【阅读理解】
Below is a selection about some Guinness(吉尼斯) World Records.
Top 6 Unusual Guinness World Records
◆Fastest 100 m running on all fours
The 2008 Guinness World Records Day was, according to GWR，their biggest day of recordbreaking ever, with more than 290,000 people taking part in record attempts in 15 different countries. Kenichi Ito's record attempt was part of this special day. He is just another example of Japanese with “super powers”. His “super power” is to run with great speed on all fours. Kenichi Ito ran 100 m on all fours in 18.58 seconds. The Japanese set this record at Setagaya Kuritsu Sogo Undojyo, Tokyo, in 2008.
◆Most people inside a soap bubble◆Longest ears on a dog◆Most living generations
Did you ever wonder what is the Guinness World Record for most living generations in one family? Seven is the answer.
The ultimate authority on recordbreaking mentions on the website that the youngest greatgreatgreatgreat grandparent of this family was Augusta Bung “aged 109 years 97 days, followed by her daughter aged 89, her granddaughter aged 70, her great granddaughter aged 52, her greatgreat granddaughter aged 33 and her greatgreatgreat granddaughter aged 15 on the birth of her greatgreatgreatgreat grandson on January 21, 1989”．
◆Most Tshirts worn at once◆Heaviest pumpkin
1．Why is Kenichi Ito described as a man with a “super power”？
A．He set a good example to all Japanese.
B．He made record attempts in 15 different countries.
C．He set a new record for “Fastest 100 m running on all fours”．
D．He participated in the 2008 Guinness World Records Day activities.
2．Jeffries is the name of ________.
A．the owner of the dog with the longest ears
B．the grandfather of the dog with the longest ears
C．the present holder of the record for “Longest ears on a dog”
D．the former holder of the record for “Longest ears on a dog”
3．How many Tshirts had Krunoslav Budiseli put on before he felt it difficult to go on?A．68.
B．120.
C．238.
D．245.
4．According to the given information, which Guinness World Record was most recently set?
A．The record for “Most people inside a soap bubble”．
B．The record for “Most living generations”．
C．The record for “Most Tshirts worn at once”．
D．The record for “Heaviest pumpkin”．
【要点综述】本文是一篇应用文，主要向读者介绍6个不同寻常的吉尼斯世界纪录的情况。
. C 细节理解题。从第一则纪录中提到的He is just another…super powers…Kenichi Ito ran 100 m on all fours…知，Kenichi Ito创造了最新的最快的100米“四肢爬”纪录，所以选C项。
. D 细节理解题。从文章第三则纪录中Mr. Jeffries is the previous record holder of this title…可以知道，Mr. Jeffries是前纪录保持者，所以选D项。
. B 细节理解题。从第五则纪录中…The Tshirts weighed 68 kg and Budiseli said he began struggling around Tshirt No. 120…可以知道Budiseli在穿了120件T恤后感觉有点困难再穿上T恤了，所以选B项。
4. A 推理判断题。从文章的纪录中可以知道，A项是2011年4月4日创造的；B项是1989年1月21日创造的；C项是2010年5月22日创造的；D项是2010年10月9日创造的，由此知A项是最近时间创造的，所以选A项。
阅读理解。
Which is safer --- staying at home, traveling to work on public transport, or working at the office? Surprisingly, each of these carries the same risk, which is very low. However, what about flying compared to working in the chemical industry? Unfortunately, the former is 65 times riskier than the latter! In fact the accident rate of workers in the chemical industry is less than that of almost any of human activity, and almost as safe as staying at home.
The trouble with the chemical industry is that when things go wrong they often cause death to those living nearby. It is this that chemical accidents so newsworthy. Fortunately, they are extremely rare. The most famous ones happened at Texas City (1947), Flixborough (1974), Seveso (1976), Pemex (1984) and Bhopal (1984).
