题目内容
I HEAR America beeping(嘟嘟响)．
Beep，says my cellophane when it gets a text message．
Beep，says my microwave oven when my sandwich is warmed up．
Sometimes I long for a natural sound：a bird singing，dog barking，children laughing， anything to drown out the maddening beeps that have become the soundtrack(配乐)to modern life．
My cellophane? It isn’t enough that its ring tone offerings seem to stretch from “annoymg” toextremely “annoying”． It also has to beep whenever someone texts messages me．
The microwave? A bell rings when it's finished heating my food．But is that enough? No．If I don’t rush to it right away, it starts beeping，like an impatient child tugging(用力拉) at my sleeve(袖子)．
The smoke detector(探测器) is the worst offender．When its batteries are in need of replacement，it 1ets out a series of chirps．The things that don’t beep buzz(嗡嗡响)．And for some reason，beeping and buzzing is beneath them，they clear their throats and perform a symphony． Like my TV, each time I turn it on, it performs an aria(咏叹调)：La di da di dum．Salutions! Here I am! Same thing when I turn it off: La di da di dum．Good bye, kind sir! Until the next time
But at 1east I know where each of these sounds is coming from．That isn’t always the case．For weeks, my wife and I were awoken in the night by a beeping．There，in the stillness， we went through the possible suspects．Could we have a text message? Could it be any of the devices(装置)able to make a sound? Curling iron, rice cooker, smoke detector, TV set，clock radio．．．
The only way to tell was to chase the sound down ，but no sooner would we pull on our bathrobes than the beeping would stop. We didn’t hear it every night but often enough that we would climb into bed wondering whether our sleep would be interrupted by that maddening sound，that beep．
Finally,early one morning，my wife found it：in the study,under a desk，a big plastic cube that was plugged into the wall．It was an uninterruptible power supply that we’d inherited(继承)from my wife’s mother．We’d never known it was capable of speech．
I think it just wanted someone to talk to.
14．What does the writer truly mean by saying“I hear America beeping”?
A．American people like devices that beep．
B．Americans are crazy about sending text messages．
C．In modern society people are dependant on technology．
D．The soundtrack to modern life is no longer natural．
15．Why couldn’t the author and his wife find the source of the noise in their house in the beginning?
A．There were too many devices for them to check．
B．They were unwilling to get up at midnight．
C．They had never known that thing could beep too．
D．The noise didn’t come every day．
16．After reading this passage，we can probably tell the author ．
A．enjoys being surrounded by beeps B．has a touch of humor in his writing
C．tries to avoid using anything that beeps
D．understands the beeping is designed to be user-friendly
DI read about it in the paper, in the subway, on my way to work. I read it, and I couldn't believe it, and I read it again. Then perhaps I just stared at it, at the newsprint spelling out his name, spelling out the story. I stared at it in the swinging lights of the subway car, and in the faces and bodies of the people, and in my own face, trapped in the darkness which roared(隆隆响) outside.It was not to be believed and I kept telling myself that, as I walked from the subway station to the high school. And at the same time I couldn't doubt it. I was scared, scared for Sonny. He became real to me again. A great block of ice got settled in my belly and kept melting there slowly all day long, while I taught my classes algebra. It was a special kind of ice. It kept melting, sending trickles(涓涓细流)of ice water all up and down my veins(血管), but it never got less. Sometimes it hardened and seemed to expand until I felt my heart was going to come spilling(溢出) out or that I was going to choke or scream. This would always be at a moment when I was remembering some specific thing Sonny had once said or done.When he was about as old as the boys in my classes his face had been bright and open; and he'd had wonderfully direct brown eyes, and great gentleness. I wondered what he looked like now. He had been picked up, the evening before, in a sudden search on an apartment down-town, for selling and using heroin.I couldn't believe it: but what I mean by that is that I couldn't find any room for it anywhere inside me. I had kept it outside me for a long time. I hadn't wanted to know. I had had suspicions(怀疑), but I didn't name them, I kept putting them away. I told myself that Sonny was wild, but he wasn't crazy. And he'd always been a good boy, he hadn't ever turned hard or evil or disrespectful, the way kids can, so quick, so quick, especially in Harlem. I didn't want to believe that I'd ever see my brother going down, coming to nothing, all that light in his face gone out, in the condition I'd already seen so many others. 67. The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 1 refers to ____.A. the swinging light of the subway car B. the news of Sonny’s being arrested C. everything trapped in the darkness D. newspaper68. We can learn from the passage that ____. A. the news on the paper was unbelievable. B. I was too scared to believe the news C. I was ill because a great block of ice was in my belly D. Sonny and I hadn’t seen each other for a long time69. What can be inferred from the last paragraph? A. Sonny and I were brothers. B. Sonny had always been a good boy before being arrested. C. I didn’t care about Sonny. D. Many young men turned bad in Harlem.70. Which of the following can best describe the author’s feelings towards Sonny? A. Concern, affection, expectation. B. Concern, hatred, expectation. C. Affection, regret, sympathy. D. Regret, understanding, sympathy.
