Despite rising education levels, Americans of every age are reading less and les

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Despite rising education levels, Americans of every age are reading less and less for pleasure these days, according to an analysis by the National Endowment for the Arts. The decline(下降) could have bad effects as people tune out books, tune in popular culture and become less socially engaged.
"We"ve got a public culture which is almost entirely commercial(商业化)and novelty - driven (追新)," says NEA chairman Dana Gioia. "I think it"s letting the nation down."
The study gathers years of data on Americans" reading habits and finds that, at every age group, we"re reading less.
Most of the data have appeared in private, government and university surveys, but today"s report is the first to combine them into a single portrait. It suggests that the demands of school, work and family and the decisive advantage of other forms of entertainment have caused the decline in reading for millions of Americans.
·Only 38% of adults in 2006 said they had spent time reading a book for pleasure.
·65% of college freshmen in 2005 said they read little or nothing for pleasure.
·30% of 13 - year - olds in 2004 said they read for fun "almost every day," down from 35% in 1984.
According to Gioia, a poet, they decline is probably the single most important social issue in the United States today. The findings should be a wake - up call to educators to change the way they teach literature at every level. It was once believed that if someone went to college, they would become a lifelong reader. What we"re seeing right now is that we"re no longer producing readers. We"re producing B. A. s and M. A. s and Ph. D. s.
Cioia also wants main media to wake up to how they can promote good books in many ways. He notes that when a character in the 1994 film Four Weddings and a Funeral recited a few lines of W. H. Auden"s poem Funeral Blues, the poet briefly became a best seller.
65.The underlined phrase "tune out" in the first paragraph probably means________.
A.close    B.publish C.prove   D.read
66.According to Dana Gioia, the change of Americans" reading habit________.
A.is positive and valuable      B.does harm to the nation
C.is caused only by popular culture      D.can make poets best sellers
67.Which of the following is NOT the cause for the change in reading habit?
A.Demands of getting a B. A., M. A. or Ph. D.
B.Demands of family, school and work.
C.The change in the way the literature is taught.
D.Advantages of the entertainment.
68.We can infer that the number of teenagers reading for pleasure reduced by________in 20 years.
A.30%    B.38%    C.65%    D.5%