Some of these are always in the minds of the people even though the loss of life was small. No one died at Seveso, and only 28 workers at Flixborough. The worst accident of all was Bhopal, where up to 3,000 were killed. The Texas City explosion of fertilizer killed 552. The Pemex fire at a storage plant for natural gas in the suburbs of Mexico City took 542 lives, just a month before the unfortunate event at Bhopal.
Some experts have discussed these accidents and used each accident to illustrate a particular danger. Thus the Texas City was caused by tons of ammonium nitrate, which is safe unless stored in a great quantity. The Flixborough fireball was the fault of management, which took risks to keep production going during essential repairs. The Seveso accident shows what happens if the local authorities lack knowledge of the danger on their doorstep. When the poisonous gas drifted over the town, local leaders were incapable of taking effective action. The Pemex fire was made worse by an overloaded site in an overcrowded suburb. The fire set off a chain reaction of exploding storage tanks. Yet, by a miracle, the two largest tanks did not explode. Had these caught fire, then 3,000 strong rescue team and fire fighters would all have died.
1. According to the passage, the chemical accident that caused by the fault of management happened at _________.
A. Texas city
B. Flixborough
C. Seveso
D. Mexico City
2. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Working at the office is safer than staying at home.
B. Travelling to work on public transport is safer than working at the office.
C. Staying at home is safer than working in the chemical industry.
D. Working in the chemical industry is safer than traveling by air.
3. From the passage we know that ammonium nitrate is a kind of _____.
A. natural gas, which can easily catch fire
B. fertilizer, which can't be stored in a great quantity
C. poisonous substance, which can't be used in overcrowded areas
D. fuel, which is stored in large tanks
4. From the discussion among some experts we may conclude that _____.
A. to avoid any accident we should not repair the facilities in chemical industry
B. the local authorities should not be concerned with the production of the
chemical industry
C. all these accidents could have been avoided or controlled if effective measures
had been taken
D. natural gas stored in very large tanks is always safe
【参考答案】1—4、BDBC
阅读下列四篇短文，从每小题后所给的A,B,C或D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
At the age of ten I could not figure out what this Elvis Presley guy had that the rest of us boys did not have. I mean, he had a head, two arms and two legs, just like the rest of us. About nine o’clock on Saturday morning I decided to ask Eugene Correthers, one of the older boys, what it was that made this Elvis guy so special. He told me that it was Elvis’ wavy hair and the way he moved his body.
About half an hour later all the boys in the orphanage（孤儿院）were called to the main dining-room and told we were all going to downtown Jacksonville, Florida to get a new pair of Buster Brown shoes and a hair cut.That is when I got this big idea, which hit me like a ton of bricks.If the Elvis hair cut was the big secret, then that’s what I was going to get.
All the way to town I told everybody, including the matron（女管家）from the orphanage who was taking us to town, that I was going to look just like Elvis Presley and that I would learn to move around just like he did and that I would be rich and famous one day, just like him.
When I got my new Buster Brown shoes, I could hardly wait for my new hair cut and now that I had my new Buster Brown shoes I would be very happy to go back to the orphanage and practice being like Elvis.
We finally arrived at the big barber shop, where they cut our hair for free because we were orphans（孤儿). I looked at the barber and said, “I want an Elvis hair cut. Can you make my hair like Elvis?” I asked him, with a big smile on my face. “Let’s just see what we can do for you, little man,” he said. I was so happy when he started to cut my hair. Just as he started to cut my hair, the matron signed for him to come over to where she was standing. She whispered something into his ear and then he shook his head, like he was telling her “No”. Then he told me they were not allowed to give us Elvis hair cuts. Then I saw my hair falling onto the floor.
1.In the author’s eyes, Elvis Presley was _________.
