There"s something rotten in Rio and the smell is coming from the huge stacks
题型：不详难度：来源：
There"s something rotten in Rio and the smell is coming from the huge stacks of rubbish pried up on sidewalks all over the city. Rio"s street sweepers chose the carnival holiday to demand better salaries. Their wages start at roughly $400 a month.
There could hardly be a better time for them to prove their importance. The streets were left a mess after hundreds of carnival parades and now, rubbish pries up in both poor and uptown neighbourhoods and in tourist areas like Ipanema or Copacabana beach.
The president of Rio"s rubbish collecting company has even appealed to the population to store rubbish at home whenever possible. He says 30% of the city"s sweepers have gone on strike. Some of those who have been working have been threatened by the strike movement so now the police has been deployed alongside rubbish collectors to keep them sage as they go about their business.
The strike has divided opinions in Rio. On social media, many support the sweepers" demands for better salaries. Others say they are opportunists and the situation is a big embarrassment to the city.
But Brazil"s culture of littering the streets doesn"t help. A video that went viral online shows that even authorities have a problem with that. Rio"s mayor, Eduardo Paes, is seen throwing what seemed to be the rest of an apple on the sidewalk--and now promised to impose himself a fine for his wrongdoing. His government recently created a programme to keep Rio"s residents from littering the streets.
小题1:Rio"s street cleaners go on strike to| A．prove their importance | B．threaten the government | | C．ask for higher salaries | D．appeal to the public not to litter |
小题2:The reason why the police are involved is that __| A．the police are called out to put down the riot | B．the police are required to protect some cleaners | | C．the police are to collect rubbish for the time being | D．the police are sent to arrest people who litter around |
小题3:The author"s attitude to Brazil"s culture of littering is __| A．hopeless | B．approving | C．critical | D．optimistic |
小题4: The purpose of writing the passage is to __| A．criticize, street sweepers of Rio for misusing their rights | | B．call attention to the embarrassing situation of Rio | | C．describe the effect or the strike on people | | D．inform people of the present situation of Rio |
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答案
小题1:C
小题2:B
小题3:C
小题4:D |
解析
本文主要介绍了巴西首都里约的清洁工在狂欢节以后开始了罢工，要求政府增加他们的工资，同时也介绍了政府对于这一事件的处理。
小题1:C
【试题解析】细节题。根据文章第一段第2行Rio"s street sweepers chose the carnival holiday to demand better salaries.可知里约的清洁工罢工是因为他们要求更高的工资。故C正确。
小题2:B
【试题解析】推理题。根据文章第三段最后2行Some of those who have been working have been threatened by the strike movement so now the police has been deployed alongside rubbish collectors to keep them sage as they go about their business.可知一些不愿意罢工的清洁工人被别的人威胁以至于政府要排除警察来保护他们的安全。故B正确。
小题3:C
【试题解析】推理题。根据文章最后一段1,2行But Brazil"s culture of littering the streets doesn"t help. A video that went viral online shows that even authorities have a problem with that.可知culture of littering the streets对于时态的发展并没有什么帮助。可知作者对此持批评的态度。故C正确。
小题4:D
【试题解析】主旨大意题。本文主要介绍了巴西首都里约的清洁工在狂欢节以后开始了罢工，要求政府增加他们的工资，同时也介绍了政府对于这一事件的处理。说明本文主要是告诉我们里约现在的具体情况的。故D正确。
【长难句解析】
1.There could hardly be a better time for them to prove their importance.
【翻译】不可能有比这更好的时间来证明他们的重要性了。
【分析】本句中考察了形容词比较级的特殊用法，形容词的比较级和否定词连用表示最高级的含义，hardly…better…不可能更好，说明这是最好的。
2. Some of those who have been working have been threatened by the strike movement so now the police has been deployed alongside rubbish collectors to keep them sage as they go about their business.
【翻译】那些一直在工作的人已经被罢工的人威胁以至于政府已经派出了警察在这些人工作的时候进行保护。
【分析】本句中的have been working是一个现在完成进行时，表示动作从过去开始，一直持续到现在，而且还在发生，强调动作的持续性和反复性。现在完成时更多强调过去动作对现在的影响，和持续到现在。 |
举一反三
Multitasking
What is the first thing you nitice when you walk into a shop? The products displayed (展示) at the entrance? Or the soft background music?
But have you ever notice the smell? Unless it is bad, the answer is likely to be no. But while a shop’s scent may not be outstanding compared with sightsand sounds, it is certainly there. And it is providing to be an increasing powerful tool in encouraging people to purchase.
