阅读理解-
Just 25 years ago, the top three career hopes for young people in Britain were teacher, banker and doctor. Now, they want to be sports star, pop star and actor, according to survey by the Guardian newspaper.
Rachel, a character in the popular TV show Glee, may be said to speak for British teenagers. “Nowadays being nobody is worse than being poor.” He said.
Emma Brockes, a reporter with the Guardian, believes it is “the bad influence of celebrity(名人) culture” that is to blame. “When children wanted to be doctor, it wasn’t because they were really more interested in the functions of human organs than they are now; you go where the respect is.” She wrote.
It could explain why there has been such an increase in levels of anxiety and depression. Dr Carlo Strenger, of Tel Aviv University, studied the sense of self for his new book The Fear of Insignificance: Searching for Meaning in the 21st Century. He told the Daily Mail that young people now are “affected by the close connection to the global entertainment network, which has turned ranking and rating people according to wealth and celebrity into an obsession(痴迷).”
“As humans, we naturally measure ourselves to those around us, but now we live in a global village. We are comparing ourselves with the most ‘important’ people in the world and finding ourselves wanting,” he said. Today, even high achievers constantly fear that they are insignificant when they compare themselves to success stories in the media.
The way out? Simply stop measuring your achievement through a fantasy of wealth and celebrity. Dr Strenger said that it is a process called “active self-acceptance through a constant search for self-knowledge through life.”
“The fear of insignificance can only be overcome through strong individual and cultural identity over and above measurable achievement,” he said.
11. Nowadays, young people in Britain have different career hopes because they want to
.
A. choose jobs based on interests
B. become famous
C. be teachers, bankers and doctors
D. earn more money
12. According to Emma Brockes, what causes the increasing level of anxiety?
A. Choices of future careers.
B. Access to the global network.
C. Bad influences of celebrities.
D. Endless comparison with others.
13. Which of the following is True of Dr Carlo Strenger?
A. He is a newspaper reporter.
B. He is the spokesman of teenagers.
C. He tells success stories on TV.
D. He is against ranking people with wealth.
14. Dr Carlo Strenger suggests that young people should
.
A. seek active self-acceptance
B. stick to their own dreams
C. make great achievements
D. search for the secret of wealth
15. The text is mainly written to
.
A. talk about job choices
B. analyze a social phenomenon
C. encourage celebrity culture
D. introduce three famous people
【参考答案】11—15、BCDAB
阅读理解
Anger at the practice of demanding dowries, which can lead to violence against brides, has prompted a takeoff of “Angry Birds” called “Angry Brides” that aims to highlight the illegal practice still prevalent in many South Asian countries.
Dowries-such as jewelry, clothes, cars and money-are traditionally given by the bride’s family to the groom and his parents to ensure she is taken care of in her new home.
The custom was outlawed more than five decades ago. But it is still widely practiced, with the groom’s family demanding even more money after marriage, leading to mental and physical annoyance that can drive the woman to suicide.
“The Angry Brides game is our way of throwing a spotlight on the nuisance(陋习)of dowry.” said Ram Bhamidi, senior vice president and head of online marketing for Shaadi.com, a matrimonial(婚姻的)website with two million members.
“According to a 2007 study, there is a dowry-related death every four hours in India, We condemn this and have consistently run campaigns on social media to help create awareness of the issue”.
The name of the app, available on the group’s home page, is a spinoff from the globally popular “Angry Birds” game, Its home page shows a red-clad, eight-armed woman resembling a powerful female Hindu goddess. Underneath, there is a caption: “A woman will give you strength, care and all the love you need ……NOT dowry!”
To play the game, users have to try and hit three dodging grooms--a pilot, a builder and a doctor. There are a variety of weapons to choose from, including a frying pan, broomstick, tomato and loafer.
Each groom has a price tag, starting at 1.5 million rupees($29,165). Every time the player hits a groom, his value decreases and money is added to the player’s Anti-Dowry Fund ,which is saved posted on their Facebook page.
“Since we launched the game last week, more than 270,000 people have liked the app. Both men and women seem to be playing it”, said Bhamidi.
66.What caused “Angry Brides” to appear online?
A.Women’s rights’being seriously abused.
B.Anger at the practice of demanding dowries.
C.The bride’s giving a great many dowries.
D.The popularity of Angry Birds online.
【答案】B
【解析】根据第一段第一句可知“嫁妆有时会导致对新娘的暴力， 由于对索要嫁妆的愤怒引起了对“愤怒的小鸟”的滑稽的模仿，被称之为“愤怒的新娘”目的在于强调在东南亚国家普遍存在的不合法做法”
67.Which of the following is True about “Dowries”?
