题目内容

What does it mean to say that we live in a world of persuasion? It means that we live among competing interests. Your roommate’s need to study for an exam may take priority over pizza. Your instructor may have good reasons not to change your grade.

In such a world, persuasion is the art of getting others to give fair and favorable consideration to our points of view. When we persuade, we want to influence how others believe and behave. We may not always prevail — other points of view may be more persuasive, depending on the listener, the situ­ation, and the merit of the case. But when we practice the art of persuasion, we try to ensure that our position receives the attention it deserves.

Some people, however, object to the very idea of persuasion. They may regard it as an unwelcome interruption into their lives. Just the opposite, we believe that persuasion is unavoidable — to live is to persuade. Persuasion may be ethical (合乎道义的) or unethical, selfless or selfish, inspiring or degrad­ing. Persuaders may enlighten our minds or get our vulnerability(脆弱之处). Ethical persuasion, however, calls on sound reasoning and is sensitive to the feelings and needs of listeners. Such persuasion can help us apply the wisdom of the past to the decisions we now must make. Therefore, the most basic part of edu­cation is learning to resist the one kind of persuasion and to encourage and practice the other.

Beyond its personal importance to us, persuasion is necessary to society. The right to persuade and be persuaded is the bedrock of the American political system, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution.

1.According to the passage, persuasion means ______.

A. changing others’ points of view

B. exercising power over other people

C. getting people to agree with you and do what you want

D. getting other people to consider your point of view

2.The underlined word in the second paragraph “prevail” means ______.

A. win B. talk C. compare D. expect

3.The passage states that some people object to persuasion because they think it is ______.

A. a danger to society B. difficult to do well

C. unwelcome behavior D. never successful

4.The passage mainly discusses ______.

A. that people persuade to get what they want

B. that persuasion is important and it is all around us

C. that persuasion is widely accepted and appreciated

D. that people persuade in different ways

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The largest land animal remaining on the earth, the African elephant is of much importance to African ecosystem. Unlike other animals, the African elephant is to a great extent the builder of its environment. As a giant plant-eater, it significantly shapes the forest-and-savanna (大草原) surroundings in which it lives, therefore deciding the conditions of existence for millions of other animals that live in its habitat.

It is the elephant’s great desire for food that makes it both a disturber of the environment and an important builder of its habitat. In its continuous search for the 300 pounds of plants it must have every day, it kills small trees and underbushes, as well as pulls branches off big trees. This results in numerous open spaces in not only deep tropical forests but also the woodlands that cover part of the African savannas. In these open spaces are numerous plants in various stages of growth, which attract a variety of other plant-eaters.

Take the rain forests for example. In their natural state, the spreading branches overhead shut out sunlight and prevent the growth of plants on the forest floor. By pulling down trees and eating plants, elephants create open spaces, allowing new plants to grow on the forest floor. In such situations, the forests become suitable for large-hoofed plant-eaters to move around and for small-sized plant-eaters to obtain their food as well.

Scientists are worried now that the African elephant has become an endangered species. If the elephant dies out, scientists say, many other animals will also disappear from vast areas of forest and savanna, greatly changing and worsening the whole ecosystem.

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A. Disappearance of African elephants.

B. Forests and savannas as habitats for African elephants.

C. The effect of African elephants' search for food.

D. The eating habit of African elephants.

2.The African elephant influences the ecosystem in the following ways except that .

A. it creates open areas in deep tropical forests as well as woodlands

B. it pulls off the branches and leaves, shutting out the sunshine

C. its eating habit can be made use of by large-hoofed and small-sized animals

D. it encourages some kinds of plants growing in an indirect way

3.According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

A. Numerous grown plants are the favorites of plant-eaters.

B. The extinction of the African elephant has nothing to do with the ecosystem.

C. Quantities of plants are consumed by African elephants, including branches and underbushes.

D. The forest floor in rain forests is scarcely dotted with new shoots.

4.The passage is developed mainly by .

