Imagine being able to recall just about anything, your mind functioning as a nearly endless encyclopedic(百科全书的)book of names, pictures, dates and events.

       Brad Williams’ excellent memory recall makes him a personified version(个人版)of Google. His wide memory allows him to recall almost any news event and anything he has experienced, including specific dates and even the weather. “I was sort of a human Google for my family. I’ve always been able to recall things,” the 51-yearold said on Good Morning America in his first television interview.

       Williams’ type of detailed, complete memory is called hyperthymesia and few known cases exist. Brad’s brain scan are now being studied by scientists at the Center for Neurobiology(神经生物学)of Learning and Memory, at the University of California.

       At first, the drive-time radio broadcaster didn’t think his ability to recall so much was anything special. Gradually, over the years, other people noticed how much he was able to remember in detail about events. Then in 2006, he read an article about a wman whom scietists called AJ, which prompted Williams to come forward. AJ is a writwer of a medical journal, and the only scientifically-documented case of superior memory.

       “When I read about AJ, my immediate thought was : Oh my God. That’s Brad!” said williams’ brother, Eric Williams.

       Eric Williams is eager to learn about the inner working of his brother’s mind. He is in the process of making documentary(纪录片)about Brad, appropriately titled: “Unforgettable.” In the film, which hasn’t been finished yet, Williams takes on a person who is Googling answers to 20 questions. He answers 18 of them correctly and is 11 minutes faster than the Google user.

       “All of us have the ability to store this information, but the difference with Brad is that he can recall it,” Eric Williams said.

According to the passage, which of the following is true about Brad Williams?

       A.He has worked for Google, so he recall any news events.

       B.He may be one of the rare cases of people with a superior memory.   

       C.He is now the host of Good Morning America.

       D.He is working as a teacher in California.

Why does Brad Williams have such a good memory?

       A.Because he was born with a rare ability.

       B.Because his work requires a good memory.

       C.Because he has to answer others’ questions.

       D.Because he was specially trained in his chilhood.

The underlined word “prompted” most probably means _______.

       A.helped             B.wanted     C.warned     D.encouraged

The best title for this passage might be ___________.

       A.The Ability to Store All Information

       B.A Documentary called Unforgettable

       C.“Google Man” Recalls Nearly Every Thing

       D.Brad Williams and Google User

On receiving my learner driver license a couple of months ago, I started driving lessons straight away. In New Zealand, the __33__driving age is 15.
However it wasn’t __34__ two days ago that Dad finally allowed me to drive on the motorway. Our __35__ was Orewa, a seaside town about 60 kilometers away from my home in Auckland. That morning I __36__ sure I had enough to drink and went to the toilet (厕所) about three times __37__ we left. I thought I was totally __38__ for the journey, but nothing could have prepared me for my family’s __39__. "Relax! Don’t hold the steering wheel(方向盘) so __40__. The car is going zigzag (弯弯曲曲的)," called a nervous voice from the __41__. "Speed up. 70km/h isn’t fast enough. You are holding up the traffic," another voice ordered from the seat next to mine.
How __42__ ! My parents were really starting to get on my nerves. To satisfy them I sped up and within a second, an angry voice began to yell again. "Stop! __43__! Are you crazy? ” Everything did not go fine until I pulled off the motorway and drove into the city, __44__ the speed limit was only 50km/h.
My family seemed relieved (放心的) and __45__ telling me what to do. They all looked out of the windows and enjoyed the scenery .  __46__, that silence didn’t last very long. My mum suddenly cried out, "Look at those birds above us. __47__ they lovely?"
How did she expect me to look up in the __49__? As the driver I had to __48__ . Who knows what would have happened if I had taken my eyes off the __50__? Four hours later we drove home. This time the journey was much __51__ than before as everyone else __52__ fast asleep. So, I just took my time and enjoyed the drive.

【小题1】
A.oldestB.youngestC.bestD.worst
【小题2】
A.untilB.unlessC.afterD.when
【小题3】
A.destinationB.homeC.cityD.aim
【小题4】
A.thoughtB.decidedC.keptD.made
【小题5】
A.whenB.sinceC.beforeD.as
【小题6】
A.disappointedB.preparedC.excitedD.upset
【小题7】
A.praisesB.encouragementsC.complaintsD.cries
【小题8】
A.tightlyB.lightlyC.loosely D.happily
【小题9】
A.front searB.back seatC.top seatD.empty seat
【小题10】
A.interestingB.movingC.puzzlingD.annoying
【小题11】
A.Get outB.Move onC.Slow down D.Speed up
【小题12】
A.whereB.whileC.whichD.why
【小题13】
A.began B.stoppedC.continuedD.forgot
【小题14】
A.LuckilyB.ProbablyC.WarmlyD.Sadly
【小题15】
A.Can’tB.Don’tC.Aren’tD.Won’t
【小题16】
A.airB.waterC.groundD.woods
【小题17】
A.seeB.concentrateC.checkD.care
【小题18】
A.birdB.dogC.roadD.car
【小题19】
A.easierB.flatterC.harderD.lower
【小题20】
A.feltB.beganC.fellD.kept

If you live in America in the 21st century you'll probably have to listen to a lot of people tell you how busy they are. It's become the default response when you ask anyone how they are doing: “Busy!” “Crazy busy!”. It is, pretty obviously, a boast disguised as a complaint. And the common response is a kind of congratulation:“ That's a good problem to have, ”or“ Better than the opposite.”