A. disgusting B. admirable C. ambitious D. dynamic
2. From the passage, we can know that _________.
A. Buster Brown was more appealing than Elvis Presley
B. An Elvis hair cut cost the orphans a lot of money
C. The author was fascinated with the stars Buster and Elvis
D. The barber was unwilling to give the boy an Elvis hair cut
3. We can learn from the underlined sentence that the boy was _________.
A. excited to have an Elvis hair cut
B. worried to think about the secret
C. anxious to remove the ton of bricks
D. careful to seize the chance
4. How would the boy probably feel when he walked out of the barber shop?
A. Delighted. B. Guilty. C. Self-satisfied. D. Depressed.
【参考答案】1—4、BCAD
阅读下列四篇短文，从每小题后所给的A,B,C或D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
Inside the pleasingly fragrant cafe, So All May Eat (SAME) in downtown Denver, the spirit of generosity (慷慨) is instantly noticeable: A donation box stands in place of a cash register. Customers here pay only what they can afford, no questions asked.
A risky business plan, perhaps, but SAME Cafe has done one unchangeable thing in the Mile High City for six years: Open only at midday, the restaurant provides poor local people with healthy, delicious lunches six days a week. Those unable to pay for their meals can instead volunteer as waiters and waitresses, and dishwashers, or look after the buildings and equipment for the cafe.
“It’s based on trust, and it’s working all right, ” says co- owner Brad Birky, who started the cafe in 2006 with his wife Libby. Previously volunteering at soup kitchens, the Birkys were dissatisfied with the often unhealthy meals they served there.
“We wanted to offer quality food in a restaurant where everyone felt comfortable, regardless of their circumstances, ” Birky says. SAME’s special lunch menu changes daily and most food materials are natural and grown by local farmers.
The cafe now averages 65 to 70 customers(and eight volunteers) a day. And the spirit of generosity behind the project appears to be spreading. In early 2007, one volunteer who had cleared snow for his meals during the long winter said goodbye to the Birkys. “He said he was going to New Orleans to help with the hurricane cleanup, ” says Birky.
1. What can we learn about the soup kitchens the Birkys previously worked for?
A. They refused to have volunteers.
B. They offered low quality food.
C. They provided customers with a good environment.
D. They closed down because of poor management.
2. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
A. The customers who cannot pay can work as volunteers instead.
B. More volunteers will go to New Orleans for the hurricane cleanup.
C. Many new cafes will be opened to offer free lunches in the town.
D. The lunch menu has remained the same since the cafe was started.
3. The author’s attitude towards running such a cafe is_____.
A. unfavorableB. approving C. doubtfulD. cautious
【参考答案】1—3、BAB
阅读理解。
Usually, when your teacher asks a question, there is only one correct answer. But there is one question that has millions of current answers. That question is “What’s your name?” Everyone gives a different answer, but everyone is correct.
Have you ever wondered about people’s names? Where do they come from? What do they mean?
People’s first names, or given names, are chosen by their parents. Sometimes the name of a grandparent or other member of the family is used. Some parents choose the name of a well-known person. A boy could be named George Washington Smith; a girl could be named Helen Keller Jones.
Some people give their children names that mean good things. Clara means “bright”; Beatrice means “one who gives happiness”; Donald means “world ruler”; Leonard means “as brave as a lion”.
The earliest last names, or surnames, were taken from place names. A family with the name Brook or Brooks probably lived near brook(小溪)；someone who was called Longstreet probably lived on a long, paved road. The Greenwood family lived in or near a leafy forest.
Other early surnames came from people’s occupations. The most common occupational name is Smith, which means a person who makes things with iron or other metals. In the past, smiths were very important workers in every town and village. Some other occupational names are: Carter ?a person who
owned or drove a cart; Potter
梐 person who made pots and pans.
The ancestors of the Baker family probably baked bread for their neighbors in their native village. The Carpentere’s great-great-great-grandfather probably built houses and furniture.
Sometimes people were known for the color of their hair or skin, or their size, or their special abilities. When there were two men who were named John in the same village, the John with the gray hair probably became John Gray. Or the John who was very tall could call himself John Tallman. John Fish was probably an excellent swimmer and John Lightfoot was probably a fast runner or a good dancer.
Some family names were made by adding something to the father’s name. English-speaking people added –s or –son. The Johnsons are descendants of John; the Roberts family’s ancestor was Robert. Irish and Scottish people added Mac or Mc or O. Perhaps all of the MacDonnells and the McDonnells and the O’Donnells are descendants of the same Donnell.
