Part II Reading Comprehension (40 points)
Passage One
Kids often ask Scout Bassett, of Palm Desert, California, if she wishes she had two normal legs. Bassett, 18, answers, “No. I have never known anything different, and it would seem weird to me. Besides, if it weren’t for the missing leg, I wouldn’t have the opportunities I have”
Scout has faced big challenges. When she was months old, she suffered from terrible burns. Her right leg was especially damaged, and doctors cut it off above the knee. When she was 14, she got a high-tech leg made for sports and put it to the test right away in a race for disabled athletes. “I remember being terrified because this was my first time,” she says. ”But my doctor said, ‘you have to start somewhere.’”
Scout was waiting nervously for the race to start when athlete Sarah Reinertsen came up and said,”I’ve been doing this for a while. Let me give you some tips.” Reinertsen, who lost her leg when she was seven, is the first disabled woman to have finished the Ironman triathlon(铁人三项) in Hawaii. She works with an organization to help support people like Scout.
Reinertsen’s encouragement changed the teenager’s life. She lost that first race, but gained the confidence that she needed to compete. If Sarah could do it, she could too. Training hard, she now runs competitively and also finds time to share her story with school groups.
“Sometimes people look at someone like me or at Sarah and think they have nothing in common with us. I tell them that even if you aren’t physically challenged, everybody has challenges of some kind---maybe with family, or homework, or friends.” “No matter what it is, you can overcome that obstacle,” she says. “Everything you need is inside your heart. Take small steps. As time goes by, the steps will get bigger and you will reach your dream.”
1、Why does Scout answer “No” when asked if she wants two normal legs?
A She’s scared of changing her current situation.
B She couldn’t have them even if she wanted to.
C She has never thought of it before.
D She’s satisfied with what she has achieved as a disabled.
答案解析：
孩子们经常问加利福尼亚州棕榈沙漠的斯科特·巴塞特，她是否希望自己有两条正常的腿。18岁的巴塞特回答说:“没有。我从来不知道有什么不同，这对我来说似乎很奇怪。而且，如果没有这条失去的腿，我也不会有现在的机会。”
Scout面临着巨大的挑战。当她几个月大的时候，她遭受了严重的烧伤。她的右腿受的伤尤其严重，医生把它从膝盖以上截了下来。当她14岁的时候，她得到了一个高科技的运动腿，并把它放在测试马上为残疾运动员比赛。“我记得当时很害怕，因为这是我第一次，”她说。“但我的医生说，‘你必须从某个地方开始。’”
斯科特紧张地等待着比赛开始，这时运动员萨拉·莱纳森走了过来，说道:“我已经这样做有一段时间了。让我给你一些建议。”Reinertsen,她失去了她的腿当她七岁,是第一个残疾女性完成铁人三项赛(铁人三项)在夏威夷。她与一个组织合作，帮助像Scout这样的人。
赖纳森的鼓励改变了这个少年的一生。她输掉了第一场比赛，但获得了参加比赛所需要的信心。如果莎拉能做到，她也能。由于训练刻苦，她现在跑得很有竞争力，而且还抽出时间与学校团体分享她的故事。
“有时候，人们看着像我或萨拉这样的人，会觉得他们和我们毫无共同之处。我告诉他们，即使你的身体没有受到挑战，每个人都有某种挑战——也许是和家人、作业或朋友。“不管是什么，你都能克服这个障碍，”她说。“你需要的一切都在你的心里。采取小的步骤。随着时间的推移，脚步会越来越大，你会实现你的梦想。”
2、What does the doctor mean by saying “You have to start somewhere”(para.2)
A She has to do it sooner or later.
B She has to find the right place to to start.
C That will be a memorable first time.
D That is a perfect time to start.
答案解析：见上一题！
3、Scout’s childhood experience _____ .
A were the cause of her shyness
B were a nightmare until she reached 14
C didn’t stop her from fulfilling herself.
D didn’t have much influence on her later life.
答案解析：见上一题！
4、Which of the following statements is true?
A Sarah shared her story with school students.
B Sarah started to compete at the age of seven.
C Scout has been inspired by Sarah’s success.
