Part III 阅读理解

Passage One

Alice Paul Tapper was onafourth-grade field trip last year when she noticed something that bothered her. The girls were standing in the back of the room, listening politely as the guide spoke. The boys crowded together in the front. They raised their hands to respond to questions, even if they didn't know the answer.

Alice, 10, often doesn't raise her hand in class, even if she's pretty sure she knows the answer. She's nervous she'll get it wrong and feel embarrassed. On that field trip, she figured a lot of other girls were probably keeping quiet, too. Alice told her mom what she saw. They talked about how girls are often told to be quiet and polite, while boys are encouraged to be bold and assertive.

Alice and her mom talk about that kind of thingalot. She wants boys and girls to have the same opportunities. "Girls are important, and their ideas are important, " Alice says, "They should be heard. " Alice's mom is the leader of Alice's Girl Scout troop, in Washington, D.C. She and Alice brought the issue up at their next Girl Scout meeting.

Alice found she was right. The other girls said they, too, sometimes hesitated to raise their hands, and they worried that this could hold them back in life. Alice wanted to change that. "Ifagirl raises her hand, it is one step toward becomingagreat leader ," she says. Alice's troop decided to ask the Girl Scouts organization to createanew patch.

The new patch was introduced in October 2017. It is called the Raise Your Hand patch. To earn it, a girl has to do three things. She must pledge to raise her hand in class when she thinks she knows the answer — even if she's not 100% sure. She must recruit three girls to make the same pledge.

And she must talk about how raising her hand makes her feel. So far, more than 5,400 girls have earned the Raise Your Hand patch. They live in every state in the U.S., plus Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Ireland. "Girls are powerful," Alice says. "They should raise their hands so they can release the power inside them.

"

21. What bothered Alice on her field trip last year?

    A The guide was impolite to the girls.B There were more boys than girls.C The boys made trouble as the guide spoke.D The girls were less responsive than the boys.

22. Girls often don't raise their hands in class because they .

    A don't know the answer pretty wellB don't want to get too much attentionC are taught to be quiet and politeD are given fewer chances than boys

23. The Raise Your Hand patch was created to .

    A encourage girls to speak upB improve girls' talent for organizationC call for more support from girlsD highlight the importance of girls

24. The Raise Your Hand patch .

    A has helped girls become leadersB is popular in some states in the U.S.C is spreading all over the worldD has attracted thousands of girls

25. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

    A A Show of HandsB A Campaign for EqualityC The Girl Scouts OrganizationD The Story of aNew Patch

Passage Two

Stephen Hawking was born on8January, 1942 and grew up in St Albans, the eldest of four brothers and sisters. His father wasaresearch biologist and his motheramedical research secretary, so it was not surprising that he was interested in science. Asastudent he was drawn to physics and maths as he believed they offered the most fundamental insights into the world.

But nothing marked him out as special from his classmates or in his first term at Oxford University. Stephen got first in Physics from Oxford, and started aPhD at Cambridge. His own private universe expanded when he proposed to his future wife. Jane was also from St Albans, and wasamodern languages undergraduate.

She had met Hawking at aNew Year's party, before his diagnosis. The couple decided to marry quickly, because they did not know how long Stephen had to live. As Stephen's health deteriorated, he took to walking with stick. Hawking escaped the limits of his disability by training his mind to work inanew way.

As he started to lose the use of his limbs, he developedaway of visualizing problems in his mind to reachasolution instead of by writing equations. Some of his colleagues have suggested that this way of thinking has led to his greatest discoveries. Hawking was now working on one of science's most bizarre ideas—black holes, an extreme prediction of Einstein's general theory of relativity.

Hawking's work on black boles helped prove the idea of a "Big Bang" at the birth of the Universe. Developed in the 1940s, Big Bang theory was still not accepted by all scientists. Working with mathematician Roger Penrose, Hawking realized that black holes were like the Big Bang in reverse—and that meant the maths he'd used to describe black boles also described the Big Bang.

