Part I Reading Comprehension (30%)
Passage 1
Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage:
Jarden Zinc（锌）Products, a large zinc plant a few miles outside Greeneville, Tennessee, has a special claim. Since 1982, it has been the only supplier of penny blanks for the U.S. Mint (铸币厂). It's a good business for Jarden-since 2000, the company has earned more than $ 800 million. But it may not be a good deal for the U.S.
(76) The value of the penny has been dropping for years. In 2006, it began to cost more than a penny to make a penny. It now costs 2 C to produce a 1 C coin. Many countries have stopped using pennies. Is it time for the U.S. to do the same?
Jarden and the zinc industry are fighting to keep the penny. Since 2006, Jarden has given $1.2 million to Americans for Common Cents (ACC). The group's mission is to keep the penny in use. Mark Weller is ACC's executive director. He argues that there are three main reasons for keeping the penny: Without it, we would become more reliant on the five-cent coin, which also has problems; charities（慈善机构）that depend on penny drives would not be able to raise as much money; and a 2012 survey shows that 67% of Americans want to keep the penny. (77) Many people surveyed said they feared they would end up paying more for products.
Many experts disagree with ACC. They point to the dozens of countries that have gotten rid of their lowest-value coins without raising prices for consumers. And charities don't seem too concerned either.
President Barack Obama says the mint could explore using cheaper metals to make pennies. Steel is less expensive than zinc. Pennies are 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper. But no matter what it is made of, the penny's days may be numbered. Most in-store purchases are now made with credit cards, not cash. Is it time for a change?
1、what is the main idea of the passage?
A Many countries are trying to reduce the cost of making coins.
B These days a penny made is a penny wasted.
C There is disagreement over whether the U.S. should stop using pennies.
D Many countries have stopped using pennies.
答案解析：
题目:这篇文章的主旨是什么?
A:许多国家都在设法降低制造硬币的成本。
B:现在一分钱赚一分钱就浪费了。
C:在美国是否应该停止使用便士的问题上存在分歧。
D:许多国家已经停止使用便士。
2、The mission of ACC is to __ .
A conduct online surveys
B lower the production costs of the penny
C raise money for charities
D keep the penny in use
答案解析：
题目:行政协调会的任务是。
A:进行网上调查
B:降低一便士的生产成本
C:为慈善机构筹款
D:用好这枚硬币
3、The penny coin is mainly made of __ .
A copper
B steel
C iron
D zinc
答案解析：
题目:便士硬币主要是由。
A:铜
B:钢
C:铁
D:锌
4、What does the sentence "the penny's days may be numbered" in the last paragraph probably mean?
A The penny may be out of use very soon.
B The value of the penny may rise.
C The penny has a special place in American history.
D The penny is part of American culture.
答案解析：
题目:最后一段“the penny's days may be屈指可数”这句话可能是什么意思?
A:这便士可能很快就用完了。
B:一便士的价值可能会上涨。
C:便士在美国历史上有特殊的地位。
D:硬币是美国文化的一部分。
5、According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
A Jarden is the sole supplier of the zinc the U.S. Mint uses to make the penny.
B The majority of American people are in favor of keeping the penny.
C Many Americans fear that getting rid of the penny would cause prices to rise.
D The U.S. Mint now spends 2.4 cents to make a penny.
答案解析：
题目:根据短文，下列哪个陈述是不正确的?
A:Jarden是美国造币厂生产这种硬币所用锌的唯一供应商。
B:大多数美国人赞成保留一便士。
C:许多美国人担心放弃一便士会导致物价上涨。
D:美国造币厂现在花2.4美分制造一便士。
Part I Reading Comprehension (30%)
Passage 2
Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage:
Charles Dickens was born in 1812 in Portsmouth, England. He was the second of eight children. His father always had problems with money. When Charles was 12 years old, his father went to prison because he was in debt. Charles had to leave school to help his family. He got a job in a dirty, old factory. Charles Dickens never forgot his difficult childhood. Many of his stories and books were about poor people and their problems.
(78)Later, Charles went back to school for two more years. He left school when he was 15 years old to become a newspaper reporter. In 1836, he began to write The Pickwick Papers. It was published as a series and was a huge success. By age 24, Dickens was a prominent writer in both Great Britain and the United States.
Many people bought his books, but they also paid to hear him read his stories aloud. Because there was no radio or television, people liked to hear famous writers read in public. Dickens read his works like he was acting in a play. He went on very successful reading tours and earned a lot of money.
Dickens was meticulous (过分注意琐事的）. Everything had to be just right. When he worked at home, everything had to be in its place. He worked at a desk by a window that always had a vase (花瓶) of flowers and the same ornaments (装饰物) on it. (79)He wrote 2, 000 words a day and he required complete quiet while he wrote. He divided his page into three parts, and on each side he had notes in difficult colors. The main writing was in middle, the story notes were in the right margin, and the chapter notes were in the left margin.
He also cared a lot about his appearance.
6、Charles Dickens' father was put into prison because he .