A.The custom of giving dowries has been in practice for five decades.
B.Lack of abundant dowries may lead to the bride’s being in violence.
C.The illegal practice of dowries is still popular in many African countries.
D.More dowries the bride gives mean a high social status of her family.
【答案】B
【解析】看文章第一段第一句
68.The underlined word “spinoff” probably means
.
A.relation
B.connection
C.copy
D.fake
【答案】C
【解析】“愤怒的新娘”是对“愤怒的小鸟”的模仿。
69.Which of the following is NOT TRUE about the game “Angry Bride”?
A.There are a variety of weapons to choose from.
B.Ram Bhamidi thinks highly of the game.
C.Men players don’t find the game enjoyable.
D.The game character looks like a Hindu goddess.
【答案】C
【解析】从文章最后一句Both men and women seem to be playing it可知， 男士也喜欢玩这个游戏。所以C是错误叙述。
70.What is the text mainly about?
A.Women’s unfair treatment in the marriage.
B.The popularity of the game “Angry Brides”
C.The groom’s demanding too many dowries.
D.How to build an equal relation it the marriage.
【答案】B
【解析】本文主要讲了“愤怒的新娘”这个游戏产生的背景，玩法，以及受欢迎。
Sometimes you’ll hear people say that you can’t love others until you love yourself. Sometimes you’ll hear people say that you can’t expect someone else to love you until you love yourself. Either way, you’ve got to love yourself first and this can be tricky. Sure we all know that we’re the apple of our parents’ eyes, and that our Grandmas think we’re great talents and our Uncle Roberts think that we will go to the Olympics. But sometimes it’s a lot harder to think such nice thoughts about ourselves. If you find that believing in yourself is a challenge, it is time you build a positive self-image and learn to love yourself.
Self-image is your own mind’s picture of yourself. This image includes the way you look, the way you act, the way you talk and the way you think. Interestingly, our self-images are often quite different from the images others hold about us. Unfortunately, most of these images are more negative than they should be. Thus changing the way you think about yourself is the key to changing your self-image and your whole world.
The best way to defeat a passive self-image is to step back and decide to stress your successes. That is, make a list if you need to, but write down all of the great things you do every day. Don’t allow doubts to occur in it.
It very well might be that you are experiencing a negative self-image because you can’t move past one flaw or weakness that you see about yourself. Well, roll up your sleeves and make a change of it as your primary task. If you think you’re silly because you aren’t good at math, find a tutor. If you think you’re weak because you can’t run a mile, get to the track and practice. If you think you’re dull because you don’t wear the latest trends, buy a few new clothes. But remember, just because you think it doesn’t mean it’s true.
The best way to get rid of a negative self-image is to realize that your image is far from objective, and to actively convince yourself of your positive qualities. Changing the way you think and working on those you need to improve will go a long way towards promoting a positive self-image. When you can pat(拍) yourself on the back, you’ll know you’re well on your way. Good luck!
6. You need to build a positive self-image when you _________.
A. dare to challenge yourself
B. feel it hard to change yourself
C. are unconfident about yourself
D. have a high opinion of yourself
7. According to the passage, our self-images _________.
A. have positive effects
B. are probably untrue
C. are often changeable
D. have different functions
8. How should you change your self-image according to the passage?
A. To keep a different image of others.
B. To make your life successful.
C. To understand your own world.
D. To change the way you think.
9. What is the passage mainly about?
A. How to prepare for your success.
B. How to face challenges in your life.
C. How to build a positive self-image.
D. How to develop your good qualities.
10. Who are the intended readers of the passage?
A. Parents.
B. Adolescents.
C. Educators.
D. People in general.
【参考答案】6—10、CBDCB
阅读理解
Is early childhood education really necessary? Early childhood education primarily focuses on learning through playing to develop the child’s physical, sensory, communicational and social development．Early childhood education has become a concern of the government, who pushes poor children to be formally trained before they are old enough for kindergarten．
There are good reasons for the government to push early childhood education．Studies have shown that orphaned children who did not receive good care and education become developmentally delayed causing failure in school, and even in life．Further studies show that poor children who take part in Head Start programs are more prepared for school, less likely to end up in Special Education classes, and are less likely to receive public help or go to prison．
There are also negative parts to putting a child in formal education programs too early．Time Magazine online explains that “the younger the child the less his chances of catching up with first-grade work．” I have personally witnessed many children of my generation who went to Head Start programs become frustrated and bored with school before they finished high school．Yet parents have been sure that the earlier the child starts school, the better off he or she is, so they push to start children earlier．
Actually while early formal education of poor children does show great gains in the early elementary years, studies also show that this head start is really a “false start”, as the gains are lost in middle and high school years．It seems that environment is a bigger factor on life’s success than early education．Head Start programs have not achieved its original goal in closing the achievement gap in poor and middle school children．Perhaps it is time to find other ways to close that gap．
. The purpose of the government valuing the early childhood education is ________．
