They can be seen more frequently than ever before on college campuses, wearing thick-rimmed glasses while listening to indie(独立的) music. One might find them playing unusual musical instruments, shopping at second-hand stores or expressing themselves in other unique ways. They call themselves hipsters. Being “hip” used to mean following the latest fashion. But gradually the word has evolved into a synonym for “cool”.
Hipsters value independent thinking, progressive politics, an appreciation of creativity and intelligence. Hipsters take pains and pride in not being mainstream. However, their culture has become quite trendy. This irony is central to their culture and offers an interesting paradox.
“I do take things in the mainstream with a grain of salt,” says Ben Polson, a college student at Brown University in the US. Polson describes himself as a hipster and says he often questions what determines popularity, especially regarding music.When lesser-known bands become popular they often lose their former fan base in exchange for a new one. There is a famous hipster saying that goes: I used to like that band before it got popular.
According to Polson, bands’ music changes when they go mainstream. They become “less experimental, doing things just to save popularity and fans. The original elements that we were drawn to slowly dwindle for the sake of popularity.”
Many young adults have started to view hipsters’ outlook as cool and are adopting their counterculture mindset (心态)themselves. This has led to specialized brands, stores and music for the hipster position. Ironically, some such stores, including clothing labels Urban Outfitters and American Apparel, have gained mainstream popularity. This has seemingly diluted(冲淡) the anti-mainstream culture.
“A lot of people that are self-defined hipsters aren’t really hipsters, they’re just trying to conform to the non-conformist(不墨守成规者) to seem cooler,” says Amanda Leopold, a college student from Oberlin College, US. Although Leopold has many unconventional tastes and seems quite individualist, she refuses to classify herself as a hipster.
There is a conflict among hipsters about the very definition of the label. To some, to be a hipster is to be free from cultural constraints. To others, it means wearing a certain style and listening to a specific style of music. The former constantly strives for uniqueness, while the latter strives not to be mainstream.
And yet, the movement is gaining mainstream popularity. “It’s kind of the trend these days; everyone wants to be hip so no one’s hip,” says Leopold. “There have been hipsters since the seventies. It’s only become popular recently.”
Hipsters reject materialism and laugh at mainstream culture. But are they really beyond material comforts? Do they have any ideas of their own if they despise mainstream so much?
Christy Wampole, an associate professor of literature at Princeton University, US, is not so sure. She says the hipster is a contradiction in himself and an easy target of mockery(嘲弄). Writing in The New York Times, Wampole paints a less appreciative picture of a typical hipster.
“The hipster is a scholar of social forms, a student of cool. He studies continuously, searching for what has yet to be found by the mainstream. He is a walking citation(例证); his clothes refer to much more than themselves. He tries to negotiate the age-old problem of individuality, not with concepts, but with material things.”
【小题1】From the passage we can know that hipsters are ____________________________.

If you’re planning on traveling, there are a few simple rules about how to make life easier both before and after your journey.
First of all, always check and double-check departure (行程) time. It is amazing how few people really do this carefully. Once I arrived at the airport a few minutes after ten. My secretary had got the ticket for me and I thought she had said that the plane left at 10:50. When I arrived at the airport, the clerk at the departure desk told me that my flight was closed. Therefore, I had to wait three hours for the next one and missed an important meeting.
The second rule is to remember that even in this age of credit cards, it is still important to have at least a little of the local currency (货币) with you when you arrive in a country. This can be necessary if you are flying to a place few tourists normally visit. A few years ago I was sent to Tulsa, Oklahoma. I flew there from London via (经由) Dallas, with very little time to change planes in between. I arrived there at midnight and the bank at the airport was closed. The only way to get to my hotel was by taxi and because I had no dollars, I offered to pay in pounds instead.
“Listen! I only take real money!” the driver said angrily. Luckily I was able to borrow a few dollars from a clerk at the hotel, but it was very embarrassing (令人难堪的).
The third and last rule is to find out as much as you can about the weather at your destination before you leave. I feel sorry for some of my workmates who travel in heavy suits and raincoats in May, when it is still fairly cool in London or Manchester, to places like Athens, Rome or Madrid, where it is already beginning to get quite warm during the day.
40. According to the passage, it’s obvious that ______.
A. the author learns some rules of traveling from his own experience
B. the author doesn’t plan his trips or journeys carefully
C. Englishmen like to wear heavy suits wherever they travel
D. the American taxi driver never travels to England
41. What should you make sure first before setting off?
A. When you will leave.      B. Where you will go.
C. How you will travel.        D. Whom you will go with.
42. What does the underlined word “there” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A. London.            B. Manchester.            C. Tulsa.        D. Dallas.
43. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The author tells people to choose warm places as their travel destinations.
B. You should remember to take credit cards when traveling.
C. You should know more about the weather of the place you’ll visit.
D. You should take enough change when you travel to another country.

In 1989 an 8.2 earthquake almost flattened America, killing over 30,000 people in less than four minutes. A father rushed to the school where his son was supposed to be, only to discover that the building was as flat as a pancake.

After the shock, he remembered the promise he had made to his son: “No matter what happened, I’ll always be there for you!” And tears began to fill his eyes. As he looked at the pile of ruins that once was the school, it looked hopeless, but he kept remembering his promise to his son.

Remembering his son’s classroom would be in the back right corner of the building, he rushed there and started digging.

Other parents tried to pull him off the ruins, saying: “It’s too late! They’re all dead! You can’t help!” He replied, “Are you going to help me now?” The fire chief showed up and tried to pull him off the school’s ruins saying, “Fires are breaking out, explosions are happening everywhere. You’re in danger. We’ll take care of it. Go home.” This loving, caring American father asked, “Are you going to help me now?”