答案

小题1:A
小题2:B
小题3:C
小题4:D

解析

举一反三

第二节完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每小题的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
　　Pete Rose was a great baseball player. Though I have never met him, he taught me something 　31 that changed my life.
　　Pete was being 　32 in spring training the year he was about to break Ty Cobb’s all-time hits record. Suddenly one reporter asked him, “Pete, you only need 78 hits to reach your nearest 　33 . How many at-bats（击球）do you think it’ll take you to get the 78 hits？” Without hesitation, Pete just 　34 at the reporter and said,“78.” The reporter yelled back, “Ah, come on, Pete, you don’t think you’ll get 78 hits in 78 at-bats, do you？”
　　Mr. Rose calmly 　35 his philosophy with the reporters who were 　36 waiting for his reply to the claim.“Every time I 　37 up to the plate（击球区），I 　38 to get a hit! 　39 I have it in mind，I have no right to step into the batter’s（击球手）box! It is 40 expectation that has enabled me to get all of the hits in the first place.”
　　When I thought about Pete Rose’s 　41 and how it applied to everyday 　42 ，I felt a little embarrassed. As a business person，I was hoping to increase my 　43 . As a father，l was hoping to be a good dad. As a married man，I was hoping to be a good husband. The truth was that I was a fairly good salesperson，I was not so 44 a father，and I was an okay husband. I immediately decided that being okay was not 　45 ! I wanted to be a great salesperson，a great father and a great husband. I 　46 my attitude to a positive one，and the results were 47 .I was fortunate enough to win a few sales trips，I won Coach of the Year in my 48 baseball league，and I share a loving relationship with my wife，Karen，with whom I am 49 to enjoy the rest of my life!
　50 ，Mr. Rose!
31．A．reliable 　　　　B．enjoyable 　　　　　　C．valuable　　　　　 D．unbelievable
32．A．admired 　　　　 B．interviewed 　　　　　C．watched 　　　　　 D．trained
33．A．decision 　　　　B．record 　　　　　　　 C．level 　　　　　　 D．goal
34．A．stared 　　　　　B．shouted 　　　　　　　C．glared 　　　　　　D．pointed
35．A．enjoyed 　　　　 B．shared 　　　　　　　 C．discussed 　　　　 D．reviewed
36．A．anxiously 　　　 B．nervously 　　　　　　C．cheerfully 　　　　D．impatiently
37．A．climb 　　　　　 B．jump 　　　　　　　　 C．drive 　　　　　　 D．step
38．A．seem 　　　　　　B．fail 　　　　　　　　 C．expect 　　　　　　D．compete
39．A．Though 　　　　　B．Unless 　　　　　　　 C．Because 　　　　　 D．When
40．A．abrupt 　　　　　B．simple　　　　　　　 C．positive 　　　　　D．considerate
41．A．plan 　　　　　　B．idea 　　　　　　　　 C．ability 　　　　　 D．behaviour
42．A．agenda 　　　　　B．exercise 　　　　　　 C．work 　　　　　　　D．lire
43．A．sales 　　　　　 B．skills 　　　　　　　 C．experiences 　　　 D．experiments
44．A．wise 　　　　　　B．kind 　　　　　　　　 C．mean 　　　　　　　D．bad
45．A．explicit 　　　　B．helpful 　　　　　　　C．enough 　　　　　　D．practical
46．A．changed 　　　　 B．added 　　　　　　　　C．devoted 　　　　　 D．contributed
47．A．hopeful 　　　　 B．amazing 　　　　　　　C．funny 　　　　　　 D．disappointing
48．A．son’s 　　　　　B．wife’s 　　　　　　　C．friend’s 　　　　 D．customer’s
49．A．supposed 　　　　B．expected 　　　　　　 C．encouraged 　　　　D．determined
50．A．Good luck 　　　 B．Best regards 　　　　　C．Thanks 　　　　　 D．Congratulations

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第三部分阅读理解(共20小题；每小题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。
　　Many people will remember the flight of the space shuttle（航天飞机）challenger，in June，1983. The achievement of Sally Ride，America’s first woman astronaut to fly into space，made this flight especially memorable. Students from two Camden, New Jersey, high schools, however, are probably to remember Norma rather than Sally whenever they think about the flight.
　　Norma didn’t travel alone. She brought about 100 companions along with her. Norma was an ant，a queen ant who，with her subject，made up the first ant colony（群体）to travel into space. The ants were part of a science experiment designed by students to test the effects of weightlessness on insects.
　　The equipment designed by the students for their colony functioned perfectly throughout the long space trip. The young scientists and their teachers were very sad to find that their insect astronauts had all died at some point before the container was returned to the school and opened. The problem didn’t occur in space，but on the ground after challenger had landed. The container remained in the desert for nearly a week before the ant colony was moved. The hot，dry desert air dried out the colony’s container and the ants died from lack of moisture（水分）.
　　The project was termed success because it did provide useful information. Students will continue their efforts to pinpoint（精确找到）what went wrong. They will try to prevent the same difficulties from reoccurring on future missions. They don’t want to be discouraged either by the demise of the ants or by the $ 10,000 shuttle fare they will have to pay to send the next colony of ants into space.
51．What does the passage mainly tell us？
A．Sally Ride，America’s first woman astronaut.
B．How to keep ants alive in space.
C．How to make equipment for insects in space.
D．An experiment with ants in space.
52．According to the passage, we know that the underlined word“demise”is another word for“_____”.
A．death 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　B．colony
C．insect　　　　　　　　　　　　　　D．moisture
53．We don’t think the project was a failure. This is because_____.
A．everything went as smoothly as expected
B．the students had pinpointed exactly the reason
C．something important had been learned
D．the students had succeeded in the experiment
54．We can conclude that ants _____ on the next space trip.
A．will have to be kept alive in a container full of water
B．will have to be sent into space with the first woman astronaut
C．should be put into a container where there is enough food
D．should be put into a container which is not too dry

