A
The yearly Academy Awards ceremony was once a
private affair. Now, because of television, it is very much a public affair.
Hundreds of people gather in Hollywood to see the Oscars presented to
outstanding(杰出的)actors,
and others involved(参与)in the motion picture industry. Millions more watch on television.
It all began on May 16, 1929, when 270 men and women sat down to dinner at the
Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. There was no secret about the winners. The names of
the winners had been known for months. Janet Gaynor, for example, had won as
Best Actress. Douglas Fairbanks presented her with the famous gold statue(塑像). The little statue was not then
called Oscar. Like a new actor, Oscar was unknown. About six years later, it
somehow got that renowned name. A number of explanations have been offered for
its origin(由来), but
nobody knows the true story for certain.
Nowadays the results of the Oscar voting are kept secret. Only two people know
the winners before the names are announced at the ceremony. The counting of
votes is not done by one group of people but by different groups. Nobody except
two members of an accounting(计票)company sees the final results.
The information is not kept in open files(卷宗). Winners’ names are placed in closed envelopes. The accountants
each carry a complete set of envelopes to the ceremony. One set is simply a
spare to be used in case something happens to the other one.
61．As used in
paragraph 2, renowned means…
A．strange B．wonderful C．much-disliked D．famous
62．May 16, 1929
marks .
A．Douglas Fairbanks’ first winning of an Academy Award B．The first time Oscar got its name
C．The first time the Awards were kept secret D．Janet Gaynor’s recognition as Best
Actress
63．Two sets of
envelopes are prepared for the ceremony.
A．one for New York, one for Hollywood B．in order to
be perfectly safe
C．one for the ceremony, one for the newspapers D．just because that is the custom
B
When the famous dancer Fred Astaire was interviewed for a job by a Hollywood producer, the movie “expert” turned him
down, saying, “Can’t sing. Can’t act. Dances a little.” Here’s another stupid
mistake. When the great scientist Albert Einstein was at school, his teachers
considered him rather dull. And a final story, the famous Polish pianist
Paderewski was told by a teacher that he’d never be a success as a performer
because the middle finger on each hand was too short.
What lessons can be drawn from these three experiences？First, true genius(天才)cannot be suppressed(压抑). For some reason or other it
works its way out. Second, early judgments of a person’s abilities may be
unfair of just wrong. Third, when there is a real determination to succeed,
obstacles fall by the wayside.
The famous motto “ad astra per aspera” can be translated as “To the stars
through hardships.” Astaire, Einstein and Paderewski proved their critics
wrong.
64．Which of the
following best expresses the main idea of the passage ?
A．Fred Astaire
was a famous dancer. B．True ability will always make itself known.
C．Some people
never get discouraged D．Albert Einstein proved his teachers wrong.
65．When
Paderewski’s teachers told him he’d never be a success, the were .
A．being
humorous B．cheerful,
though concerned C．somewhat hesitant D．seriously mistaken
66． “Ad astra
per aspera” is used in the passage .
A．as a motto for the three men’s lives B．to show the value of Latin
C．to send the reader to the dictionary D．to point out that genius is always recognized early
67．The writer of
the passage thinks that the reader .
A．knows that the three men were successes B．someday dreams to become like one
of the men
C．sympathizes with(同情)the poor teachers of the three men
D．knows that Fred Astaire was an actor famous for performing
Shakespeare’s plays
C
The Erie canal(运河)was the first important national waterway built in the US. It
crossed New York from Buffalo on Lake Erie Troy to Albany on the Hudson River.
It joined the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. The canal served as a route
over which industrial goods could flow into the west, and materials could pour
into the east. The Erie canal helped New York develop into the nation’s largest
city.
The building of the canal was paid for entirely by the state of New York. It cost
$7,143,789,but it soon gained its price many times over. Between 1825, when the
canal was opened, and 1882, when toll charges(过运河费)were stopped, the state collected $121,461,891.
For a hundred years before the Erie was built, people had been talking about a
canal which could join the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. The man who
planned the Erie Canal and carried the plan through was De Witt Clinton. Those
who were against the canal laughingly called it “Clinton’s Ditch(沟)”. Clinton talked and wrote about
the canal and drew up plans for it. He and Governor Morris went to Washington
is 1812 to ask for help for the canal, but they were unsuccessful.
Clinton became governor of New York in 1817, and shortly afterwards, on July 4,
1817, broke ground for the canal in Rome, N.Y. The first part of the canal was
completed in 1820. As the canal grew, towns along its course developed fast.
The length of the canal is 363 miles.
68．We can see
that the Erie Canal .
A．joined the
Great Lakes together B．crossed New York from north to south
C．played an
important part in developing New York City D．was the first waterway built in the US
69．It can be
inferred that into the Atlantic Ocean.