D Scout joined Sarah’s organization to help others.
答案解析：见上一题！
5、Through Scout’s story, the author wants to tell us _____ .
A the disabled are mentally stronger than others
B inner strength can help one overcome difficulties
C good things will come no matter what
D everybody has to challenge himself
答案解析：见上一题！
Part II Reading Comprehension (40 points)
Passage Two
IMPATIENCE has been around for a long time. There is nothing new about people losing their patience while stuck in traffic or waiting in line. But some experts believe that people are less patient today than in the past-and for reasons that might surprise you.
Some analysts suggest that in recent years many people are less patient because of technology. They suggest that “digital technology, from cellphones to cameras to email to iPads, is changing our lives. The instant results we get from this technology have in turn increased our desire for instant gratification in other aspects of our lives.”
Psychologist Jennifer Hartstein makes some observations. She explains that “we have become an immediate satisfaction culture, and we expect things to move quickly, efficiently and in the way we want. When that doesn’t happen, we tend to become increasingly frustrated and unsatisfied.
Some believe that e-mail is losing popularity and could soon become outdated. Why? Because many people who send messages do not have the patience to wait hours, or even minutes, for a response. Also, with e-mails, as with letter writing, introductory and concluding greetings are often expected. But many people consider such formalities（客套）to be boring and time-consuming. They prefer instant messaging。 Many people do not take the time to proofread what they put in writing. As a result, letters and e-mails contain numerous grammatical and spelling errors.
The thirst for immediate results is not limited to the digital communication. People seem to be losing their ability to wait in other areas of life. For instance, do you ever find yourself talking too fast, eating too fast, driving too fast, or spending money too fast? The few moments it takes to wait for an elevator to come, for a traffic light to change, or for a computer to start may seem like too long a time.
6、According to the first paragraph, people _____ .
A were more patient in the past
B have been patient for a long time
C used to be patient while struck in traffic
D used to be patient while waiting in line
答案解析：
不耐烦已经存在很长时间了。人们在堵车或排队时失去耐心并不是什么新鲜事。但一些专家认为，如今的人们比过去更缺乏耐心——原因可能会让你感到惊讶。
一些分析人士指出，由于科技的发展，近年来许多人的耐心有所下降。他们认为，“从手机、相机、电子邮件到ipad，数字技术正在改变我们的生活。我们从这项技术中得到的即时结果反过来又增加了我们在生活的其他方面对即时满足的渴望。”
心理学家詹妮弗·哈特斯坦做了一些观察。她解释说:“我们已经形成了一种即时满足的文化，我们希望事情能快速、高效地以我们想要的方式进行。”当这种情况没有发生时，我们往往会变得越来越沮丧和不满意。
一些人认为电子邮件正在失去流行，可能很快就会过时。为什么?因为许多发信息的人没有耐心等上几个小时，甚至几分钟的回复。此外，与写信一样，电子邮件也常常需要开头和结尾的问候语。但是很多人认为这样的手续(客套)是无聊和耗时。他们更喜欢即时通讯，很多人不花时间校对他们写的东西。因此，信件和电子邮件包含大量语法和拼写错误。
对即时结果的渴望并不局限于数字通信。人们似乎正在失去在生活的其他领域等待的能力。例如，你是否曾经发现自己说话太快，吃饭太快，开车太快，或者花钱太快?等电梯来，等交通灯变，等电脑启动，这几分钟似乎太长了。
7、Nowadays people lose their patience because _____ .
A their desire for satisfaction has increased
B they are bored with what they have
C they have more things to do than before
D their life has been changed by technology
答案解析：见上一题！
8、Some believe that e-mail could soon become outdated because _____ .
A it takes a long time to start the computer
B people value formalities between friends
C people can hardly wait for a response
D cellphones are more popular nowadays
答案解析：见上一题！
9、The pursuit of instant results causes people to _____ .
A become more impolite
B have more errors in their writing
C use voice messages instead of emails
D lose many of their abilities in life
答案解析：见上一题！
10、The best title for the passage might be _____ .
A What Are the Problem Caused by Impatience?
B Are We Less Patient Today?
C What Happens to Technology?
