Many people seem to think that science fiction is typified by the Bug-eyed Mons

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Many people seem to think that science fiction is typified by the Bug-eyed Monster, embodying every feature that most people find unpleasant. This is unfortunate because it degrades a worthwhile literary endeavor. Instead, the basic interest of science fiction lies in the relation between man and his technology and between man and the universe. Science fiction is a literature of change and a literature of the future, and the aspects of human life that it considers make it well worth reading and studying for no other literary form does quite the same things. What is science fiction? To begin, the following definition should be helpful: science fiction is a literary subgenre which postulates(以…为前提) a change (for human beings) from conditions as we know them and follows the implications of these changes to a conclusion.
The first point that science fiction is a literary subgenre is a very important one, but one which is often overlooked. Specifically, science fiction is either a short story or a novel. There are only a few dramas which could be called science fiction; the body of poetry that might be labeled science fiction is only slightly larger. To say that science fiction is a subgenre of prose fiction(小说) is to say that it has all the basic characteristics and serves the same basic functions in much the same way as prose fiction in general, that is, it shares a great deal with all other novels and short stories.
Everything that can be said about prose fiction, in general, applies to science fiction. Every piece of science fiction, whether short story or novel, must have a narrator, a story, a plot, characters, setting, and language. The themes of science fiction are concerned with interpreting man’s nature and experience around him. Themes in science fiction are constructed and presented in exactly the same ways that themes are dealt with in any other kind of fiction. They are the result to a particular combination of a narrator, story, plot, character, setting, and language. In short, the reasons for reading and enjoying science fiction, and the ways of studying and analyzing it, are basically the same as they would be for any other story or novel.
51.From the first paragraph, we can infer that science fiction has been most popular in the 20th century because ____.
A with the growth of literacy, the size of the reading public has increased
B competition from television has created a demand for more exciting fiction
C science fiction is easier to understand than other kinds of fiction
D the increased importance of technology has given science fiction an increased relevance
52.According to the definition in the passage, a fictional work that places human beings in a prehistoric world inhabited by dinosaurs____.
A cannot be called science fiction because it does not deal with the future
B cannot be called science fiction because it doesn’t deal with technology
C can be called science fiction because it deals with man’s relation with the world
D can be called science fiction because it places people in an environment different from the one we know
53. Science fiction is called a literary subgenre because____.
A it is not important enough to be a literary genre
B it cannot be made into a dramatic presentation
C it shares characteristics with other types of prose fiction
D it has its limits
54.One implication of the final sentence in the passage is that____.
A the reader should turn next to commentaries on general fiction
B there is no reason for any reader not to like science fiction
C the reader should compare other novels and stories to science fiction
D those who can appreciate prose fiction can appreciate science fiction
55.An appropriate title for this passage would be____.
A Man and the Universe
B Toward a Definition of Science Fiction
C A Type of Prose Fiction
D The Bug-Eyed Monster

答案

小题1:D
小题2:D
小题3:C
小题4:D
小题5:B

解析

举一反三

第一节完形填空(共10小题；每小题2分，满分20分)
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从21—30各题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
How a person reacts to criticism often means the difference between success and failure．Take Ole Bull for example. His  21   father，a chemist，wanted him to study for the ministry and forbade him to play his beloved(心爱的)violin. He soon gave up the course and，disobeying his father， 22  all his time and energy to the violin．
Unfortunately，though he had great ability，his teachers were   23 unskilled，so that by the time he was ready to start his concert tour he wasn"t prepared. In Italy a Milan newspaper critic(批评家)wrote：“He is a(n)   24   musician．If he is a diamond，he is certainly in the rough and unpolished．”There were two ways Ole Bull could have    25   to that criticism．He could have let it make him angry，or he could learn from it．Fortunately he chose the   26 ．He went to the newspaper office and asked to see the critic．The   27   editor introduced him. Ole spent the evening with the 70 year old critic，asked about his faults，and sought the old man"s
28   on how to correct them．Then he cancelled the rest of his tour，returned home，and   29   the next six months studying under really able teachers. He practiced hour after hour to overcome his   30 ．Finally，he returned to his concerts and，when only 26, became the wonder of Europe．
21．A．awkward     B generous       C．stubborn      D．confident
22．A．devoted       B donated        C．supplied      D. allocated
23．A．absolutely    B．completely C relatively       D．gradually
24．A．untrained     B．gifted        C．mature        D．1eading
25．A．referred       B．attracted     C．affected      D．reacted
26．A．former        B．1atter        C．1ater          D．early
27．A．frightened    B ashamed       C．astonished    D convinced
28 A．advice         B．attitude      C．virtue         D wisdom
29．A．totaled       B．squeezed      C．spent          D．spared
30．A．mistakes     B．troubles       C．difficulties   D．faults

