D
The thing is, my luck’s always been ruined. Just look at my name: Jean. Not Jean Marie, or Jeanine, or Jeanette, or even Jeanne. Just Jean. Did you know in France, they name boys Jean? It’s French for John. And okay, I don’t live in France. But still, I’m basically a girl named John. If I lived in France, anyway.
This is the kind of luck I’ve had since before Mom even filled out my birth certificate. So it wasn’t any big surprise to me when the cab driver didn’t help me with my suitcase. I’d already had to tolerate arriving at the airport to find no one there to greet me, and then got no answer to my many phone calls, asking where my aunt and uncle were. Did they not want me after all? Had they changed their minds? Had they heard about my bad luck—all the way from Iowa—and decided they didn’t want any of it to rub off on them?
So when the cab driver, instead of getting out and helping me with my bags, just pushed a little button so that the trunk (汽车后备箱) popped open a few inches, it wasn’t the worst thing that had ever happened to me. It wasn’t even the worst thing that had happened to me that day.
According to my mom, most brownstones in New York City were originally single-family homes when they were built way back in the 1800s. But now they’ve been divided up into apartments, so that there’s one—or sometimes even two or more families—per floor.
Not Mom’s sister Evelyn’s brownstone, though. Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Ted Gardiner own all four floors of their brownstone. That’s practically one floor per person, since Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Ted only have three kids, my cousins Tory, Teddy, and Alice.
Back home, we just have two floors, but there are seven people living on them. And only one bathroom. Not that I’m complaining. Still, ever since my sister Courtney discovered blow-outs, it’s been pretty frightful at home.
But as tall as my aunt and uncle’s house was, it was really narrow—just three windows across. Still, it was a very pretty townhouse, painted gray. The door was a bright, cheerful yellow. There were yellow flower boxes along the base of each window, flower boxes from which bright red—and obviously newly planted, since it was only the middle of April, and not quite warm enough for them.
It was nice to know that, even in a sophisticated (世故的) city like New York, people still realized how homey and welcoming a box of flowers could be. The sight of those flowers cheered me up a little.
Like maybe Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Ted just forgot I was arriving today, and hadn’t deliberately failed to meet me at the airport because they’d changed their minds about letting me come to stay.
Like everything was going to be all right, after all.
Yeah. With my luck, probably not.
I started up the steps to the front door of 326 East Sixty-Ninth Street, then realized I couldn’t make it with both bags and my violin. Leaving one bag on the sidewalk, I dragged the other up the steps with me. Maybe I took the steps a little too fast, since I nearly tripped and fell flat on my face on the sidewalk. I managed to catch myself at the last moment by grabbing some of the fence the gardeners had put up…
67. Why did the author go to New York?
A. She intended to go sightseeing there.
B. She meant to stay with her aunt’s family.
C. She was homeless and adopted by her aunt.
D. She wanted to try her luck and find a job there.
68. According to the author, some facts account for her bad luck EXCEPT that ________.
A. she was given a boy’s name in French
B. the cab driver didn’t help her with her bags
C. her sister Courtney discovered blow-outs  
D. nobody had come to meet her at the airport
69. The underlined phrase “rub off on” in Paragraph 3 probably means _________.
A. have an effect on    B. play tricks on     C. put pressure on      D. throw doubt on
70. From the passage, we can know that _________.
A. the author left home without informing her mother
B. the author arrived in New York in a very warm season
C. her aunt’s family lived a much better life than her own
D. her aunt and uncle were likely to forget about her arrival