A．the Great
Lakes flow B．The Hudson River flows
C．Lake Erie
flows D．the Erie Canal flows
70．Which of the
following is true according to the passage？
A．The Erie
Canal brought profits of over $114,000,000.
B．It’s 363
miles from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.
C．The West was
more advanced than the East when the canal was built.
D．Many other
states helped New York built the canal.
71．Which of the
following is true according to the passage？
A．Clinton broke
ground for the canal at both ends.
B．Clinton started building the canal before he became governor.
C．All parts of
the canal were completed at the same time.
D．Construction
of the canal took eight years.
D
Not everyone in the world requires the same amount
of living space. The amount of space a person needs around him is a cultural(文化的)difference, not an economic(经济的)one. Knowing your own
psychological(心理的)space
needs is important because they strongly affect your choices, including, for
example, the number of bedrooms in the home. If you were brought up in a
two-child family and both you and your sister or brother had your own bedrooms,
the chances are if you have two children of more, that you also will offer
separate bedrooms for them, In America, for example, they train people to want
to have their own rooms by giving them their own rooms when they are babies.
This is very unusual in the world. In many other countries, the baby sleeps in
the same bed with his parents or in bed near them.
The space in the home also shows a lot about psychological space needs. Some
families gather closer to each other and the size of their house has nothing to
do with it. Others have separate little corners where family members go to be
alone.
Although it
is true that psychological space needs are not decided by economic reasons,
they sometimes have to be changed a little because of economic pressure. It is
almost impossible, however, to completely change your psychological space
needs.
72．The first
sentence in Paragraph 1 “Not everyone in the world requires the same amount of
space” means “ ”.
A．Not two
people need exactly the same amount of living space
B．Living space requirements are not always the same
C．The world
requires the same amount of living space
D．Nobody needs
a required amount of living space
73．Some families
gather closer to each other at home than others because .
A．they have
limited living space B．they are brought up in a large family
C．in satisfies
their psychological space needs D．the children in the family sleep in the same bed with their parents
74．Which of the
following is true according to the passage ?
A．Americans are
trained to live in the large rooms at birth.
B．Economic
situation decides one’s amount of space needs.
C．People in
various countries demand different psychological space.
D．Knowing your
psychological space needs is important, as it affects your future.
75．According to
the writer of the passage, psychological space needs .
A．are not
affected by income at all B．can hardly be changed altogether
C．can be
changed if you make up your mind to do so D．have nothing to do with cultural background
76．The best
title for this passage is .
A．American Way
of Living B．Psychological
Space
C．Space Needs
in Different Countries D．Psychological Space and Economic Pressure
E
When Johnson called again, the manager received him very politely. “That is a
most remarkable oil you brought us, Mr Johnson,” he said. Johnson nodded his
smooth, dark head. That was something he knew very well. “I’ve never seen
anything like it,” the manager admitted. Johnson nodded again. “No？”he said politely. Then he added,
“But I think you will, sir. A very great deal of it.” He appeared to think for
a moment. “I think you will find it will be on sale seven, perhaps, eight years
from now.” He smiled.
The manager thought that was uncertain. He said, “It is better than our fish
oils. I admit that.” “So I am told, sir,” agreed Johnson.
“Have you any plans to produce it yourself, Mr. Johnson？” Johnson smiled again.
“Would I be showing it to you if I had？”
“We might add some chemicals to one of our own fish oils,” said the manager.”
It would be expensive to do that, even if you could. Johnson said gently, “
Besides,” he added, “I am told that this oil will be much cheaper than your
best fish oils. Cheaper than any vegetable oil, in fact.”
“Perhaps,” said the manager. “Well, I suppose you want to make an arrangement,
Mr. Johnson, Shall we discuss it？”
“Of course,” said Johnson. “There are two ways of dealing with a situation of
this sort. The usual one is to prevent it altogether or at least to delay it as
long as possible. That is, of course, the best way,” The manager nodded. He
knew plenty about all that.
“But I am so sorry for you, because, you see, that is not possible this time.”
The manager had his doubts, but all he said was an inquiring(asking),“Oh？”
“The other way,” continued Johnson, “is to produce yourself before the trouble
starts.”
77．The manager
thought of adding chemicals to the fish oil to make it .
A．cheaper than the new oil B．more quickly C．more expensive D．as good as the new oil
78．Johnson’s new
oil would be .
A．more expensive than fish oil, but better B．less expensive, and better
C．less expensive, but not good D．more expensive, and not so good
79．Johnson
expressed his regret that the manager .
A．could not stop the new oil being made B．would never know how to make it
C．had spent a lot of money on it D．didn’t know enough about it
80．Johnson
showed his new oil to the manager because he wanted .
A．to produce it himself B．to prevent it
being produced
C．to be paid
not to produce it D．the manager to produce it