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People often think that having a million dollars would make all their dreams come true. There are TV game shows that give contestants the chance to become millionaires. When asked the question "What would you do with a million dollars?", most people tend to give similar answers: “Quit my job.”, "Buy my dream house," or “Go traveling.” Twenty years ago, it was possible to realize these dreams. However, things are not so easy today.
In many developed countries, the cost of living is higher than ever. Over the last twenty years, for example, housing prices in many of the world"s cities have soared. In the U. S., luxury homes in the state of Arizona sold for about $ 800, 000 in 1995. These same homes now cost more than $ 1.5 million. Now, because more people live in the area, the cost of property has risen.
Apartments in many city centers are also more expensive now than in the past. Today, people want to be closer to their workplace, and many are now moving back into the city center. As a result, living in or near this area costs more than ever. Apartments in London"s Mayfair district or in Manhattan in New York City often sell for over a million dollars.
Inflation is another important reason for the rise in the cost of living. Over the last 150 years, as prices have gone up, the value of money has gone down, so we now need more money to buy things. In 1850, for example, $50,000 had as much buying power as $1 million dollars does today. Of course, people now earn more money than they did 150 years ago, but they also spend more on necessities such as food, medicine, and housing.
In order to live well after you stop working, you should begin saving for retirement early. Experts suggest that after you retire, you will need 75 percent to 80 percent of your salary to live on every month. This calculation assumes that you have no mortgage on a house to continue paying, or any other major expenses.
Due to increased demand for housing, higher inflation, and longer life expectancy, a million may not be enough to live on. To be able to retire early, travel the world, and build your dream home, you may have to appear on that game show and win more than once!
46. What is the main cause of high housing price?
A. People generally make more money today.
B. There are more luxury homes than apartments.
C. There is less housing available there for sale or rent.
D. People would rather live in the suburbs than in the city.
47. The word "inflation" in the 4th paragraph refers to _____
A. the amount of money required for life"s necessities
B. a continuing increase in prices over time
C. a bank loan for a house or piece of land
D. things that one must pay for regularly
48. If you make $ 4,000 per month, you will need _______ per month after you retire.
A. $2,250~$2,400 B. $ 3,000~$ 3,200
C. $3,500~$3,750 D. $2,550~ $ 2,700
49. What does the underlined sentence mean in the last paragraph?
A. You will be so lucky that you can win another million dollars.
B. Don"t expect too much for just a million dollars that cannot change your life completely.
C. A million dollars is too little to travel around the world.
D. To win another million dollars is the only way to make you live better after retirement.
50. The passage mainly tells us _______.
A. what a million dollars can buy
B. higher housing prices have become a social problem to deal with
C. how much money you will need in order to live well after retirement
D. we should not neglect the fact that money may not be as that much as before

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Young women are more adventurous than young men when travelling abroad in gap years. One in three female backpackers visits more than three countries during a year out and travels alone, according to new research.
By contrast, the majority of their male counterparts visit only one country and tend to travel in groups, says a survey by the Gap Year company, which provides information and services for students considering taking a year out.
More women than men say that their prime reason for taking time off is to see the world and experience different cultures. Men were more likely to rank “having fun” higher on their list of priorities. Women were more likely to value the challenge of a foreign trip, and many cited reasons such as learning a language and meeting new people.
The more adventurous gap years taken by women seem to work to their benefit: more than three quarters of those surveyed reported increased confidence, self-reliance and independence, whereas only half of the men had that experience.
The research also showed that women were more likely to do voluntary work while travelling, with more than one in ten helping with teaching or development projects. One of the reasons given for this is a wish to see the country in an authentic light.
A greater proportion of women than men faced objections or criticism from their families over their gap-year plans. Among the men surveyed, lack of money was the main barrier to travel.
Carolyn Martin, a doctor from London, was a typically confident female traveller.
Starting in Cape Town, she travelled around southern Africa and Australia with a string of
unusual and sometimes dangerous jobs.
“I had one job chasing elephants off the runway in Africa by banging a stick against a pan,” she recalled. “It was OK but one day I did get chased by one.”
She said that she had travelled alone because “you meet more people”.
46. By referring to “gap year” the writer means ______.
A. a gap you come across after leaving high school
B. a time when you are caught in a dilemma between work and study
C. a period before you find a job upon your graduation from college
D. a year off between high school and college for certain purposes