DI don’t like getting up too early unless I have to. When you’re filming, you’ve got make-up on, which doesn’t happen often. As I’m not filming at present I’ll get up at 8.30. Work normally means Matt coming over to my house about 10 am. We’re writing at the moment. We’ll chat for a bit before going to my study. One of us will have an idea for a sketch (梗概), we’ll talk about the characters and when we feel we have enough we’ll start writing. Matt and I met at the National Youth Theatre in 1990 and started doing shows together in ’95, at the Edinburgh Fringe festival. We know we’re onto something if we’ve made each other laugh, and that’s a really special moment. It’s not always like that, but we’re comfortable enough with each other that we can be honest and go. Some days you’re not in the mood to be funny—like writing when my dad was dying of cancer, or when Matt was separating from his partner. We stop for lunch and sometimes go to Wagamama in Camden, but the last time we were followed by paparazzi (狗仔队), which gets you down—who wants to be pictured eating noodles? When I’m not writing with Matt I work on other projects. My second children’s book comes out later in the year. It’s called Mr. Stink. The first one I dedicated to my three-year-old nephew, Eddie. Both books have been illustrated by Quentin Blake; it’s been a thrill to work with him—like 20 years ago reading a Roald Dahl book and looking at those drawings, then one day that person illustrates your work… magical. At 5 I go swimming in Soho. My trainer makes me do horrible exercises, but I always feel better after.Being in all day, I like to go out in the evening and look smart, but not like I’ve come out of the City. I’m a tall, broad guy and well-dressed. For dinner I’ll meet friends. When you’re a single guy it’s great to have some good female friends. Or I might take my mum to the theatre, as I know she really appreciates it. I like watching TV comedy shows to see what everyone’s doing. When you see something impressive it makes you work harder. I also love Larkin’s poems: they don’t try to transcend (超越) the commonplace; they’re much more straightforward. Poetry is great to dip into before going to bed, rather than falling asleep reading a novel and being confused over what you’ve read or not. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in seven years; unfortunately, I rely on pills. I’ve tried everything. If I could wish anything for myself, I’d wish I could sleep better. 67. It can be inferred from the passage that _______. A. the author spends much time with his friendsB. the author and Matt are both famous in the district C. the author doesn’t care much about what to wear D. the author works at home and seldom goes out every day 68. Where does the passage most likely appear?A. In a travel diary. B. In a news column. C. In an online diary. D. In a research paper.69. Why does the author read some poetry before going to bed? A. Because poetry can often bring him some funny ideas. B. Because poetry is much easier to understand than novels. C. Because poetry is very abstract and reflects unusual things. D. Because poetry can be of some help for him to kill time. 70. What might be the best title for the passage? A. A day’s work with Matt B. A new life-style C. A life in the day D. A good way to write
DI wrote to the White House asking about a birthday greeting for my grandfather who will be 95 next year. I received a card signed by Bill and Hillary. They look like real signatures（签名）and are not printed and they are probably produced by autographing（亲笔签名）machines. That says:Happy Birthday! Hillary and I are delighted to join your friends and family in congratulating you on this special day. As you look forward to the year ahead, please accept our best wishes for good health and much future happiness. This was sent in a double envelope so that I could address the inner one to my grandfather and send the sealed（盖章） card to him. The card has the presidential seal printed in gold. The outer envelop is hand addressed. NOTE: the postage meter impression on the outer envelope reminded me that the president does not have franking privileges.（邮资特权）The outer envelope does have a little "B" written on the upper right corner indication that they have a pile of these pre-signed and double-enveloped; when a request comes in, they just write the address on the outer envelope and mail it. The return address on both envelopes is simple: The White House, Washington.73．When did the writer write to the White House? A．On his grandfather’s birthday. B．On his birthday. C．When his grandfather was 94 years. D．When his grandfather was 95 years old.74．