1. Which of the following aspects do the surnames in the passage NOT cover?
A. Places where people lived.
B. People’s characters.
C. Talents that people possessed.
D. People’s occupations.
2. According to the passage, the ancestors of the Potter family most probably _______.
A. owned or drove a cart
B. made things with metals
C. made kitchen tools or containers
D. built houses and furniture
3. Suppose an English couple whose ancestors lived near a leafy forest wanted their new-born son to become a world leader, the baby might be named _______.
A. Beatrice Smith
B. Leonard Carter
C. George Longstreet
D. Donald Greenwood
4. The underlined word “descendants” in the last paragraph means a person’s _____.
A. later generations
B. friends and relatives
C. colleagues and partners
D. later sponsors
1. B 细节题 根据文中第5段 “The earliest last names, or surnames, were taken from place names.” 第6段“Other early surnames came from people’s occupations.”第8段“Sometimes people were known for····their special abilities.”分别可以排除A, C, D, 得出答案B。
2.C 推断题 根据文中第6段最后一句“Potter—a person who made pots and pans.”可知potter意为一个制作茶壶和平底锅的人，得出答案C。
3.D推断题 根据第4段 “Donald means ‘world ruler’”和第五段最后一句 “The Greenwood family lived in or near a leafy forest”，得出答案D。
4.A词义猜测题 根据最后一段 “Some family names were made by adding something to the father’s name. English-speaking people added –s or –son.” 得出答案A，意为“后代”。
完形填空。阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项A、B、C和D中，选出最佳答案。
In an effort to raise awareness about the homeless，those living on the streets are being recruited(招募) to read the weather forecast 1.________ TV in Europe.
Saatchi & Saatchi Berlin set up the program，called Days of Hope, in 2.________ homeless people deliver the weather forecast and discuss 3.________ it affects them while living on the streets.
“This is 4.________ very simple but surprising idea，which 5.________ are expecting to get a lot of attention，encourage conversations around this important issue，and 6.________ important of all，increase donations，” John Pallant，Saatchi & Saatchi's regional creative director for EMEA，said.
Russia and Romania have already taken part in the program，7.________ Germany，Switzerland and Poland are expected 8.________ follow.And Days of Hope originated on the radio in Germany.
(五)
1. on 考查介词。on TV “在电视上”，为固定搭配。
2. which 考查定语从句的引导词。此处in which引导定语从句修饰the program。
3. how 考查宾语从句的引导词。萨奇柏林广告公司做了一档名叫Days of Hope的节目，节目请来了流浪汉来播报天气，并讨论这种天气对于他们这种露宿街头的人来说会有怎样的影响。
4. a 考查冠词。此空表泛指，故用a。此处意为“这是一个非常简单却让人惊讶的想法”。
5. we 考查代词。该空在句中作主语，再结合句意可判断填we。
6. most 考查副词。我们希望能够通过这种想法得到更多人的关注，并引发大家对这个重要的问题的讨论。最重要的是希望此举能够增加人们对流浪汉的捐助。
7. while 考查并列连词。while在此处连接两个并列句子，意为“而”。句意：俄罗斯、罗马尼亚已经参与到这个节目中来了，而德国、瑞士、波兰都有可能加入。
8. to 考查不定式符号。be expected to do sth被期待做某事。
完形填空。
Twelve years ago, my mother gave birth to the most beautiful girl.
1
, we were later given the
2
that this little girl, who was three and a half months old, would only have 14 days on earth. It’s hard to understand what kind of
3
you have when you find out that you’re
4
something that you don’t even know.
As time went on, the number of days kept growing, which gave us
5
. When the doctors said that we could take her home, that was
6
reality hit. We had no
7
.
I am from a small town with
8
hospitals, but when you don’t have money, you just don’t have it. My mother tried for days to get the money, but nothing
9
each time. A caseworker(社会工作者) was even doing her best. It’s
10
that it almost felt as if we had to
11
a baby from the hospital.
