阅读理解（5）
A
Some people will do just about anything to save money. And I am one of them. Take my family's last vacation. It was my sixyearold son's winter break from school, and we were heading home from Fort Lauderdale after a weeklong trip. The flight was overbooked, and Delta, the airline, offered us $ 400 per person in credits to give up our seats and leave the next day. I had meetings in New York, so I had to get back. But that didn't mean my husband and my son couldn't stay. I took my ninemonthold and took off for home.
The next day, my husband and son were offered more credits to take an even later flight. Yes, I encouraged－okay, ordered－them to wait it out at the airport to “earn” more Delta Dollars. Our total take: $ 1,600. Not bad, huh?
Now some people may think I'm a bad mother and not such a great wife either. But as a bigtime bargain hunter, I know the value of a dollar. And these days, a good deal is something few of us can afford to pass up.
I've made a living looking for the best deals and exposing (揭露) the worst tricks. I have been the consumer reporter of NBC's Today show for over a decade. I have written a couple of books including one titled Tricks of the Trade: A Consumer Survival Guide. And I really do what I believe in.
I tell you this because there is no shame in getting your money's worth. I'm also tightfisted when it comes to shoes, clothes for my children, and expensive restaurants. But I wouldn't hesitate to spend on a good haircut. It keeps its shape longer, and it's the first thing people notice. And I will also spend on a classic piece of furniture. Quality lasts.
1. Why did Delta give the author's family credits?
A. They took a later flight.
B. They had early bookings.
C. Their flight had been delayed.
D. Their flight had been cancelled.
2. What can we learn about the author?
A. She rarely misses a good deal.
B. She seldom makes a compromise.
C. She is very strict with her children.
D. She is interested in cheap products.
3. What does the author do?
A. She's a teacher.
B. She's a housewife.
C. She's a media person. D. She's a businesswoman.
4. What does the author want to tell us?
A. How to expose bad tricks.
B. How to reserve airline seats.
C. How to spend money wisely.
D. How to make a business deal.
[文章大意] 一些人千方百计地省钱，作者也不例外。上次作者家人一起度假返程时，由于预订该趟航班机票的乘客过多，Delta航空公司给每位退票的乘客返还400美元。作者因为要去纽约开会就先带着9个月大的孩子如期回家了，而丈夫和6岁的儿子则等待次日的航班，结果由于他们乘坐了更晚一些的航班而得到了多达1600美元的补偿。
1．A。考查细节理解。根据第一段的第五句“The flight was overbooked, and Delta, the airline, offered us $400 per person in credits to give up our seats and leave the next day.”可知，由于预订这趟航班的乘客过多，因此航空公司决定对于那些愿意退票，然后乘坐次日航班返回的人每人返还400美元。
2．A。考查细节理解。根据第一段的前两句及第三段第二句中的“But as a bigtime bargain hunter”可知，作者很少错过很便宜的东西，故A项符合题意。
3．C。考查推理判断。根据第四段的第二句“I have been the consumer reporter of NBC's Today show for over a decade.”可知，作者是一位媒体人。
4．C。考查主旨大意。根据最后一段的内容可知，作者想要告诉我们如何聪明地花钱，在哪些地方可以省钱，在哪些地方可以出手大方。
B
Good News vs. Bad News
Bad news travels fast—when you watch the evening news or read the morning papers, it seems that things that get the most coverage are all tragedies like wars, earthquakes, floods, fires and murders.
This is the classic rule for the mass media.
“They want your eyeballs and don't care how you're feeling，” Jonah Berger, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania, US, told The New York Times.
But with social media getting increasingly popular, information is now being spread in different ways, and researchers are discovering new rules—good news can actually spread faster and farther than disasters and other sad stories.
Berger and his colleague Katherine Milkman looked at thousands of articles on The New York Times' website and analyzed the “most popular”
list for six months.
One of his findings was that articles in the science section were much more likely to make the list. Those_stories
aroused feelings of awe and made the readers want to share this positive emotion with others.
Besides science stories,
readers were also found to be likely to share articles that were exciting or funny.