It’s clear that the card sent by Bill and Hillary was . A．signed by an autographing machine B．the one that had real signatures of Bill and Hillary C．the one whose signatures were printed D．the one that was signed with their own names75．Form what the card says, we can find it . A．was a public letter for those who were in need of greeting B．can be sent to all those who write to them both C．was sent specially to the writer’s grandfather D．can be sent to anyone whose birthday is coming near76．The letter “B” on the upper right corner of the outer envelope means . A．these are all double envelope having cards with pre-signatures inside them B．these are all letters which have franking privileges C．they have written the address on the outer envelopes D．they have written “The White House, Washington” on both envelopes
阅读下列回函:Reply letter AThank you for your valuable suggestions. We have decided to show the Chinese character along with the Hanyu Pinyin for names of Chinese personages, places and specific things as from the next issue.Reply letter BThank you for your suggestions. Next year will be the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. One of our staff reporters has just returned from Xinjiang and written a long article about her trip. Next year, we will have even more coverage of Xinjiang.Reply letter COther readers have asked us for similar information and we have so far answered them individually. In this issue, we will print an open reply. We discovered after making a survey that there are few books to be found on China printed in English. Most are published by the Foreign Languages Press and China International press, from where it is possible to buy books directly.Reply letter DA majority of Chinese tourists travel abroad in order to see different landscapes and various cultures, to appreciate an exotic atmosphere and to get to know local customs. Some Chinese tourists nevertheless go to China towns, because they can eat Chinese food there. For those who don’t know English or the native language of the country they visit, it is convenient to go shopping or find entertainment in a Chinatown.Reply letter EWe have taken on your suggestions to start a column on personalities. There are kinds of reports, such as movie stars, directors, businessmen, singers and so on. Our reports not only introduce their achievements, but also report their inner world. We hope you will enjoy it.Reply letter FThanks for your appreciation of our magazine. We have mailed your letter and your e-mail address to Tingting. Since both of her two letters were sent by ordinary mail and did not give her e-mail address or telephone number. We could not get in touch with her any other way.阅读下列信函,然后匹配相关信息:Letter AI have just started reading your magazine regularly and enjoy the articles very much. I have one comment to make. Can you include the Chinese characters for the names of people, places, etc that you mention with the Hanyu Pinyin of Romanized phonetic system that you use? For example, what is “Emei” or “Qitaihe”or “Shaoxing” in Chinese? It’s also helpful for those of us who are learning Chinese.Letter B.It was interesting to read the magazine. I wonder if you could start a column which introduces the Chinese elites of art, business, sports, politics, especially directors, actors, anchors(主持人)and singers. I believe readers will also appreciate a livelier style. Letter CI am a civil servant in Xinjiang, a region relatively underdeveloped in comparison with other provinces. But this does not mean it belong to another world. Xinjiang could benefit from overseas exchanges as well as contact with people living in other regions. Could you include articles about Xinjiang and its people? I suggest magazines report more about the western regions, especially exotic and charming Xinjiang.Letter DI am an avid(热衷的)reader of your magazine and it has helped me to introduce China to foreign friends. Thank you for great efforts to bring New China to the world. Next month, I may get the opportunity to go to Nigeria, so I must learn more about China’s history and culture. Could you kindly recommend a suitable book in English?Letter EIt was interesting to read “Chinese Travelers Step out”. It seems a large percentage of Chinese tourists visit the West. In Indonesia, Chinese New Year is an official holiday. How would you assess the level of interest Chinese tourists have in Indonesia? Would they like to visit Chinatowns or other unique attractions in Indonesia? 信函 回函【小题1】LetterA A. Reply letter A【小题2】LetterB B. Reply letter B【小题3】LetterC C. reply letter C【小题4】LetterD D. Reply letter D【小题5】LetterE E. Reply letter E
A. Concern, affection, expectation. B. Concern, hatred, expectation.