The police came and said, “You’re, anxious and it’s over. Go home. We’ll handle it!” He replied, “Are you going to help me now?” No one helped.

Courageously he went on alone. He dug for eight hours...12 hours...24 hours...36 hours...then, in the 38th hour, he heard his son’s voice. He screamed his son’s name, “ARMAND!” He heard back, “Dad! It’s me, Dad! You promised no matter what happened, you would always be there for me! You did it, Dad!” “What’s going on in there? How is it?” the father asked.

“There are 14 of us left out of 33, Dad. ”

“Come out, boy!”

“No, Dad! Let the other kids out first, because I know you’ll get me! No matter what happens, I know you’ll always be there for me!”

1. Why did the father keep digging?

A. Because he promised his wife he would take care of their son.

B. Because others persuaded him to do so.

C. Because he promised his son that he would be with him whatever happened.

D. Because his son was his only child.

2. Many people came up and tried to persuade the father to stop digging except ______.

A. the police                                                   B. the fire chief

C. some kind parents                                   D. the medical officer

3.Which of the following best describes the son?

A. Calm, hopeful and strong-minded.

B. Careful, helpful and absent-minded.

C. Frightened, hopeless and thankful.

D. Cold-hearted, honest and faithful.

4.What does the underlined word “they” in the fourth paragraph refer to?

A. those parents      B.     the students

C. the teachers                  D. The fire officers

5.We can learn from the passage that ______.

A. sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand

B. you cannot go on well in life until you forget your past failures

C. love can set us free from all fear and overcome the difficulties

D. we have enough happiness to make us sweet and enough sorrow to keep us human

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
My workplace, as do many others in our town, supports local services and the needy. One of the main services we _____21________ is our local food bank, a center where free food is made available to those in need.
This year, the food bank is _____22_______ more than in the past. _______23 cannot let the shelves become depleted(被耗尽的) or the food _______24________. Others, ________25______ children, depend on it. With the country’s _______26_______ situtation stalled(停滞) and more people out of work, more people are _____27______ and need supplements to feed their families.
This year, all the _______28______ in our area got together and decided to sponsor a “Food Fight Contest”. The contest will include 3 categories or areas to ______29_____: a) supply the most food, b) donate the most money, _______30______ c) provide the most volunteers. A company can win in all 3 areas or 3 different companies can win in each different area, ______31_____ the results. The contest will begin April Fool’s Day through the end of the month.
We’re kicking off a(n) _______32________ for fun this week. We’re all _______33______ and WE PLAN TO WIN! The last several years, to make donating ________34______, we set up food sculpture competitions between departments. Each department _______35______ bring in cans, sacks of rice, peanut butter, etc., then build and compete for the best _____36_____. The sculptures would be in a central location so coworkers could cast their vote for their ______37______. We tracked how much ____38_____ was provided by each group and then after the competition, all the _______39______ were taken to the food bank. We challenged ourselves to deliver more food and more weight each year, _______40______ it was for a great cause.
21. A. turn to          B. belong to          C. refer to          D. donate to
22. A. supported        B. challenged        C. criticized        D. enlarged
23. A. We             B. You               C. They           D. All
24. A. pile up          B. go bad             C. run out          D. sell well
25. A. only            B. actually         C. even             D. especially
26. A. cultural          B. economic         C. historical         D. political
27. A. hungry           B. anxious           C. unhappy         D. lazy
28. A. schools         B. charities       C. companies        D. governments
29. A. prove            B. stress             C. find              D. win
30. A. or               B. and             C. but               D. so
31. A. focusing on        B. relating to      C. depending on     D. leading to
32. A. campaign         B. adventure      C. ceremony         D. exhibition
33. A. excited           B. involved         C. thanked         D. prepared
34. A. likely            B. fun               C. useful           D. public
35. A. could             B. must             C. would           D. should
36. A. design            B. grade             C. speech          D. play
37. A. group           B. friend            C. hobby           D. favorite
38. A. money           B. food             C. energy          D. attenetion
39. A. gifts             B. goods          C. donations        D. participants
40. A. knowing          B. imagining        C. hoping          D. showing

The clothes you wear. The food you eat. The color of your bedroom walls. Where you go and how you get there. The people you hang around with. What time you go to bed. What do these things have in common, you’re asking? They’re just a few examples of the many hundreds of things that your parents controlled for you when you were a child.
As a kid, you didn’t have a say in everything; your parents made decisions about everything from the cereal you ate in the morning to the pajamas you wore at night. And it’s a good thing, too—kids need this kind of protection on their own.
But finally, kids grow up and become teens. And part of being a teen is developing your own identity—one that is separate from your parents’. But as you change and grow into this new person who makes his own decisions, your parents have a difficult time adjusting(调整).
In many families, it is this adjustment that can cause a lot of fighting between teens and parents. And issues like the type of friends you have or your attitudes to partying can cause bigger arguments, because your parents still always want to protect you and keep you safe, no matter how old you are.
The good news about fighting with your parents get more comfortable with the idea that their teen has a right to certain opinions. It can take several years for parents and teens to adjust to their new roles, though. In the meantime, focus on communicating with your parents.
Sometimes this can feel impossible—like they just don’t see your point of view and never will. But talking and expressing your opinions can help you gain more respect from your parents.
Keep in mind, too, that your parents were teens once and that in most cases, they can relate to what you’re going through.
【小题1】In the first two paragraphs, the writer________.