It wasakey moment in showing the Big Bang really happened. As his body deteriorated, Hawking's career was taking off.

26. Hawking developed an early interest in science because .

    A his brothers and sisters loved itB he took related lessons asakidC he excelled in maths and physicsD his parents influenced him

27. What can be learned about Hawking's wife Jane?

    A She and Hawking came from the same place.B She and Hawking went to the same school.C She married Hawking on New Year's Day.D She didn't know of his disease before their marriage.

28. Hawking's self-trained way of working .

    A helped the recovery of his healthB requiredalot of equation writingC relied heavily on mental imagesD was copied by his colleagues

29. The following statements about the Big Bang theory are true EXCEPT .

    A Hawking was its founderB it was connected with black holesC Hawking's research supported itD not all scientists agreed with it

30. Asaleading figure in science, Hawking .

    A lived for fifty-five yearsB wrote many best-selling novelsC led some organizations for the disabledD fought against his disease most of his life

Passage Three

Imagine that you'reafly. You're just looking foraplace to rest, when you seeanice pink leaf. That looks likeanice place to land. As you rest your feet on the leaf, you notice something strange. This leaf is hairy. You begin to make your move, but you trigger the plant's reaction. Snap!

In one-tenth ofasecond, you are caught in the Venus flytrap. You will be digested in five to twelve days. Out of about 391,000 plant species in the world, only 600 or so are carnivorous. We call them this because they attract, trap, and eat bugs. Like other plants, they get energy from the sun.

But unlike other plants, they get their nutrients from their prey ( 猎物). Carnivorous plants live in places where the soil lacks nutrients. Most plants get nutrients from the soil. Carnivorous plants have turned to other sources. Pitcher plants trick their prey into landing on them.

They offer nectar (花蜜) bribes to the foolish insects that would take them. True to their name, pitcher plants have deep chambers. Their landing surface is slippery. They have inward pointing hairs, making it hard to escape. The fly lands on the pitcher plant to eat, but slips intoapit filled with digestive fluids.

Corkscrew plants have inviting stems. Curved hairs line the inside of these stems. These hairs allow insects to go up the stems, but not back. Going forward leads to the plant's stomach. Bugs who wander into the corkscrew plant find that they are unable to escape. They must march to their own death.

And then there are the bladderworts. They live in water and float near the surface. Their traps are like small bladders(囊状物) hidden beneath the water. Only their flowers are visible from the surface. When bugs swim into the trigger hairs, the plant reacts. The bladder sucks up the prey and the water surrounding it.

The prey will be digested within hours.

31. The word "carnivorous" (Para. 2) is closest in meaning to " ".

    A nutritiousB bug-eatingC plant-eatingD attractive

32. Which statement would the author most likely agree with?

    A There are too many species of carnivorous plants.B There are too few plant species in the world.C Onlyasmall number of plant species are carnivorous.D The majority of plants are carnivorous.

33. Carnivorous plants get their nutrients mainly from .

    A other plantsB the soilC the sunD their prey

34. Which of the following best expresses the main idea of the third paragraph?

    A There are many studies of carnivorous plants.B The pitcher plant tricks bugs into its stomach.C The pitcher plant kills its prey in various ways.D Some plants attract bugs by offering them nectar.

35. As can be inferred, the corkscrew's chamber for digestion is located .

    A somewhere towards its rootB somewhere towards its topC inside its flowersD inside its leaves

Passage Four

Serenity (宁静) is difficult to find in today's fast-paced world. A moment of complete calm seems to bearare and wonderful find. For me, those precious moments occur onaboat. As legendary sailor Vito Dumas once said: "It's out there at sea that you are really yourself." On deck, enjoying awe-inspiring views, the cares of everyday life blown away on the sea breeze, you can appreciate his point.

Flying isamisery. From airport chaos to the confined space of an aircraft, nothing about commercial aviation appeals to my sense of adventure—or comfort. Favouring boat travel isn't just about managing flight fear, though. Whether I'm onashort ferry crossing oracruise, the sea providesatrue sense of travel, from the impressive physical shift ofaship leaving port to its navigation of the open water.

