题目内容

Americans drove more miles in 2015 than any year since the U.S. government started keeping records 45 years ago. The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDT) recently reported that Americans drove a record of 3.148 trillion miles last year. In case you are wondering, that is enough to take 337 round trips from Earth to Pluto.

There are a number of reasons why Americans are driving more miles. The social experts agree that the first is the price of gas, which has dropped to the level of the year 2004 in the past year. The American Automobile Association (AAA) said that the average price of gas was just $1.71 a gallon. That could be the lowest price since 2004.

P.J. Sriraj, a director of the Urban Transportation Center at the University of Chicago, notes that the lower cost to fill up a car is just one reason. Another reason is that more Americans are back to work after the 2008 economic recession, and they drive to their jobs.

Besides, more Americans have to travel a long distance every day between home and the office. There are a lot of Americans who must travel more than 45 miles per day for their jobs. And as for many, there is not enough public transportation.

Because of the heavy traffic, roads are becoming more and more crowded. While modern cars are more fuel-efficient, the improvement is not enough to offset more cars on the road. “There is no doubt that driving more will make the air dirtier,” said P.J. Sriraj. And many Americans showed a great concern in a recent survey.

1.The USDT report shows that in 2015 ________.

A. Americans drove record-breaking miles

B. Americans drove 3.148 trillion miles a day

C. Travel to Pluto was popular with Americans

D. The government began to record driving miles

2.P.J. Sriraj thinks the reason why Americans drove more miles is ________.

A. the low prices of gas and cars B. the 2008 economic depression

C. the Urban Transportation Center D. more people’s coming back to work

3.What makes many Americans worried?

A. Having to drive far to work. B. Having no public transportation.

C. Too many cars’ pollution of the air. D. Small improvement of modern cars.

4.How is the whole passage developed?

A. By explaining causes. B. By giving examples.

C. By following time order. D. By making comparison.

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When the population of the port town began to suffer from poisoning, the police came to find the cause of the poison. They thought someone was poisoning the people on purpose but no one knew how it was possible. Soon people took the position that the pork was poisoned. It was a popular food everyone ate and it could have possibly made everyone sick. Anyone who had possession of pork would throw it out. Even the poorest of the poor wouldn’t eat pork. Signs were posted on poles and letters were sent to everyone to warn people of the pork. Shortly afterwards, even policemen in high positions were also getting sick.

Soon it became political and popular. Politicians rushed to the town to talk about politics and promised how they would find the solution if they were elected. Everyone was so sick that they didn’t care about politics. Everyone was in a position where he or she didn’t know what to do anymore. They went to the post office to mail posts out asking for help. The poor town didn’t know how to deal with the situation.

One day, a well-known scientist from New York came to the town with a huge box containing many instruments and his possessions. He went to pools and the port and made measurements. He was quiet and polite. Then one day he made a speech at a newspaper meeting-room to announce his findings.

“I am sorry to say your water supply is so heavily polluted; it is poisoned. I know who has been poisoning you all for such a long time. It is you who have been poisoning yourselves with pollution. A great deal of rubbish has been thrown into the water day after day. No one here has taken good care of the environment. It is no wonder all of you have been sick.” Shocked at the news, the people present were lost in thought.

1.Which is the correct order of the facts described in the story?

a. People suffered from poisoning.

b. Politicians came to make promises.

c. People began to realize the real cause.

d. Pork was thrown away.

e. The water there was polluted.

f. A scientist came to check the water.

A. e, a, d, b, f, c B. e, a, d, c, f, b C. a, e, b, d, c, f D. f, c, d, b, e, a

2.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. Everyone was so sick of politics that they didn’t care about those politicians.

B. According to the scientist from New York, it was the industry that poisoned the environment of the town

C. The reason why the people in the town got sick was that they ate the pork poisoned by the heavily polluted water.

D. If the people in the town hadn’t polluted the water supply, they would not have suffered from poisoning or sickness.

3.After reading the passage, we can infer that ________.

A. politicians took every chance to make themselves elected

B. pork was the main food of the poorest people in the town

C. people in the town were not well-educated

D. even some police officers were getting ill

Compliments can be sent in all shapes and sizes. They can range from congratulating co-workers on their hard work to telling someone how good that shirt looks on him or her. 1. In other words, compliments, no matter how small or great they are, can make anyone feel good. Next time, if you want to give someone some compliments, keep these tips in mind.

• Perfect your compliments. People feel much more appreciated when you say exactly why you think that person deserves some praise. That’s to say, back your compliments up with examples of why you think that person did a good job. 2.

• Don’t put it off. Too many people wait until what they think is the perfect moment to send a compliment. 3. What you have in your head as a perfect moment may never happen. If you feel that a compliment is appropriate, the best time is now.

4. Don’t ever tell someone that something he or she has done is great and then point out what he or she was doing beforehand wasn’t so great. Compliments are meant to make people feel good, and that’s it. Don’t bring other things into them because comparing the present and the past can just make someone feel bad about themselves.

• Be selfless. 5. Not only is this very selfish, but it destroys all of the sincerity right out of the compliments. If you think someone’s hair looks nice, say so — but don’t do it just because you’re having a new hairstyle and want some validation (确认) for your own look.