“The more
positive an article was, the more likely it was to be shared，” Berger wrote in his new book, Contagious: Why Things Catch On.
For example,
“stories about newcomers falling in love with New York City”
he writes, tend to be shared more than “the death of a popular zookeeper”．
The difference between the two is due to the fact that the mass media prefers news that gets attention, while when you share a story with your friends “you care a lot more about how they react”，
Berger explained.
But does all the good news actually make the audience feel better? Not necessarily.
According to a study by researchers at Harvard University,
people tend to say more positive things about themselves when they're talking to a bigger audience, rather than just one person, which helps explain all the perfect vacations that keep showing up on microblogs. This, researchers found, makes people think that life is unfair and that they're less happy
than their “friends”．
5. We can learn from the first five paragraphs that ______.
A. when you watch the evening news, it seems that things are all tragedies
B. the classic rule for the mass media is that they focus on your attention and your feelings
C. the new rule for the mass media appears because social media get increasingly popular
D. one of Berger's findings was that science articles were not much more popular
6. What kind of stories does the underlined part in Paragraph 5 refer to?
A.
Science stories. B.
Tragedy stories.
C. Murder stories.
D.
Funny stories.
7. Which of the following stories will not be popular on The New York Times' website?
A. An exciting trip to Europe.
B. A murder in
a hospital.
C. A new invention of cooker.
D. A funny experience in space.
8. What are the last two paragraphs mainly about?
A.
Good news always makes the audience feel better.
B. Bad news always makes the audience feel frightened.
C.
All good news doesn't make the audience feel better.
D. All bad news doesn't make the audience feel frightened.
[文章大意] 本文是一篇议论文，就好消息和坏消息的传播和影响展开论述。
5．C。考查细节理解。根据文章第三段中的“But with social media getting
increasingly popular, information is now being spread in different ways,
and researchers are discovering new rules”可知，选项C为答案，其余选项均与原文不符。
6．A。考查细节理解。根据Those stories前面的“One of his findings was that articles in the science section were much more likely to make the list.”可知答案为A。
7.B。考查推理判断。根据文章第五段和第六段可知，在纽约时报的网站上，最受关注的是science
stories, exciting
or funny stories，故选B项。
8．C。考查段落大意。 最后两段的中心句为“But does all this good news
actually make the audience feel better? Not necessarily.”故选C项。
C
As a kid, I was always around animals and I always enjoyed it.After my senior year of high
school,
we
started
leaving this farm.
Then I went away to Rhode Island School of Design to become an architect. After about twoandahalf years, I found that was not quite what I wanted to do. I felt I wanted to be an architect and had a hobby farm.
But why not just have a farm and make it my career?
It's an exciting business.I think a lot of people don't realize what's involved with dairy farming(乳牛场)．We took several trips to some progressive farms in New York when we first started.
And it really changed my attitude to what you could do.
You can be a successful businessperson with a lot of challenges. And those challenges are part of what makes it very exciting － it's not just milking cows. There's nutrition and finances and a lot of big daytoday decisions.
Well, land is the biggest obstacle. Securing enough land is what we need to do.
We don't just need the land for the animals; we also need it to distribute the manure from the cows.
And there's a real balance there,
a real recycling.
You give
the feed to the cows, the cows give you milk, but they also give you a lot of manure. And the best thing to do is to put it back on the land. You need 2 acres per cow basically.
The land that we rent is beautiful and the land that we own is beautiful.You get half a mile off the road and you're looking back at scenery across the valley.It's impressive.You get the rows of grass and the cows in the distance.
1．What major might the author choose when he studied at university?
A. Compute Science. B. Language and Literature.
C. Architecture. D. Science of Animals.
2．What work is included in the dairy farming according to the text?
A. Taking trips around the farm to enjoy life.
B. Milking cows, nutrition and decisions.
C. Playing with the cows around the farm.
D. Designing architect for the dairy farm.
3．Which of the following is the biggest challenge for the author?