A．to develop the children’s communication
B．to give orphaned children good care and education
C．to get the children prepared for the kindergarten
D．to train the children formally and regularly
12. According to the studies, which of the following is True?
A．Children with good early education may have a rich life．
B．The orphaned children are usually unhappy in their life．
C．Children without early education can do well at school．
D．Head Start programs are helpful to the poor children．
. The underlined part suggests that _________．
A．the early childhood education is helpless to the child’s grade
B．it is good for the young children to receive early education
C．the early education can help the children follow the grade
D．the younger the children are, the cleverer they will be
14. The author’s attitude toward the early childhood education is _________．
A．puzzling
B．negative
C．indifferent
D．approving
. The main idea of the last passage is that __________．
A．the early childhood education is very necessary
B．Head Start programs have helped the children a lot
C．environment is the most important to life’s success
D．better ways should be found to help the poor children
【参考答案】11—15、CDABD
阅读理解----D
Gay marriage, and especially gay parenting, has been in the cross hairs in recent days.
On Jan.6, Rick Santorum told a New Hampshire audience that children are better off with a father in prison than being raised in a home with lesbian parents and no father at all. And last Monday(Jan.9), Pope Benedict called gay marriage a threat “to the future of humanity itself”, citing the need for children to have heterosexual homes.
But research on families headed by gays and lesbians doesn’t back up these above views. In fact, in some ways, gay parents may bring talents to the table that straight parents don’t.
Gay parents “tend to be more motivated, more committed than heterosexual parents on average, because they chose to be parents.” Said Abbie Goldberg, a psychologist at Clark University who researches gay and lesbian parenting. Gays and lesbians rarely become parents by accident, compared with an almost 50 percent accidental pregnancy rate among heterosexuals, Goldberg said. “That translates to greater commitment on average and more involvement”.
And while research indicates that kids of gay parents show few differences in achievement, mental health, social functioning and other measures, these kids may have the advantage of open-mindedness, tolerance and role models for equal relationships, according to some research. Not only that, but gays and lesbians are likely to provide homes for difficult-to-place children in the foster system, studies show.
Children of gay parents also show less care about gender difference. That’s likely because gays and lesbians tend to have more equal relationships than straight couples, Goldberg said.
“Men and women felt like they were free to pursue a wide range of interests,” Goldberg said. “Nobody was telling them,‘Oh, you can’t do that， that’s a boy thing,’or ‘That’s a girl thing.”
71.The underlined phrase “in the cross hairs”(in Paragraph 1) probably means
.
A.a great concern
B.a big threat
C.a political ban
D.a role model
【答案】A
【解析】最近，同性恋婚姻以及同性恋父母对孩子的教育问题成为人们关心的一个大问题。
72.It can be learned from the passage that Rick Santorum
.
A.opposes the need for children to have heterosexual homes
B.thinks children are better off with a father in prison
C.believes children are better off in heterosexual homes
D.is in favor of children being raised by lesbian parents
【答案】C
【解析】根据第二段第一句可知“Rick Santorum告诉听众，与被女同性恋抚养长大而根本没有父亲相比，有个坐监狱的父亲会更好”。
73.From Abbie Goldberg’s words, we can learn that
.
A.Most heterosexual parents have children by accident
B.Gays and lesbians consider carefully before becoming parents
C.Heterosexual parents are not committed in the marriage
D.There’s no gender difference in gay and lesbian parenting
【答案】B
【解析】根据第四段的信息they chose to be parents；Gays and lesbians rarely become parents by accident可知同性恋者在成为父母前是经过考虑的。
74.From the passage, we can infer that
.
A.Children of gay parents are more talented
B.Gay parents like adopting poor children
C.Children of gay parents may enjoy more freedom
D.Gay parents show no difference in social functioning
【答案】C
【解析】从最后一段可得知答案。
75.Which of the following is the advantage of kids of gay parents?
A.Tolerance .
B.More talents.
C.A chievement.
D.Mental health.
【答案】A
【解析】由倒数第三段可知…these kids may have the advantage of open-mindedness, tolerance and role models for equal relationships, according to some research.