47. According to the article, ______.
A. most of the women students will travel abroad during the summer holidays
B. one third of the women students will travel abroad in a year
C. women students are more likely to travel abroad alone
D. women students are willing to travel abroad in a group
48. In the third paragraph, the underlined word “priorities” most probably means ______.
A. selections     B. attractions    C. preferences     D. projects
49. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Men students will travel less during the gap year because of their part-time jobs.
B. Women students will travel more but face more objections.
C. The article suggests that women travelling alone will have dangerous experiences.
D. Men students prefer to travel inside their own country to going abroad.
50. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. Girls Get the Best out of Gap Years   B. Boys Lack Courage in Gap Years
C. For Fun or for Adventure?          D. Young Women Are More Adventurous

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Today only one person in five in the United States lives within 50 miles of his birthplace. Since the country was first settled, Americans have moved around a great deal, and are often far away from their parents. Because they have broken ties with their past at a young age, chosen their own occupations, established their own homes and developed their own lifestyles, few American children grow up closely surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins as they do in Italy, Nigeria, or India, for example. This along with the fact that modern American families do not have servants has made the “baby-sitter” a vital part of the American scene. A “sitter” is someone who is hired to care for children for a specific length of time—usually relatively short—while the parents are out for an evening, going to a party or a course of study for example. Sometimes the baby-sitter is also hired for longer period, perhaps when the parents are away for a weekend. In such cases the “sitter” is likely to be a mature and motherly woman. For short periods, teen-agers, college students, nursing students, and others are commonly employed on an hourly basis.
From the point of view of convenience, the best sitters are often young people who live in your apartment building or close by in the neighborhood. This gives you a chance to meet the parents and see what they are like. If an emergency occurs, young sitters can call upon their parents quickly for help; you do not have to take them far to see them home at night or pay expensive taxi fares. Another advantage is that young people living close by can usually fill in quite readily on short notice or for short periods of time.
In an apartment house you can ask the superintendent for permission to post a notice for a baby-sitter by the mailboxes. This is often the best way to find out if there is anyone in the building who is interested in baby-sitting. Retired people as well as students are often glad to earn a little money in this way and can be found by such a note.
小题1:A baby-sitter is a person who________.

A．helps to do housework

B．is a cleaning woman

C．looks after children while their parents are out

D．takes care of babies and cooks for the family

小题2:It is advised that when you are out for short periods, you may hire________ to be baby-sitters.

A．motherly women	B．retired people
C．young people	D．mature women

小题3:The best title for the passage is________.

A．American Families	B．Baby-Sitters
C．A Way of Earning Money for Young Students	D．A Best Way to Find Baby-Sitters

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Many people write to newspapers and magazines to express their opinions. Letters to the editor must carry the writer’s full name, address and telephone number, although the information is not necessary for publication. This requirement to provide personal particulars is a clear indication that the writers are held responsible for what they say. When a writer wants his voice heard, he needs to claim ownership of his voice. Responsibility is the name of the game.
“People today prefer living together to putting their signatures on a marriage certificate (证书) because they refuse to accept responsibility for the relationship,” said social worker Ken Yip, “and this is what is causing a lot of family problems.” When we sign a paper, for example, a business contract or a bank document, the signature means an agreement to take the matter seriously. Most governments and many organizations will not process written complaints if they do not bear the writer’s signature. The absence of a signature, they explain, tells us that the writer cannot be too serious and therefore does not deserve a reply.
There are people who wish to remain anonymous (匿名的) for various reasons. Multibillionaire Mr. King donates generously to charity several times a year. He gives simply because he wants to help but not for the publicity his donations may bring, and he does not want his good deeds to make news. In other cases, people insist on anonymity because they are afraid of the consequences of revealing their identity. Crime witnesses may be willing to assist the police, but most are unwilling to give their names when reporting a crime.
Name or no name? The answer is very personal and lies in how much we want to get involved. We all have a name. It is a matter of responsibility to use it when we make a statement, a claim or an accusation. We all want to honor our own name, and it is only by stamping our expression of an opinion with our own name that we honor what we say.
53. What does the writer mean by saying “Responsibility is the name of the game”?
Writers need to provide their personal information in the game.
Publication must bear the writer’s full name, address and phone number.
Writers should be responsible for their names.
Names are required to indicate writer’s responsibility for what they say.
54. The second paragraph suggests that a paper without a signature may _______.
A. help to end a relationship             B. not get a reply
C. be accepted all the same                      D. become a family problem
55. Some people don’t want their names known because they are _______.
A. hesitant to make a donation          B. unwilling to draw public attention
C. afraid of an accusation                D. ready for involvement
56. The passage is mainly about _______.
A. honor and writers                        B. identity and signature
C. signature and responsibility                    D. anonymity and signature

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