A. presenting the changes in time order

B. making comparisons and giving examples

C. classifying similarities and differences

D. showing the effect and then explaining the reasons

If Confucius(孔子) were alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He’d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.

While many people in China remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It’s nothing personal. Most Americans don’t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.

But that doesn’t mean that Americans don’t care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.

In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually include Chinese art, history and philosophy(哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up the drawbacks of Western philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.

So the old thinker’s ideas are still alive and well.

Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.

As for the old thinker, he will not be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.

1.The opening paragraph is mainly intended to _______.

A. attract the readers’ interest in the subject

B. provide some key facts about Confucius

C. show great respect for the ancient thinker

D. prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations

2.We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students _______.

A. take an active part in Chinese competitions

B. try to get high scores in Chinese exams

C. fight for a chance to learn Chinese

D. have a great passion in studying Chinese

3.What is the best title for this passage?

A. Forgotten Wisdom in America.

B. Huge Fans of the Chinese Language.

C. Old Thinker with a Big Future.

D. Chinese Culture for Westerners.

4.The passage is likely to appear in ______.

A.a biography B. a history paper

C. a newspaper D. a philosophy textbook

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Moving abroad can be a challenging experience. You leave your family, friends and everything you know behind. You enter a new culture where the customs and sometimes the languages are different. 1. . It’s a time to discover new things, make new friends and begin a new adventure.

So what are the best ways to involve yourself in the new culture while living abroad?

Live with a native speaker

__2. . First, you have a friend! Living alone can be a lonely experience, especially if you’re far from home. I’ve also had the opportunity to meet my housemate’s friends and socialize(交往) with them. 3. . In addition, you have someone to tell you about the cultural customs and interesting places in the area. 4. .

Socialize with the local people

5. The food in France is amazing and discovering new food is a fun experience. I’ve tried things that I’ve never tried before. My knowledge of the different bread and cheese types has grown greatly.

A. Try the local food.

B. But it’s also exciting.

C. I currently volunteer with homeless people

D. You can also speak the local language every day.

E. Improve my French vocabulary and understanding.

F. You can meet other people in the area by joining a club

G. There are many advantages to living with a native speaker

As we grow old, we realize that we have so little time to read and there are so many great books that we’ve yet to get around to. Yet re-readers are everywhere around us. For certain fans, re-reading The Lord of the Rings is a conventional practice annually. One friend told me that Jane Austen’s Emma can still surprise him, despite his having read it over 50 times.

New sudden clear understandings can be gained from the process of re-reading. Journalist Rebacca Mead, a long-time Englishwoman in New York, first came across George Eliot’s Middlemarch at 17. Since then, she has read it again every five years. With each re-reading, it has opened up further; in each chapter of her life, it has resonated (引起共鸣) differently. Mead evidenced the large number of ways in which really good books not only stand the test of repeat reads, but also offer fresh gifts each time we crack their spines. These kinds of books grow with us.

Scientists have also recognized the mental health benefits of re-reading. Research conducted with readers in the US found that on our first reading, we are concerned with the “what” and the “why”. Second time round, we’re able to better appreciate the emotions that the plot continues to express. As researcher Cristel Russell of the American University explained, returning to a book “brings new or renewed appreciation of both the great book and its readers.”

It’s true that we often find former selves on the pages of old books (if we’re fond of making notes on the pages). These texts can carry us back to a time and place, and remind us of the kind of person that we were then. We’re changed not only by lived experience but also by read experience – by the books that we’ve discovered since last reading the one in our hand.

More so than the movie director or the musician, the writer calls upon our imaginations, using words to lead us to picture this declaration of love or that unfaithfulness in life. A book is a joint project between writers and readers, and we must pour so much of ourselves into reading that our own life story can become connected with the story in the book.

Perhaps what’s really strange is that we don’t re-read more often. After all, we watch our favorite films again and we wouldn’t think of listening to an album only once. We treasure messy old paintings as objects, yet of all art forms, literature alone is a largely one-time delight. A book, of course, takes up more time, but as Mead confirms, the rewards make it adequately worthwhile.