A. Huge amount of money.
B. Quantities of workers.
C. High qualified milk cows.
D. Securing enough land.
[文章大意] 经营农场让作者把对动物的喜爱和所学的建筑知识结合在一起。
1．C。细节理解题。根据文章第一段中的“Then I went away to Rhode Island School of Design to become an architect.”可知，应选C项。
2．B。细节理解题。根据文章第二段的“it's not just milking cows.”和“There's nutrition and finances and a lot of big daytoday decisions.”可知答案为B项。
3．D。细节理解题。根据文章倒数第二段中的“Well，land is the biggest obstacle. Securing enough land is what we need to do.”可知土地是最大的障碍，故选D项。
With more than 2.5 million visitors every year, Alton Towers Resort is one of the UK's favourite theme parks. With some of the
world's
most
thrilling roller coasters,
beautiful gardens and underwater wonders, there is something to keep everyone entertained all day. Besides, you can enjoy your stay for even longer with our range of hotels near the park.
Covering over 500 acres, the park will be a great day out for all the family. For the young visitors, Cloud Cuckoo Land is filled with rides and activities. Their blood pressure will soon rise, when they take raising rides including the worldknown.
Oblivion and the roller coaster Thirteen. With combined Alton Towers Resort hotel and ticket packages you can spread the fun out and enjoy more time riding the thrills, playing golf, discovering the wonders of Sharkbait Reef or cooling down in the water park.
In the autumn of 2017, Alton Towers Resort will launch its biggest roller coaster－The Smiler. As the first of its kind in the world, The Smiler will be the biggest ever investment for a ride at the park. And with your Alton Towers One Day Pass you'll have plenty of opportunities to challenge it. While many of the details are still a secret, here are a few other facts you can know about The Smiler：
Highest drop－30m；
Maximum speed－About 85km/h；
Track length－1,170m, which is three times the length of Oblivion；
Ride time－165 seconds, which is three times the ride time of Rita；
Minimum rider height－1. 4m;
Location－X Sector, on the site of the old Black Hole ride.
Address: Alton, Staffordshire, ST10 4DB, England
Opening Hours: It opens from 9：30 a．m. daily, with rides open from 10 a．m.. Closing times vary throughout the season.
Directions: Alton Towers Resort is situated in Staffordshire and clearly signposted from the M6 J15/16. Car parking is ￡6 per car.
Extra: The ride on The Smiler is free of charge from Nov. 4 to Nov. 7; fireworks can be seen from Nov. 8 to Nov. 10 in 2017.
1. We can learn from the passage that Alton Towers Resort________.
A. is located in the center of Staffordshire
B. covers an area of 500 square kilometers
C. is the most popular theme park in the UK
D. offers various rides and activities for visitors
2. What will be the biggest change for the visitors in the
autumn of 2017?
A. They can invest in The Smiler.
B. They can buy hotel and ticket packages.
C. They can ride The Smiler.
D. They can uncover some secrets in the park.
3. What do we know about The
Smiler according to the passage?
A. It will reach the height of 50 meters.
B. It is four times the length of Oblivion.
C.
The ride will last more than three minutes.
D. Riders are required to be taller than 1.4 meters.
4. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A．Visitors can watch fireworks display on November 11th,
2017.
B.
Visitors can park in the theme park at the charge of ￡ 6
per car.
C．Visitors can ride Thirteen free of charge on November 6,2017.
D．Visitors have to purchase Alton Towers One Day Pass in
advance.
[文章大意] 本文主要讲述了Alton Towers Resort主题公园的许多有趣的景点。
1．D。细节理解题。从第一、二段的内容可知，Alton Towers Resort给游客提供了许多不同的游乐设施和活动。所以答案为D项。
2．C。推理判断题。从第三段的内容，尤其是“In the autumn of 2017,
Alton Towers Resort will launch its biggest roller coaster－The Smiler.”这一句话可知，在2017年秋天，游客可以乘坐主题公园最大的过山车。所以答案为C项。
3．D。细节理解题。从文中的“Minimum rider height－1.4m”可知，应选D项。
4．B。细节理解题。从文中的“Car parking is ￡6 per car.”可知，答案为B项。