A stole money from other people
B refused to pay tax
C didn't pay for his children's education
D owed money to other people
答案解析：
题目:查尔斯·狄更斯的父亲因为他被关进监狱。
A:偷别人的钱
B:拒绝交税
C:没有支付孩子的教育费用
D:欠别人钱
7、According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE ?
A Dickens loved to travel
B Dickens' stories were mostly about his own childhood
C Dickens made a lot of money on his reading tours
D Dickens left school to write The Pickwick Papers
答案解析：
题目:根据短文，下列哪个选项是正确的?
A:狄更斯喜欢旅行
B:狄更斯的故事大多是关于他自己的童年
C:狄更斯在他的阅读之旅中赚了很多钱
D:狄更斯离开学校去写匹克威克的论文
8、According to the passage, which of the following about Dickens is TRUE ?
A He was a peaceful person
B He was a quiet writer
C He worked very hard at school
D He cared a lot about things around him
答案解析：
题目:根据短文，下列关于狄更斯的哪一项是正确的?
A:他是个爱好和平的人
B:他是个文静的作家
C:他在学校学习很努力
D:他很关心他周围的事情
9、The word "prominent" in the second paragraph means__ .
A Famous
B Thoughtful
C Careful
D difficult
答案解析：
题目:第二段“显著”一词的意思是。
A:著名的
B:深思熟虑的
C:小心
D:困难
10、After the last paragraph, the author will most probably discuss Dickens' .
A Success
B Appearance
C Works
D childhood
答案解析：
题目:在最后一段之后，作者很可能会讨论狄更斯的作品。
A:成功
B:外观
C:作品
D:童年
Part I Reading Comprehension (30%)
Passage 3
Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following passage:
Computer technology is advancing so fast that old hardware quickly becomes completely obsolete. The electronic waster (e-waste) from this constantly growing field is polluting the environment, both here and abroad.
Computers contain toxic (有毒的) materials such as lead. Despite the danger of throwing these hazardous materials in a landfill (垃圾填埋场), that's exactly where tons of computers end up. Americans reuse or recycle only about 10 percent of the 50 million computers they replace each year, according to ABC News. Eighty percent is being stockpiled (囤积), which could create even bigger problems in the future, and the remaining 10 percent is landfilled. Throwing e-waste in landfills creates a potential for landfills are tougher in the United States than in many other countries, e-waste is often exported, especially to some developing countries.
(80)Some countries are creating policies to deal with the growing e-waste problem. In the Netherlands, you can bring your old computer to the seller when buying a new one, and the seller must by law accept it free of charge. Japan passed a law in 2001 requiring producers to recycle certain parts.
In the united states, a movement called the Computer TakeBack Campaign is demanding that producers take more responsibility for disposing of (处理) old computers, California and Massachusetts recently prohibited certain computer parts in landfills, while Apple and IBM take back computers for about a $30 fee. Gateway is one step ahead: They will pay you $50 for recycling your old computer when you buy a new one from them. Lastly, many nonprofit programs accept used equipment, and services have popped up that distribute old computers to schools and other organizations.
11、Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A The Main Exports of America
B The Computer Take Back Campaign
C The Harm of E-waste Treatment
D Electronic Waste-a Global Problem
答案解析：
题目:下面哪个是这篇文章的最佳标题?
A:美国的主要出口产品
B:电脑收回运动
C:电子废物处理的危害
D:电子垃圾是一个全球性的问题
12、What does the word "obsolete" in the first paragraph probably mean?
A Fashionable
B Useful
C Out of date
D Out of control
答案解析：
题目:第一段中的“obsolete”可能是什么意思?
A:时尚
B:有用的
C:过时了
D:失去控制的
13、Americans reuse about__ million computers each year.
A 5
B 10
C 15
D 20
答案解析：
题目:美国人每年重复使用大约100万台电脑。
A:5
B:10
C:15
D:20.
14、According to the passage, American electronic waste is exported to other countries because these countries have__ .
A the resources and more space to process the e-waste
B less strictly enforced environment safety standards
C a lot of skilled e-waste workers
D many computer recycling businesses
答案解析：
题目:根据这篇文章，美国的电子垃圾被出口到其他国家，因为这些国家有。
A:资源和更多的空间来处理电子垃圾
B:执行不太严格的环境安全标准
C:很多熟练的电子垃圾处理工人
D:许多电脑回收企业
15、According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A Japan passed a law to address the e-waste problem
B Compared with stockpile, landfill is a better and safer method to deal with e-waste
C Apple will pay you $50 for recycling your old computer when you buy a new one from them
D Old computers are safe to the environment even when improperly disposed of
答案解析：
题目:根据短文，下列哪个陈述是正确的?
A:日本通过了一项法律来解决电子垃圾问题
B:与堆存相比，垃圾填埋是处理电子垃圾的一种更好、更安全的方法
C:当你从苹果公司购买一台新电脑时，如果你回收旧电脑，苹果公司会付给你50美元
D:旧电脑即使处理不当，对环境也是安全的
喵呜刷题：让学习像火箭一样快速，快来微信扫码，体验免费刷题服务，开启你的学习加速器！
