第三部分：阅读理解(共20小题，每题2分，满分40分)

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

A

What happens to a teenage kid when the world he thought he knew suddenly changes? Find out in Little Brother by American author Cory Doctorow. It is a fascinating book for a new generation of sci-fi readers.

Marcus Yallow, 17, from San Francisco is much more comfortable in front of a computer than obeying the rules of society. Smart, fast and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble outwitting(骗过) his high school’s monitoring system. This way he and his friends get to head off to play a popular online game in real life.

While they are playing, a bomb exploded on the Bay Bridge. Marcus stops a military vehicle to get help for his injured friend, but this simple act throws him into a Department of Homeland Security(DHS) secret prison. There he is treated as a possible terrorist. He is eventually let go after four days, but his injured friend disappears.

When he returns, Marcus discovers that there are many “security measures” in place and that now all citizens are treated like potential terrorists. While some consider this government action necessary for public safety, Marcus sees this as a complete destruction of the rights he is supposed to have as a citizen.

He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him with only one thing to do: to take down the DHS himself. He helps organize a large network called Xnet to spread the truth, anonymously(匿名地).

The book presents a young man who is irresponsible, but learns about himself, and grows, in the course of the story. As part of this learning and growing he becomes aware of very serious issue about his society.

56. What kind of article does this passage belong to?

A. A fascinating story. B. A book review.

C. News reports. D. A TV program.

57. Marcus Yallow was sent to prison because____.

A. he killed his friend

B. he bombed a military vehicle

C. he did something that a possible terrorist could do

D. his injured friend disappeared

58. From the second paragraph we can infer that____.

A. Marcus Yallow is much more comfortable obeying the rules of society.

B. Marcus Yallow is smart, fast and wise in real life.

C. Marcus Yallow always plays online games in real life.

D. Marcus Yallow is expert at the networked world.

59. In the end of the book, Marcus Yallow______.

A. is supposed to be more irresponsible

B. becomes aware of very serious issues about his society

C. presents a young man who is irresponsible

D. plays a popular online game in real life

B

When Chris Morphew started writing stories about dinosaurs and time machines as a kid, he never imagined he would become a best-seller author. Several years and countless books later, the 26-year-old Australian is still wondering about the future. It seems anything is possible for young authors like Morphew in today’s digital age, where electronic books can be purchased and downloaded with only one click.

Morphew, who has published two kids’ adventure series, says e-books can attract readers because most retailers(销售商) allow a sneak preview before buying. “It’s a great way to introduce potential readers to a novel, and hopefully get them hooked enough to pay for the rest,” Morphew said.

The e-book phenomenon is taking off among consumers. The global e-book market grew by more than 200 percent last year, according to a new report from Futuresource Consulting. The market is boosted by a rising number of e-book services, e-reading devices and tablets like the iPad.

But in a world of such easily downloadable material, Morphew says piracy and copyright issues are concerning. “As an author who pours months of his life into each book he creates, it’s discouraging to think that people might be willing to take what I’ve created without giving any thought to the effort that went into producing those projects in the first place,” he said.

It’s no secret that the Internet is filled with unlicensed, free digital copies of books on file-sharing websites. This has led some successful authors to worry about dwindling profits. “If readers lose the habit of paying me for my work, I can’t work. Writing is how I make my living,” British novelist Chris Cleave told the Guardian.

William Kostakis, a 21-year-old Australian author who is currently completing his second novel, isn’t so concerned. He says book digitization can actually make it easier for young writers to support their careers. “Competitive pricing and self-publishing through Amazon means that authors can get their works out to the world, and start making money,” Kostakis said.

Kostakis says freelancing is another great way to help pay the bills. He is currently writing for the online Australian news site Ninemsn.com. “Freelancing is the key to making money until you’re established(资深的), with most authors turning to journalism after publication to support themselves financially,” Kostakis said.

So is there hope for young authors out there? It appears so. Life in the technological fast lane has them charging full speed ahead.