A. Give a 100% compliment.

B. Don’t be one of those people!

C. It’s always a nice idea to give a compliment with a smile.

D. The best compliment leaves no room for any misunderstanding.

E. Your sincere compliments can make someone’s entire day better.

F. Never compliment someone because you want a compliment back.

G. Adding examples makes your compliments more sincere and effective.

Do you hate to get your hands dirty? When I see my 10-year-old son______the dirty plates in the sink or my 8 year-old daughter cringing(畏缩) at the wet sand clinging(黏住) to her hands, I am reminded of a time when I was ______to get my hands a little dirty.

My parents owned a 500-acre _______in Montana when I was young.I’d often come home from school to find a/an _______lamb or a calf being bottle-fed in the basement.One exceptionally cold day, I was the ______ sheep with my mother in the ranch when she spied a ewe(母羊) _____.The poor thing was trying to ______ her baby lamb and needed our help.My mother calmly held the ewe’s head and _______me to grab hold of the two protruding(突出的) legs.

I hesitated, and must have had quite a look of ______ on my young face.The slimy little things were ______ not something I wanted to touch.But I worked up my _______and wrapped my fingers around them.I can still recall the feel of ______ the delicate legs and their sharp little hooves(蹄子) as of it happened yesterday.

My heart beat in fear and excitement as I ______ with all my strength.The lamb was delivered with an outpouring, and I’d never seen ______ so beautiful.I was no ______ to see ranch animals being born, but to have a hand ______ it was something I cherished then and will cherish forever.

Looking back, I’m so glad that I didn’t _______to get my hands dirty.______ I had, the miraculous moment and the precious memory would have been lost.These days I try to instill(灌输) that life lesson into my own ______ .Sometimes you need to get your hands a little dirty to experience something ______ and pure.

1.A. throwing B. wasting C. washing D. avoiding

2.A. unwilling B. willing C. thrilled D. content

3.A. garden B. ranch C. yard D. field

4.A. newborn B. energetic C. strong D. fierce

5.A. watching over B. spying on C. checking on D. picking out

6.A. in peace B. in silence C. in operation D. in trouble

7.A. raise B. bear C. feed D. hug

8.A. requested B. commanded C. instructed D. guided

9.A. panic B. anxiety C. delight D. excitement

10.A. almost B. possibly C. definitely D. approximately

11.A. affection B. patience C. confidence D. courage

12.A. unbearable B. unexpected C. unfortunate D. uncomfortable

13.A. dragged B. rolled C. pushed D. pulled

14.A. nothing B. anything C. something D. everything

15.A. stranger B. specialist C. reporter D. acquaintance

16.A. in B. on C. over D. at

17.A. hesitate B. tend C. refuse D. bother

18.A. Even if B. When C. Unless D. If

19.A. relatives B. children C. friends D. colleagues

20.A. embarrassing B. confusing C. entertaining D. amazing

B

My 10-year-old nephew is timid. I was delighted when his mother, my sister, asked me to take him to the circus(马戏团). "Buy one bag of popcorn," she ordered.

"Is there anything we should avoid?"

"Yes, but you can’t avoid it. It’s the elephants’ parade around the ring."

David has read that the circus elephants are the most unhappy creatures in the universe. They’d rather be torn open by a lion than made fool of themselves before a crowd. So, when they started their act, David began to cry, "Those big, big tears …"

So, eyes still dry, sharing popcorn, we watched simian(猴的) cast rush into the ring to a burst of cheers. Then we watched the individual acts — the monkey from the Bolshoi, the famous clown who climbed the tallest pole, hanging on by a finger and a knee. He raised laughter from the audience of children. If the clown slipped, the net would catch him, although no net can be trusted. It’s easy to fall wrong, and if so you can break your silly neck. I would keep that information from David, I promised my schoolteacher. I was the cool adult here.

At last elephants came and did their parade, each wearing a hat. My arm slipped around my beloved nephew.

"Aunt Ella, they are so unhappy."

"I believe they are. But some day this act will be outlawed."

"Really?"

"Yes. The elephants will be returned to the grasslands in Africa and spend the rest of their lives eating green stuff, never having to grab a tail." I put my arms around him and whispered in his ear, "I love you."

He did not sob(呜咽) but nestled closer to me.

The elephants were the last act of the first half of the show, and enduring their performance earned us another box of popcorn.

【题文1】 Why did the author’s sister ask her to buy a bag of popcorn?

A. To show a new fashion.

B. To use it to help David kill time.

C. To use it to help improve David’s attention.

D. To use it to distract David’s attention to his fear.

【题文2】 What does the author use "clown" in Paragraph 5 to refer to?

A. The circus monkey. B. The circus worker.

C. The circus audience. D. The amusing actor.

【题文3】 How did the author feel when watching the monkey acting?

A. She was touched by its acting. B. She was afraid of her nephew’s fear.

C. She regretted taking David to watch it. D. She was worried about the monkey’s safety.

【题文4】What will the following paragraph be about?

A. How the author comforted her nephew. B. What the second half of the show was like.

C. What lesson the author got from the show. D. How much popcorn was needed in the play.

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