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　　Russian President Putin named Time magazine’s“Person of the Year”
　　Russian President Vladimir Putin was named Time magazine’s“Person of the Year”on December 19th.2007 for strengthening stability（稳定）that made Russia a world power again.
　　The magazine recognized Putin’s“extraordinary feat（技艺）of leadership in taking a country that was in a mess and bringing it stability，”said Richard Stengel，Time’s managing editor.
　　The magazine noted that“Person of the Year”is not an honor or an endorsement（认可）but a recognition of leadership that shapes the world.
　　Putin，who is 56 years old，is very popular in Russia，making a great effort to cause economy to come to life on revenue（收入）from oil and natural gas.
　　Putin recently supported vice-PM Dmitry Medvedev’s presidential bid，and said he would accept Medvedev’s offer to serve as prime minister if Medvedev is elected on March 2.
　　The Kremlin said Wednesday the Time recognition was seen there as an acknowledgement of Putin’s role in helping Russia pull out of its social and economic troubles in the 1990s.
　　Others considered for“Person of the Year”included Nobel Prize-winner Al Gore and author J.K. Rowling.
　　This year’s choice was a return to the magazine’s tradition of picking an individual rather than last year’s choice of“You”，which refers to anyone creating or using content on the World Wide Web.
　　Putin is the fifth Russian（or Soviet）leader to be named Person of the Year：Gorbachev，Andropov，Khrushchev and Stalin，who was named twice.
55．How did Putin try to make Russia a world power again？
A．By performing arms race.
B．By making war.
C．By strengthening stability.
D．By getting foreign help.
56．Which of the following is Not True according to the passage？
A．Russia used to be in a mess.
B．Time always picks an individual to be the“Person of the Year”.
C．Oil and natural gas caused Russia’s economy to come to life.
D．Putin will leave office on March 2,2007.
57．What does the underlined word“acknowledgement”mean？
A．Praise. 　　　　　　　　　　　B．Support.
C．Scold. 　　　　　　　　　　　 D．Recognition.
58．How many times have Russian leaders been named“Person of the Year”so far？
A．Five times. 　　　　　　　　　B．Six times.
C．Seven times. 　　　　　　　　 D．Eight times.

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第三节完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（Ａ、Ｂ、Ｃ和Ｄ）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项
As I look back on it now, I realize it was kind of silly of me to be so worried when he was really just late. I waited every night for Daddy, _21__ I tried to dress like and _22__ around everywhere.
That day, I stood at my _23__ place by the door, waiting for his__24__ from work.

   After standing there for a while, I began to wonder _25__ Daddy was, I ran into the kitchen to Mummy.
“When is Daddy coming?” I asked __26__ because I didn’t want to _27___ he was on a business trip.
“__28___, honey,” Mummy replied distractedly(心烦意乱) because she _29___ a difficult recipe (食谱) for dinner.
I ran back to the door, for I knew that Daddy was coming and that I wasn’t standing there for nothing. I began to recite the words _30__ my favorite books.
Tired of that, I went back to the kitchen to ask Mummy again but _31___ I could open my mouth, she handed a My Little Pony coloring book. In her you-had-better-listen _32___she said: “I am busy, Danielle. Go to __33__a pretty picture and I will hang it on the refrigerator.”
I went back to the door, put my book and crayons(蜡笔) _34____, then went to get my mini rocking chair __35___. After a while, the picture became a pink and purple artistic wonder.
Soon I smiled – with relief as I heard the sound of the __36___ opening and Daddy’s car driving in. I heard him turn off the engine and open and close the car door. The __37___thing I knew the door opened and __38__ stood Daddy. I stood up and held my arms _39__ . I hugged him tightly and whispered, “I love you.”
As I sit at the computer finishing this story, I know daddy will be home soon. I still _40__ when he is late. I still go to greet him when he arrives. And I still tell him I love him.
21.A. that                  B. who                                    C. which                    D. whose
22. A. followed          B.