60. The writer’s purpose is writing this passage is to ____

A. discuss the influence of e-books

B. introduce the popularity of e-books

C. tell people to obey the law of copyrighted books

D. encourage young authors to download e-books

61. What can we know about Chris Morphew?

A. He has published two books about kids’ adventure.

B. He started writing when he was a child.

C. He became a best-seller author because of e-books downloading.

D. He thinks piracy and copyright issues has nothing to do with him.

62. Which of the following is not the factor that promote the e-book market?

A. E-book services. B. E-reading devices.

C. Tablets. D. A sneak preview.

63. The underlined word “dwindling” in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to ____.

A. dropping B. increasing C. improving D. sharing

64. What is the main idea of the passage?

A. E-book market has boosted.

B. Young authors make a fortune from e-book downloading.

C. Piracy and copyright issues deserve to be concerned.

D. Digital age poses challenges for authors.

C

If a business wants to sell its products internationally, it had better do some market research first. This is a lesson that some large American corporations have learned in a hard way.

What’s in the name?

Sometimes the problem is the name. When General Motors introduced its Chevy Nova into Latin America, it overlooked the fact that Nova in Spanish means “It doesn’t go”. Sure enough, the Chevy Nova never went anywhere in Latin America.

Translation problems

Sometimes it is the slogan that doesn’t work. No company knows this better than Pepsi-Cola, with its “Come alive with Pepsi!” campaign. The campaign was so successful in the United States, and Pepsi translated its slogan literally for its international campaign. As it turned out, the translations weren’t quite right. Pepsi was begging Germans to “Come out of the grave” and tell the Chinese that “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave.”

A picture’s worth a thousand words

Other times, the problem involves packaging. A picture of a smiling baby helped sell countless jars of Gerber Baby food. When Gerber started selling baby food in Africa, they used the same packaging as in the US, with the smiling baby on the label. Later they learned that in African countries, the picture on the jar shows what the jar has in it, for many people there can’t read.

Twist(扭转) of fate

Even culture and religious factors and pure coincidence can be involved. Thorn McAn shoes have a Thorn McAn “signature” inside. To people in Bangladesh, which is a Muslim country, this signature looked like Arabic script(手稿书写) for the word Allah. In that country, feet are considered unclean, and Muslim felt the company was offending God’s name by having people walk on it.

65. From the text we learn that____.

A. General Motors was brought in Latin America

B. General Motors did the best market research of all companies

C. Pepsi still sold well in China owing to the translation problem

D. the “Come alive with Pepsi” campaign worked well in the US

66. What was Gerber’s problem?

A. A translation problem. B. Cultural factor.

C. Religious factor. D. The picture on the jar.

67. For what reason were Thorn McAn shoes turned down in Bangladesh?

A. They are not designed attractively.

B. Their advertisements are not persuasive.

C. A signature looking like the word Allah was in the shoes.

D. Problem For Thorm McAn was the company’s name.

68. What does the text mainly tell us?

A. Lessons from some large corporations.

B. How to make use of advertisements.

C. The importance of market research.

D. The importance of packaging.

D

Scientists may have found a way to reduce shortages of type O blood. Type O is the kind of blood that hospitals most often need. What the researchers are testing is an easier way to make type O blood out of other kinds of blood.

There are four main kinds of blood. Most people are born with one of these four: type A, type B, type AB or type O. Type O can be safely given to anyone. So it is commonly used when a person is injured or sick and has to have blood.

Type O is the most common blood group. But the supplies of it available in hospitals and blood banks are usually limited. This is because of high demand. Type O blood is used in emergencies when there is no time to identify the patient’s blood type.

Giving A, B or AB to someone with a different blood type, including O, can cause a bad reaction by the person’s defense system. Their immune system can reject the blood. This immune reaction can be deadly.