D Has Digital Technology Changed Our Lives?
答案解析：见上一题！
Part II Reading Comprehension (40 points)
Passage Three
Scientists measured the ipact that people have on the enviroment using a term called carbon “footprint.” That footprint reflects the amount of carbon dioxide that is emitted(排放)into the atmosphere as a result of someone’s daily activities. Carbon footprints tend to be low for city dwellers (城镇居民). Living in a suburb outside a city, however, can tern that footprint into a bootpring.
Energy researchers Christopher Jones and Daniel Kammen calculated carbon footprints for people in every zip code across the United States. People living in city centers had small footprints, the researchers found. “It is much easier to have a low carbon impact if your home is close to where your work, shop and play,” explain Jones. Living within walking or biking distance cuts back on the amount of carbon dioxide associated with moving people by cars. And cities with extensive bus and subway networks allow people to travel great distances while keeping releases of climate-altering green house gases low.
Not everyone can afford to live in the city, however. And not everyone wants to. Rings of suburbs have popped up around major cities across the world. Suburbs offer more space, allowing people to build larger homes. Suburbs may offer better schools for a family’s kids. But those homes are typically well beyond walikg distance from where their owners work, play and learn. So people who live in suburbs often drive long distances.
The new findings are an important contribution to climate research, says Matthew Kahn, an enviromental economist at the University of California, who was not involved with the study. Kahn would like to see the analysis applied to other parts of the world – Europe, India and China, for instance. That would give scientists a better feel for how culture might mix with location to influence our carbon footprints.
11、“Footprint”refer to the amount of carbon dioxide released by _____ .
A an industry
B an individual
C a region
D a country
答案解析：
科学家们用一个叫做“碳足迹”的术语测量了人们对环境的反应。“这足迹反映了排放的二氧化碳量(排放)到大气中由于某人的日常活动。低碳足迹往往城镇居民。然而，住在城市外的郊区，可能会把这些足迹印进鞋靴里。
能源研究人员克里斯托弗·琼斯(Christopher Jones)和丹尼尔·卡门(Daniel Kammen)计算了美国每个邮政编码的人们的碳足迹。研究人员发现，住在市中心的人的脚印很小。“如果你的家离你工作、购物和娱乐的地方很近，就更容易产生低碳影响，”琼斯解释说。住在步行或骑车距离之内可以减少开车时产生的二氧化碳。城市拥有广泛的公交和地铁网络，人们可以长途旅行，同时降低温室气体的排放。
然而，并不是每个人都能负担得起住在城市里。并不是每个人都想这么做。世界各地的大城市都出现了一圈圈的郊区。郊区提供了更多的空间，允许人们建造更大的房子。郊区可能为一个家庭的孩子提供更好的学校。但这些房子通常都远离主人工作、玩耍和学习的地方。所以住在郊区的人经常开车很远。
没有参与这项研究的加州大学环境经济学家Matthew Kahn说，这些新发现是对气候研究的重要贡献。卡恩希望这项分析能应用到世界其他地区，比如欧洲、印度和中国。这将使科学家们更好地了解文化如何与地理位置结合起来影响我们的碳足迹。
12、What is the new finding concerning the footprints of people living in cities and those living in suburbs?
A The two are not at all comparable.
B The former are higher than the latter.
C The latter are higher than the former.
D The former are similar to the latter.
答案解析：见上一题！
13、What is the key factor mentioned to explain the new findings?
A Distance traveled by cars
B Spending habits.
C Size of families.
D Attitude towards energy saving.
答案解析：见上一题！
14、What does Matthew Kahn think of the new findings?
A He is confused by the mixed messages.
B He thinks highly of them.
C He can easily understand them.
D He doubts their validity.
答案解析：见上一题！
15、What is the purpose of the author in writing the passage?
A To call on people to reduce carbon footprints.
B To offer tips on how to live a low-carbon life.
C To clear up misunderstandings about carbon emission.
D To introduce the research on carbon footprints.
答案解析：见上一题！
Part II Reading Comprehension (40 points)
Passage Four
It was a chilly evening in New York City, and my daughter and I were walking up Broadway. Nora noticed a guy sitting inside a cardboard box next to a newsstand. she pulled at my coat and said, “That man’s cold, Daddy. Can we take him home?”