One day the caseworker walked into her boss’s office to
12
again. As she walked out,
13
down yet again, out of nowhere a man walked up to her. He
14
her a handful of money and said, “Please give this to the lady in
15
, so she can take her daughter home.” She looked down at her hand with tears in her eyes. As she looked back up to thank him, he was
16
. They searched all over that hospital and he was no where to be
17
.
Thanks to the guy that I will
18
know, we could take home that
19
baby girl that was only given 14 days to live, and celebrated her 12th birthday yesterday. I am grateful to this man and feel that his act of
20
should be shared with everyone.
(B)1. A. Besides
B. However
C. Otherwise
D. Therefore
(D)2. A. idea
B. order
C. point
D. news
(B)3. A. character
B. feeling
C. habit
D. friendship
(B)4. A. wasting
B. losing
C. explaining
D. gaining
(C)5. A. trouble
B. freedom
C. hope
D. information
(D)6. A. how
B. where
C. whether
D. when
(A)7. A. money
B. knowledge
C. shelter
D. car
(C)8. A. modern
B. large
C. small
D. good
(B)9. A. set up
B. came up
C. made up
D. gave up
(C)10. A. interesting
B. necessary
C. sad
D. impossible
(D)11. A. save
B. protect
C. visit
D. buy
(B)12. A. apologize
B. try
C. research
D. interview
(B)13. A. moved
B. let
C. knelt
D. fell
(B)14. A. took
B. handed
C. paid
D. lent
(D)15. A. danger
B. advance
C. reward
D. need
(B)16. A. shy
B. gone
C. disappointed
D. proud
(C)17. A. avoided
B. persuaded
C. found
D. stopped
(B)18. A. even
B. never
C. almost
D. still
(C)19. A. nervous
B. naughty
C. beautiful
D. dangerous
(B)20. A. courage
B. kindness
C. gentleness
D. politeness
【解析】B。考查句子间的逻辑关系。此处是转折关系。
【解析】D。考查语境中名词的辨析。That 引导的是同位语从句，根据句意可知此处是噩耗之意。
【解析】B。考查逻辑推理。作者的小妹妹非常漂亮，这本是好事，可是医生突然宣布死神将很快夺走她的生命，这种“感觉”难以理解。
【解析】B。考查上下文暗示。根据医生透露的消息可知，小妹妹只能存活14天，全家会很快“失去”她。
【解析】C。考查生活常识。第一段提到小妹妹只能活14天，而此处提到随着时间的推移她的存活时间不断延长，这显然给了全家“希望”。
【解析】D。考查逻辑推理。联系上下文便知用when,其它三项均不适合。
【解析】A。
【解析】C。考查逻辑推理。
【解析】B。考查短语搭配。come up 此处是“发生”之意。
【解析】C。考查逻辑推理。作者的母亲为了筹钱东奔西走，结果总是空手而归；社会工作者虽然竭尽全力，仍然无能为力。这种现实让人感到十分“悲伤”。
【解析】D。考查逻辑推理。作者一家人为了带回家需要千方百计四处筹钱，可是没有任何结果。这几乎让作者一家人感到好像是从医院“购买”孩子一样。
【解析】B。考查上下文暗示。
【解析】B。考查逻辑推理。此处的let sb. down表示“使人失望”。
【解析】B。考查逻辑推理。根据下文的内容可知这位神秘的男士想帮助作者一家人渡过难关，所以把钱“递”给社会工作者，让她转交给作者的母亲。
【解析】D。考查短语搭配。
【解析】B。考查逻辑推理。根据下一句内容可知，当这个社会工作者去感谢他时，他已经走了。
【解析】C。考查上下文的暗示。他们找遍了整个医院，都没“发现”他。
【解析】B。考查逻辑推理。
【解析】C。考查上下文对照。此处与第一段第一句中的the most beautiful little girl相呼应。
【解析】B。考查语篇理解。男士是替别人着想，为别人排忧解难，这是“善良”的行为。