The differences among blood types are linked to whether or not red bloods cells contain certain kinds of sugar molecules. These molecules are found on the surface of the cells. They are known as antigens(抗原). These antigens are found with type A, B and AB blood but not with type O.

More than twenty-five years ago, scientists found that the antigens could be removed to create what they called universal-type cells. They could be removed with chemicals called enzymes(酶). But large amounts of enzymes were required to make the change.

Doctor Henrick Clausen of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark led the study. The next step, he says, is to complete safety tests. The team is working with the American company ZymeQuest to test the new method. If it meets safety requirements and is not too costly, it could become a widely used life-saving tool to increase the supply of universal blood.

69. The new way scientists use to reduce shortage of type O blood is ____.

A. to make type O blood out of other kinds of blood

B. to give birth to more babies with type O blood

C. to use other kinds of blood to replace type O blood

D. to appeal to more people to donate type O blood

70. People have different kinds of blood types because____.

A. people’s red blood cells contains different kinds of sugar molecules

B. the areas where people live have an influence on their blood types

C. they have different races, cultures and origins

D. they are born with different kinds of blood type.

71. What can be inferred from the passage?

A. One person’s antigens could easily be removed to another person.

B. A Denmark company sponsored the study led by Doctor Henrick Clausen.

C. Type O blood can be given to anyone regardless of his own blood type.

D. The new method is too costly to be put into use in hospitals.

72. What is the main idea of the passage?

A. People in the world have four different kinds of blood.

B. A new way to reduce the shortage of Type O blood.

C. Doctor Henrich Clausen and his research into blood type.

D. People’s immune system can reject the wrong type of blood.

E

I needed to get some money so, after Christmas, I took a job in the clothes department at Graham’s for the first fortnight of the January sale. I can’t say that I enjoyed it, but it was an experience that I’ll never forget.

I could never understand why there were so many things in the sales; where did they all come from? Now I know the secret! Firstly, there is the special winter stock(货物) and the stock that people buy all the year round; some of these things are slightly reduced. Secondly, there are the summer clothes they couldn’t sell last year; these are heavily reduced to clear them. Thirdly, there are cheap clothes bought in specially for the sales; they are put out at high prices ten days before the sale begins and then are reduced by 60% in the sale. Clever! Lastly, they bought in “seconds” (clothes not in perfect condition) for the sale and they are sold very cheaply.

When I arrived half an hour before opening on the first day of the sale, there was already a queue around three sides of the building. This made me very nervous.

When the big moment arrived to open the doors, the security guards, looking less confident than usual, came up to them, keys in hand. The moment they unlocked the doors, they hid behind the doors for protection as the noisy crowd charged in. I couldn’t believe my eyes; this wasn’t shopping, it was a battlefield! One poor lady couldn’t keep her feet and was knocked over by people pushing from behind.

Clothes were flying in all directions as people searched for the sizes, colors and styles they wanted. Quarrels broke out. Mothers were using their small children to crawl through people’s legs and get hold of things that they couldn’t get near themselves.

Within minutes I had half a dozen people pushing clothes under my nose, each wanting to be the first served. Where had the famous English Queue gone? The whole day continued like that, but I kept my temper! I was taking money hand over fist and began to realize why, twice a year, Graham’s were happy to turn their expensive store into a battlefield like this. People were spending money like water without thinking whether they needed what they were buying. As long as it was a bargain it was OK.

73. What kind of clothes is likely to be sold 5% cheaper?

A. Last summer’s clothes. B. Clothes not in perfect condition.

C. Clothes bought specially for the sales. D. Clothes for winter.

74. In the author’s opinion, why were Graham’s happy to make their expensive store into “battlefield”?

A. They were too many clothes and they wanted to clear them in the sales.

B. They were eager to show that they were clever at doing business.

C. They could take the chance to raise the prices of their clothes.

D. They wanted to make more money by having sales.

75. What would be the best title for the passage?

A. The Best Bargain B. Hunting For A Job

C. The Sale Fever D. A Pleasant Fortnight