    Notice it isn't generally people pulling back-to-back shifts in the ICU or commuting by bus to three minimum-wage jobs who tell you how busy they are. What those people are is not busy but tired. Exhausted! Dead on their feet. It's almost always people whose busyness is purely self-imposed work and obligations they've taken on voluntarily, classes and activities they've “encouraged” their kids to participate in. They're busy because of their own ambition or drive or anxiety, because they're addicted to busyness and dread that they might have to face in its absence.

    Almost everyone I know is busy. They feel anxious and guilty when they aren't either working or doing something to promote their work. It's something they have chosen. Busyness serves as a kind of existential reassurance(令人安心的保证),a measure against emptiness, obviously your life cannot possibly be silly or tiny or meaningless if you are so busy, completely booked, in demand every hour of the day.

Idleness is not just a vacation. It is as necessary to the brain as vitamin D is to the body, and deprived of it we suffer a mental affliction as ugly as rickets. The space and quiet that idleness provides is a necessary condition for standing back from life and seeing it whole, for making unexpected connections and waiting for the wild summer lightning strikes of inspiration.” Idle dreaming is often the essence of what we do”, wrote Thomas Pynchon. Archimedes' “Eureka” in the bath, Newton's apple :history is full of stories of inspirations that come in idle moments.

1.When many Americans say “Crazy busy”, they mean______.

A. they are really tired of their present situation

B. they are really proud of their present life

C. they are complaining about their current work

D. their life are full of all kinds of problems

2.The writer mentions Archimedes'“Eureka” and Newton's apple to show that________.

A. history is full of interesting stories

B. Archimedes and Newton were very busy, so they made great discoveries

C. people may get inspiration when they are idle

D. inspirations come from hard work

3.The word “its” in the second paragraph refers to_________________.

 ambition       B. anxiety                 C. busyness                      D. dread

4.From the article, we can infer that ___________________.

A. generally people pulling back-to-back shifts in the ICU tell you they are busy

B. “Dead on their feet” means “being tired out”

C. all the kids are self-imposed due to the drive and motivation

D. The author seems to agree that idleness is better than busyness

 

阅读下面的短文,并根据短文后的要求答题(请注意问题后的字数要求)。

Most American teenagers used to spend their summer vacations holding multiple jobs. However, with the increase in gas prices, teenagers chose to stay at home instead of going out of the town. “I wish the prices would         .The expense of driving to places is affecting our daily life.”said Alicia, still a senior at Enochs High School in Modesto, California.

     Alicia, who spent her summer at her dad’s house, said that there would be no point in getting a job. “The drive to my workplace is so long that I would hardly be making any profit because all my money would be going toward gas,”she said.

     Teenagers are now forced to give up the pleasure of driving around the town without purpose.“Instead of driving around looking for something to do, I now find myself planning the way in advance so I don’t waste necessary gas,” said Stephen Macko, a student at Davis High School in Modesto.

     What kinds of things are teenagers doing in order to conserve gas? Alicia saves gas by doing all of her things at one time so she doesn’t have to go home and leave again.

“I try to do it all in one trip so I don’t have to always be running around and wasting gas,”she said.“I know that when I go to lunch with my friends, we make sure to go somewhere near all of our houses so we save gas.” “But it’s hard, considering I drive a big truck. I also try to get a lift from my friends when they are going to places that I am going to.”said Stephen. Some try not to accelerate too much. Teenagers will have to continue changing their lifestyles unless the price of gas decreases. However, that might not be a bad thing.

1.What is the best title of this passage? ( Please answer within 10 words.)

                                                                    

2.Fill in the blank in the second paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence. ( Please answer within 7 words.)

                                                                  

3.Translate the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 into Chinese.

                                                                  

4. Find a sentence in the passage to replace the following one.

There is such a long distance between my home and the workplace that I would make little money if I drive to work since the gas will cost all the money I earn.

                                                                  

5.List one example of what some teenagers do to save gas.

                                                                   

 

第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)

阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。

I began to work as a salesgirl in a department store. I got there that morning and was introduced to all the salesmen and saleswomen. Throughout the day,one of the salesmen talked with me.I thought we might become friends.That evening after work we went out for dinner. We sat together and talked,but our numbers were never exchanged.

Around 10 pm I began my 2-hour drive back. For the first part of the drive I was thinking to myself how stupid I had been for not giving him my number. Then all of a sudden, when I had gone around a corner I was completely over in another lane(车道).There was no time to even hit the brakes(刹车). I hit at once. The police came and cut the top of my car off to get me out. They sent me to the hospital quickly.

My mother got there late that night, and saw me lying in the emergency room. The next morning, mom called the manager and told him what had happened, and that I would be in the hospital for a long time. A few hours later, I received a phone call--- it was the guy(小伙子) I hadn’t given my number. Well, he came to visit me that night and the next night. We spent a lot of time together.

It was months before I would be walking and driving again, but he’d sit by me. I don’t think I could have pulled through it without him. Now I can walk freely, and just this

week we are planning on getting married one year after the day we met. It’s just amazing

how a tragedy like a car accident could bring about such a wonderful relationship!

56.The car accident happened because______.

A.the girl drank a lot before driving

B.it was so dark that the girl couldn’t see very clearly

C.another car appeared on the girl’s lane suddenly

D.the girl didn’t drive with great care

57.We can infer that the girl __________.

A.couldn’t say anything at hospital

B.would lose her job in the store

C.was badly injured in the accident

D.was careless with making friends

58.The guy got the news that the girl was in hospital possibly from ________.

A.the manager    B.the girl’s mother    C.the doctor     D.the girl herself

59.The girl thought that ________.

A.a traffic accident might bring good luck

B.it was the car accident that brought about their marriage

C.a true friend is one who helps you in need

D.there was true love and friendship in the world

 

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