1.The two books are mentioned in Paragraph 1 mainly to __________.

A. attract the attention of readers

B. introduce the topic of the passage

C. provide some background information

D. show the similarity between re-readers

2. The underlined expression “crack their spines” in Paragraph 2 refers to ________.

A. recite them B. re-read them

C. recall them D. retell them

3. The purpose of the passage is to __________.

A. call on different understandings of old books

B. focus on the mental health benefits of reading

C. bring awareness to the significance of re-reading

D. introduce the effective ways of re-reading old books

4.It can be learned from the passage that __________.

A. reading benefits people both mentally and physically

B. readers mainly focus on feelings on their first reading

C. we know ourselves better through re-reading experience

D. writers inspire the same imaginations as film directors do

Harry telephoned to the airport to_________ whether Flight 24 for San Francisco is departing on time.

A. prove B. ensure C. confirm D. identify

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Climbing blindly

Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world. 1. Asia is home to all five of the world’s highest mountains. Mount Everest’s peak(山峰) is five and one-half miles above sea level. That is very high!

Many climbers have tried to climb to the peak of Mount Everest. 2. Since then, about 900 people have survived the climb to Mount Everest’s top.

One of the most successful climbers is Erik Weihenmayer. Like all who try to climb this huge mountain, Erik faced strong winds, snow, and avalanches(雪崩). 3. After losing his sight at age 13, Erik began climbing at age 16. He has climbed the tallest mountains on five continents. Erik became the first blind person to reach the peak of Mount Everest.

At the age of 32, Erik began his climb as part of a 19-member team. 4. By using them, fellow climbers could quickly warn him of such things as a big drop on the right or a big stone to the left.

5. He struggled through 100 m.p.h. winds and sliding masses of snow, ice, and rock. Because the air became thinner the higher Erik climbed, he wore an oxygen mask, as do many who climb high mountains. It took Erik about two and a half months to reach the top of this huge mountain.

A．This mountain is located in Asia.

B．During his climb, Erik faced many dangers.

C．Everest is believed to be more than 60 million years old.

D．His team wore bells that he could follow during his climb.

E．Erik used long climbing poles to feel his way on the mountain.

F．However, what really made Erik’s climb unbelievable is the fact that he is blind.

G．The first people to reach the peak were Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.

____ I met Nelson Mandela was a very difficult period of my life.

A. The first time B. The first time when

C. For the first time D. That was the first time

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Planning a September trip to France

September is one of the very best months to visit France. Not only will you enjoy plenty of sunshine and warm weather, but the tourist season is beginning to wind down, which means cheaper airfares, lower prices at hotels, and fewer crowds. 1. .

●Go wine tasting

2. And there are plenty of wine-related events and festivals around the country. So September is a great time to visit the vineyards around the country and go wine tasting. The Bordeaux, Loire and Burgundy regions are all lovely and great places to visit vineyards. Besides that, going to the castles of the Loire region in between visiting vineyards on such warm and Sunny days is also very enjoyable.

● 3. .

The temperatures are slightly lower, but plenty of sunshine makes for perfect conditions to enjoy a barge cruise on the canals of France, With such comfortable weather and beautiful scenery at this time of year, nothing equals hanging out on the deck of a barge.

●Visit the museums

Many museums in France have extended opening hours during the summer to accommodate the extra tourists and locals. And some museums also have extended opening hours into September. Wandering around the Louvre will take you into a wonder world, where you can enjoy the world-famous art. 4. .

Besides the above, riding a bike through France’s villages is also a welcome activity for young visitors in September. You can shop for the most fashionable clothes or goods here. You can see the beautiful and fantastic scenery along the road. 5. .

A. Take a barge cruise.

B. Enjoy the music concerts.

C. So, don’t hesitate and start to plan your September trip to France flow!

D. France is a beautiful country.

E. September is the beginning of the grape harvest season in France.

F. Going out of the Louvre, you can walk to the modern and fashionable Champs Elysees to do some shopping.

G. If this is your first trip to France, here is some handy information to help you get started planning your vacation!

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