"We are tied to the ocean," John F. Kennedy said. As my ship steers towards an exciting new destination, I feel that affinity. And I'm not alone. "The journey is part of the holiday," says travel writer Helen Ochyra. "I'll stand out on deck, whatever the weather, and watch the ropes being untied, the boat slipping away from the dock and the landscape drifting farther and farther away." Tom Bourlet, founder of the Spaghetti Traveller blog, agrees: "Onaplane, it's difficult to make out much more than grassland; on the ferry, there is something exciting about seeing land slowly getting closer." For Cathy Winston, travel editor, it's about the sense of adventure.

"Even onafairly simple journey fromAto B," she says, "wide wide, open sea makes it feel like you could be off to discover new lands. there's acertain romance you don't get onaplane or on a motorway." Winston also values the family-friendly aspects of sea travel. "There's something so relaxing about being on the water, especially with kids," she says.

Whether it's for kid-happy convenience or sheer romance, boats will always be the preferred mode of transport for many travellers. A boat gets me where Iwant to go, avoiding the rush—and terror—of air travel. And out on the waves, as reality melts away, I always rediscover my own passion for the sea.

36. Which aspect of sea travel is emphasized in the first paragraph?

    A Extraordinary view.B Complete freedom.C Peace of mind.D Sense of adventure.

37. The word "affinity" (Para. 2) is closest in meaning to " ".

    A strong emotionB close connectionC sheer excitementD impressive moment

38. Who is deeply impressed while watching the boat leaving the dock?

    A Helen Ochyra.B Vito Dumas.C Cathy Winston.D John F. Kennedy.

39. According to Tom Bourlet, sea travel is better than air travel in that it .

    A enables people to engage in deeper thoughtB gives passengersabetter chance to relaxC providesamore comfortable environmentD offersaclearer view of the landscape

40. According to the last two paragraphs, sea travel has all the following benefits EXCEPT .

    A being family-friendlyB satisfying an adventurous heartC promotingahealthy lifestyleD providing relaxation

Blog and Comments

The blog and comments are followed by questions or unfinished statements, each with four suggested answers A, B, C and D. Choose the best answer and mark your answer on the Answer Sheet. At SXSW, the tech and culture conference in Austin, London Mayor Sadiq Khan criticized big tech companies and regulators for failing to stem the spread of hate, misinformation and radical viewpoints online.

The mayor said that governments have been in "dereliction of duty" when it comes to passing regulations to combat the ways technology has negatively affected society. "One of the biggest problems over the last few years is that politicians and governments have just been passive—sitting on their hands—while the tech revolution has happened around them, " Khan said in his remarks.

Ultimately, he said, it's up to governments to work with technology businesses and leaders to make sure that technological advancement has the proper checks. Social media firms are already under new regulatory pressure in Europe, thanks to German laws enacted in January that will fine companies that don't take down problematic content within 24 hours of it being reported.

Khan did not call for this type of regulation but warned that even stricter regulation could be on its way if companies don't respond to government concerns. "Ultimately—there must be greater responsibility taken by some tech companies for the impact they're having on the world."

41. The word "dereliction" (Para. 2) probably means " ".

    A deliberate neglectB potential abuseC constant misjudgmentD apparent misunderstanding

42. What does Khan emphasize with his remarks in the last paragraph?

    A Strict British regulation.B German-style regulatory laws.C Government-industry cooperation.D Self-regulation of the industry.

43. According to Comment 1, who is to blame for the spread of misinformation?

    A Businesses.B Individuals.C Government officials.D Industry leaders.

44. Which of the comments favors strict government regulation?

    A Comment 2.B Comment 3.C Comment 4.D Comment5.

45. Which comments agree with Khan on the role of tech companies?

    A Comments1and 4.B Comments2and 3.C Comments4and 5.D Comments3and 5.