I don’t remember my reply. But I do remember a sudden heavy feeling inside me. I had always been delighted at how much my daughter noticed in her world, whether it was birds on flight or children playing. But now she was noticing suffering and poverty.
A few days later, I saw an article in the newspaper about volunteers who delivered meals to elderly people. The volunteers went to a nearby school on a Sunday morning, picked up a food package, and delivered it to an elderly person. I signed us up. Nora was excited about it. She could understand the importance of food, so she could easily see how valuable our job was. When Sunday came, she was ready, we picked the package and phoned the elderly person we’d been assigned. She invited us right over.
The building was depressing. When the door opened, facing us was a silver-haired woman in an old dress. She took the package and asked us to come in. Nora ran inside. I reluctantly followed. Our hostess showed us some photos of her family. Nora played and laughed , I accepted a second cup of tea. When it came time to say good-bye, we three stood in the doorway and hugged. I walked home in tears.
Where else but as volunteers do you have the opportunity to do something enjoyable that’s good for others as well as for yourself? Indeed, the poverty my daughter Nora and I help lessen that Sunday afternoon was not the woman’s alone --- it was in our lives, too. Now Nora and I regularly serve meals to needy people and collect clothes for the homeless. Yet, as I’ve watched her grow over these past four years, I still wonder—which of us has benefited more?
16、The man Nora noticed on that evening was probably _____ .
A asking for food
B One of those homeless
C taken home by the author
D buying a newspaper
答案解析：
那是纽约一个寒冷的夜晚，我和女儿正在百老汇大街上散步。诺拉注意到一个人坐在报摊旁边的纸板箱里。她拉着我的大衣说:“爸爸，那个人很冷。我们能带他回家吗?”
我不记得我的回答了。但我确实记得我内心突然有一种沉重的感觉。我一直很高兴，因为我女儿在她的世界里引起了那么多的注意，无论是鸟儿在飞翔，还是孩子们在玩耍。但是现在她注意到了痛苦和贫穷。
几天后，我在报纸上看到一篇关于志愿者送饭给老年人的文章。志愿者们在一个周日的早晨去了附近的一所学校，拿起一个食物包，把它送到一位老人手中。我签了约。诺拉对此很兴奋。她能理解食物的重要性，所以她能很容易地看到我们的工作是多么有价值。当星期天到来的时候，她已经准备好了，我们拿起包裹，给分配给我们的老人打了电话。她邀请我们过来。
这座建筑很沉闷。门开了，面对我们的是一个身穿旧衣服的银发女人。她拿起包裹，叫我们进去。诺拉里面跑。我不情愿地跟着。女主人给我们看了几张她全家的照片。诺拉边玩边笑，我又喝了一杯茶。到了该说再见的时候，我们三个人站在门口互相拥抱。我含泪走回家。
除了做志愿者，你还有什么机会做一些对他人和自己都有好处的有趣的事情呢?事实上，那个周日下午，我和女儿诺拉(Nora)帮助减轻的贫困并不仅仅是那个女人的贫困——它也存在于我们的生活中。现在我和诺拉定期为有需要的人提供食物，为无家可归的人收集衣服。然而，当我看着她在过去的四年里成长时，我仍然想知道——我们当中谁受益更多?
17、The author had a sudden heavy feeling (Para2), because _____ .
A his daughter had noticed the dark side of life
B he did not want to take the guy home
C he felt a deep sympathy for the guy
D his daughter was afraid of what she saw
答案解析：见上一题！
18、Their volunteer job was to _____ .
A visit poor homes
B serve meals at a nearby school
C pick up packages for poor, elderly people
D deliver food to needy, elderly people
答案解析：见上一题！
19、The word “us” in the last paragraph refers to _____ .
A The author and the old woman
B The giver and receiver of the help
C the author and his daughter
D The author and the guy in the box
答案解析：见上一题！
20、The best title for this passage might be “ _____ ”.
A A Loving Kid
B Volunteer at Work
C A Lessen in Caring
D How to Help the Needy
答案解析：见上一题！
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！