PART THREE   READING COMPREHENSION
Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C, and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage.
A
Prague
Prague is an ancient European city, featuring one of the most magnificent Old Towns in Europe, along with delicious food, inexpensive shopping and friendly people. Prague is also famous as being home to one of the most famous 20th century writers, Franz Kafka. The famous Czech beer is also one of the reasons to visit Prague.
The narrow streets of the older parts of the town are appealing the visitors to take nice long walk and settle in some of the many restaurants, which offer top-quality foods at a low price. The buildings there are mostly tower-shaped,and so Prague is called “city of a hundred spires.”
Mauritius
Also known as the Paradise on Earth, Mauritius lies about 560 miles (900 km) east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. It is a place of magnificent natural beauty coupled with excellent customer service, which makes for an unforgettable romantic experience at the edge of the world’s warmest ocean.
There are lots to see and do in Mauritius: the coral reefs (珊瑚礁)surrounding the island offer stunning beauty and great underwater adventures to those who want to dive into the precious waters. The nature of Mauritius mostly resembles that of Paradise, allowing every couple visiting this island to feel like Adam and Eve. That is an experience nobody would want to miss!
Cyprus
The very name Cyprus, it has been said, glitters with an age-old myth. Today, history and hedonism (快乐论)are comfortably mixed on the island. Some five-star resorts within walking distance of well-preserved Greek and Roman ruins offer the convenience the modern traveler has come to expect.
Cyprus features a romantic history, as it was Anthony’s gift to his beloved Cleopatra during the glorious days of the Roman Empire. Maybe that is why you feel always a little special once you set foot on Cyprus.
For more information about many other most romantic places in the world, just log on at http://www.jurgita.com.
56. The underlined word “spires” in Paragraph 2 means        .
A. narrow streets                                                B. inexpensive restaurants
C. top-quality foods                                           D. tower-shaped buildings    
57. We learn from the text that Mauritius        .
A. is part of Madagascar                                     B. is an ideal destination for couples
C. is in central Indian Ocean                               D. is most famous for its good service
58. What makes Cyprus different from the other two places?
A. It is located on an island.                                B. It offers charming resorts.
C. It was given as a present.                                D. It has a very long history.
59. A common feature of Mauritius and Cyprus is that they are         .
A. old                     B. romantic            C. rich              D. mysterious
60. What is the main purpose of the author?
A. To attract more visitors.                                   B. To tell traveling experiences.
C. To sell information on line.                                 D. To introduce historical places.

America’s greatest technological achievement, the Hoover Dam, now has a companion piece, a bridge held up by the longest arch in the Western Hemisphere(半球). The Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, which opened this month and connects the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada, crosses the vast chasm(峡谷)890 feet above the Colorado River that is controlled by the dam.
The striking 1,900-foot-long structure will improve traffic in the region and help protect the dam from being destroyed. It is the seventh highest bridge in the world, behind four in China, one in Papua New Guinea and one in the US state of Colorado.
“The Hoover Dam is the greatest civil engineering achievement in America’s history,” said the bridge project manager Dave Zanatell. “Our goal was not to outdo or outshine it. Our goal was to, in a respectful way, do something that would be great for our generation and that would stand besides Hoover Dam in a respectful and quality way that would become a part of Hoover’s legacy(遗产).”
Just as the Hoover Dam was built in the heart of the Great Depression(大萧条)and was seen as an example of the nation’s can-do spirit, some hope this project can also provide some uplift.
The bridge is surprising: at 1,050 feet, its support arch holds up a roadway that lies on 300-foot-long concrete pillars(柱子), some of the tallest in the world. It contains 16 million pounds of steel.
  The idea of the bridge came into being in the 1960s because the top of the Hoover Dam has been a narrow two-lane road that is the fastest route from Arizona to Las Vegas and then the Pacific Northwest and Canada.
 Access to the dam from each direction is a dangerously winding route, but massive trucks and passenger vehicles shared it for decades. During the day, when thousands of tourists travel to the dam from Las Vegas three times as many accidents as on a normal road will happen.
 The bridge has a sidewalk on the side facing the dam. The wall on both sides is 54 inches high, so walkers can take photos there.
【小题1】Which of the following is true of the Hoover Dam?

A.It was completed recently.
B.It was built during the hard times.
C.It has the longest arch.
D.It’s the seventh highest dam in the world.
【小题2】What is one of the purposes of building the bridge?
A.To protect the dam.B.To save the cultures.
C.To outdo the dam.D.To develop the tourism.
【小题3】The underlined word “uplift” in Paragraph 4 means _____.
A.lift of the heavy objectB.support in money
C.spiritual encouragementD.instruction in technology
【小题4】Which of the followings shows the right position of the bridge and dam?