played                        C. fooled                   D. stuck
23.A .own                B. usual                           C. favorite                 D. ordinary
24. A. return                 B. shadow                         C. appearance             D. journey
25. A. how                   B. that                             C.where                     D. in which
26. A. quietly             B. politely                          C. unhappily                D. hopefully
27. A. find out            B. learn about                     C. be known               D. worry about
28. A. Just wait          B. No hurry                             C. Soon                       D. As usual
29. A. followed          B. was following                      C. had followed            D. would follow
30. A. in                    B. from                            C.with                       D. on
31. A.when                B. until                                C.unless                       D. before
32. A. noise                 B. voice                            C. sound                    D.way
33. A. make

B. draw                              C. colour                   D. paint
34. A. away                 B. up                                C. back                         D. down
35. A. to sit in            B. to sit                              C. to be seated            D. to seat
36. A. house                  B. garage                          C. backyard                D. package
37. A. first                 B. next                                    C. last                        D. latest
38. A. here                       B. where                           C. there                     D. at which
39. A, out                  B. up                                C. over                             D. on
40. A. realize             B. excite                           C. wonder                  D. worry

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Pat Brown went to her bank to ask for an ATM card. It looks like a credit card. A few weeks later, the bank posted her a card and a four number personal identification number (PIN) .Her PIN is 1234。
As Pat was getting ready for bed one night, she remembered that she had only＄2 in her bag. The next day she had to pay＄10 for a lunch for a co-worker. She didn’t want to get up early to go to the bank. So she went to the bank that night. She used her ATM card to withdraw (take out) ＄50 from her checking account.
These are the steps she followed to withdraw money. First, she put her card in the lower slot on the right side of the machine. She made sure her card was facing the right way. Second, the computer screen (window) said,“Please enter (put in) your PIN.”Pat pressed the numbers 1,2,3,4. Next the screed said,“Please select the type of transaction you want by pressing the correct keys.”Pat pressed the bottom key for withdrawing money.
Then the screen said, “From which account?” The choices it gave were “Checking”, “Saving”, and “Money market”. Pat pushed the key for “Checking”.Next, the screen said,“Please select (choose) amount of transaction.”Pat pushed the number“5”and then“0”three times, until the screed read,“50.00.”The screen then read,“Please wait.”In less than a minute, it read,“Please lift (rise) the lid and take your money.”
Pat lifted the lid marked “Withdraw”. She counted her $50 to make sure the ATM hadn’t made a mistake. Then she waited for her withdrawal slip to come out of the slot at the upper right corner of the machine. Pat checked the slip to make sure it was correct. Then her ATM card was returned through the card slot. She put it in her bag and walked away. If Pat had made a mistake at any point by pressing the wrong button (number), she could have pressed “Cancel”and started over again.
53. What did Pat do immediately after choosing the account?
A. Selected whether to withdraw, deposit, of transfer money.
B. Lifted the lid and removed her money.
C. Selected the amount of money she wanted to withdraw.
D. Got back her ATM card.
54. When did Pat enter her PIN?
A. Right after inserting her card.                                B. Right before selecting the account.
C. Right before selecting the amount of money.            D. Right after selecting withdrawal.
55. When did Pat select the type of transaction?
A. Right after selecting which account she wanted.
B. Right before receiving her withdrawal slip.
C. Right before selecting the amount.
D. Right after recording her PIN.
56.What did Pat do when the screed said,“Please lift the lid …”?
A. Got out her card.                               B. Took her $50.
C. Selected the type of transaction she wanted.           D. Picked up her withdrawal slip.

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