in the Hague.
36. Where did Milosevic die?
A. In a basement.
B. In a prison.
C. In Kosovo.
D. In his own country.
37. Which of the following is NOT true of the young Milosevic?
A. He dressed in a pretty old-fashioned way.
B. He was not interested in sports.
C. He often avoided excursions.
D. He was extremely ambitious.
38. All of the following persons changed his fate in one way or another except
A. Mira.
B. his parents.
C. Zoran Djindjic.
D. the Director of Serbian TV.
39.Why was Milosevic sent to Kosovo in 1989?
A. To handle economic issues.
B. To drive the Albanians back to their own country.
C. To remove the Serbians fears of being discriminated against.
D. To launch an attack against his political enemies.
40. What happened in 1991?
A. Yugoslavia broke up.
B. Western countries intervened.
C. NATO bombed Yugoslavia.
D. Milosevic was arrested.
第三篇 The World Cup
This summers World Cup competition will see teams competing to play the worlds best football. But the football they play will not all be of the same kind. The fans expect different styles of play from Brazil, Germany, or Italy.
What makes Brazilian football Brazilian? Our style of playing football contrasts with the Europeans because of a combination of qualities of surprise, accuracy and good judgment. This style has won Brazil five world cups. Yet many Brazilian fans only count four of these victories. In 1994,the team abandoned this style for modern, scientific training and tactics. The team won the cup, but in a boring way.
The Italians think differently. To many Italians, the score 0-0 has a glorious quality, suggesting perfection, says the British football writer Simon Kuper. In the Italian culture, the idea of face is very important. This is why Italian teams are traditionally built around strong defences. The Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff once said that Italian teams never exactly beat you. Its just that you often lose to them.
In Holland, there is a tradition of decision making through argument and discussion. It is a society where everybody is expected to have a point of view. Every Dutch player wants to control the game, says Arnold Muhren. You play football with your brains and not your feet.
A Dutch player argues, says Simon Kuper. An English player obeys his superior. He is a soldier. The qualities valued in English football are military-strength, aggression and courage. This can make for exciting football. But it also means that the English find it difficult to use skillful players. David Beckham is usually criticized for his failure to defend-despite the fact that he is an attacker.
If the English like to fight, the Germans like to win. In recent years, Germany has tried to change its image as a country of ruthless efficiency and a desire for victory at all costs. But Germans are quite happy for these qualities to remain in their national football team. Football is a simple game, Gary Lineker once said. You kick a ball about for ninety minutes and in the end the Germans win.
Its difficult to predict who will win this years World Cup. There is no strong favorite. But a look at the track record of previous winners shows that it is the nations with the strongest national characteristics in the football that perform best. It seems that you need to know where you come from if you want to get to the top.
41. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the Brazilian style of playing football?
A. Accuracy.
B. Surprise.
C. Good judgment.
D. Ruthless efficiency.
42. Why do many Italians think that the score 0-0 has a glorious quality?
A. Because it makes no one lose face.
B. Because the Italian team is not very strong.
C. Because Italians are nice people.
D. Because that score is what their team could obtain.
43. What is one expected to do in Holland?
A. To play football.
B. To express his or her opinion freely.
C. To make a fuss about nothing.
D. To beat his or her opponents ruthlessly.
44. Which of the following is NOT true of the British football players?
A. They are aggressive.
B. They are courageous.
C. They play football for friendship.
D. They obey their superiors.
45. Who will win this years World Cup?
A. The Brazilian team.
B. The Italian team.
C. The German Team.
D. It is unpredictable.
参考答案
31.B 32.D 33.A 34.D 35.C 36.B 37.D 38.B 39.C 40.A 41.D 42.A 43.B 44.C 45.D