【小题5】The text is mainly about ______.
A.the Hoover Dam
B.American western development
C.a tour along the Colorado River
D.a recently built bridge

It's really true what people say about English politeness: it's everywhere.When squeezing past someone in a narrow aisle, people say "sorry".When getting off a bus, English passengers say "thank you" rather than the driver.In Germany, people would never dream of doing these things.
After all, squeezing past others sometimes can't be avoided.and the bus driver is merely doing his job.I used lo think the same way, without questioning it, until I started traveling to the British Isles and came to appreciate some more polite ways of communicating with people.
People thank each other everywhere in England, all the time.When people buy something in a shop, customer and retail assistant in most cases thank each other twice or more.In Germany, it would be exceptional to hear more than one thank you in such a conversation.British students thank their lecturers when leaving the room.English employers thank their employees for doing their jobs as opposed to Germans, who would normally think that paying their workers money is already enough.
Another thing I observed during my stay was that English people rarely criticize others.Even when I was working and mistakes were pointed out to me.my employers stressed several times but none of their explanations were intended as criticism.It has been my impression that by avoiding criticism, English people are making an effort to make others feel comfortable.This also is shown in other ways.British men still open doors for women, and British men are more likely to treat women to a meal than German men.However, 1 do need to point out here that this applies to English men a bit more than it would to Scottish men' Yes, the latter are a bit tightfisted.
【小题1】What is the author's attitude towards English politeness?

A.He appreciates itB.He gives no personal opinion
C.He thinks it is artificialD.He thinks it goes too far.
【小题2】What can we learn about customers and retail assistants in Germany?
A.It's always a retail assistant who says thank you.
B.A customer never says thank you to a retail assistant.
C.They always say thank you to each other.
D.They may say thank you only once.
【小题3】We can learn from the last paragraph that Scottish men _____.
A.are more likely to be involved in a fighting.
B.are not so willing to spend money for women.
C.are more polite than English men.
D.treat women in a polite way.
【小题4】The author develops the text through the method of        .
A.giving commentsB.telling stories
C.making comparisonsD.giving reasons

COLUMBUS, Ohio—The heart operation taking place in the pale-green operating room at the Ohio State University Medical Center was unusual. The patient, a 62-year-old man, was made to sleep, tied with blue drapes(消毒帷帘)and lying face up on a narrow table. But no one was touching him.

Instead, the operation was being performed by a robot, whose three metal arms went through pencil-sized holes in the man’s chest. At the ends of the robot’s arms were tiny metal fingers, with turning wrists, which held a tiny instrument, a light and a camera. The robot’s arms and fingers were controlled by Dr. Randall K. Wolf, sitting at a computer in a corner of the operating room about 20 feet away.

This sort of operation, heart surgeons say, is the start of what may be the biggest change in their profession since heart bypass surgery(心脏搭桥手术)began nearly 30 years ago. “The reason we make cuts is that we have big hands,” said Dr. Wolf, the director of the surgery at Ohio State. The robot’s dainty fingers, no longer than a nail on the small finger, at the end of the long sticks could work better.

Eventually, surgeons believe, most heart surgery will be done by robots whose arms are put in through pencil-sized holes punched in patients’ chests. Instead of directly staring into a patient’s body, surgeons will view magnified images of the operation on computer screens. In theory, the doctor would not have to be in the same room, or even the same country, as the patient.

1.In this passage, the underlined word “dainty” means ______.

A.weak

B.small

C.fat

D.quick

2.According to the passage, the reason that most operations require large cuts is that ______.

A.patients have large organs

B.surgeons have large hands

C.large cuts take less time

D.large cuts cost less money

3.The main idea of this passage is that heart surgery by robots ______.

A.is quicker than surgery done by doctors

B.may replace surgery done by doctors

C.is a new and risky procedure

D.was developed at Ohio State University

4.Based on the information in this passage, all of the following conclusions are true EXCEPT ______.

A.Robot surgery is being developed at Ohio State

B.Robot surgery will be used on many patients in the near future

C.All doctors at Ohio Sate develop new surgical techniques

D.Many hospitals will eventually offer robot surgery to patients

 

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