A brand store has become famous for its distinctive scent which floats through the fairly dark hall and out to the entrance, via scent machines. A smell may be attractive but it may not just be used for freshening air. One sports goods company once reported that when it first introduced scent into its stores, customers’ intension to purchase increased by 80 percent.
When it comes to the best shopping streets in Pairs, scent is just as important to a brand’s success as the quality of its window displays and goods on slaes. That is mainly because shopping is a very different experience to what it used to be.
Some years ago,the focus for brand name shopping was on a few people with sales assistants’ disproving attitude and don’t-touch-what-you-can’t-afford displays. Now the rise of electronic commerce (e-commerce) has opened up famous brands to a wider audience. But while e-shops can use sights and sounds, only bricks-and-mortar stores (实体店) can offer a full experience from the minute customers step through the door to the moment they leave. Another brand store seeks to be much more than a shop, but rather a destination. And scent is just one way to achieve this.
Now a famous store uses complex man-made smell to make sure that the soft scent of baby powder floats through the kid department, and coconut (椰子) scent in the swimsuit section. A department store has even opened a new lab, inviting customers on a journey into the store’s windows to smell books, pots and drawers, in search of their perfect scent.
小题1:According to the passage, what is an increasingly powerful tool in the success of some brand store?| A．Friendly assistant. | B．Unique scents. | | C．Soft background music | D．attractive window display. |
小题2:E-shops are mentioned in the passage to _______ .| A．ashow the advantages of brick-and-mortar stores | | B．urge shop assistants to change their attitude | | C．push stores to use sights and sounds | | D．introduce the rise of e-commerce |
小题3:The underlined word “destination” in Paragraph 5 means _______ .| A．a platform that exhibts goods | | B．a spot where travelers like to stay | | C．a place where customers love to go | | D．a target that a store expects to meet |
小题4:The main purpose of the passage is to ______ .| A．compare and evaluate | B．examine and assess | | C．argue and discuss | D．inform and explain |
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Since the first Earth Day in 1970,American have gotten a lot “greenter” toward the environment . “We didn’t know at that time there even was an environment,let alone that there was a problem with it,”says Bruce Anderson,president of Earth Day USA.
But what began as nothing important in public affairs has grown into a social movement .Business people,political leaders, university professors,and especially millions of grass-roots Americans are taking part in the movement. “The understanding has increased many ,many times,”says Gaylord Nelson,the fromer govermor from Wisconsin,who thought up the first According to US government reports , emissions (排放)from cars and trucks have dropped from 10.3 million tons a year to 5.5 tons .The number of cities producing CO beyond the standard has been reduced from 40 to 9 .Although serious problems still remain and need to be dealt with , the world is a safer and healthier place .A kind of “Green thinking ” has become part of practices .
Great improvement has been achieved .In 1988 there were only 600 recycling programs ,; today in 1995 there are about 6,600 .Advanced lights ,motors , and building designs have helped save a lot of energy and therefore prevented pollution .
Twenty –five years ago , there were hardly any education programs for environment .Today , it’s hard to find a public school , university , or law school that does not have such a kind of program .” Until we do that , nothing else will change! ” say Bruce Anderson .
小题1:According to Anderson , before 1970, Americans had little idea about ___| A．the social movement | | B．recycling techniques | | C．environmental problems | | D．the importance of Earth Day |
小题2:Where does the support for environmental protection mainly come from?| A．The grass –roots level | | B．The business circle | | C．Government officials | | D．University professors |
小题3:What have Americans achieved in environmental protection ?| A．They have cut car emissions to the lowest | | B．They have settled their environmental problems | | C．They have lowered their CO levels in forty cities. | | D．They have reduced pollution through effective measures . |
小题4:What is especially important for environmental protection according to the last paragraph ?| A．Education | | B．Planning | | C．Green living | | D．CO reduction |
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When our restaurant business failed，we headed north in a camping truck to Texas，hoping to have a “fresh start”.
At the of Palo Duro Canyon (峡谷）State Park，I a job advertisement hiring park hosts. The position offered a ，permanent campsite in the park, and , the hosts served as a link between the park’s guests and the rangers (护林人). It was the perfect solution: a rent-free place to reorganize our lives. We entered the park and I made an for the following day.
The park was , so it took us some time to find an available site. That evening, as we finished our dinner, my wife saw two large skunks (臭鼠由）walking toward our table. We climbed onto the table and, for the next four hours, waited for them to our camp.
Having survived that night, we were that everything else would be all right. The next day we met with the people who ran the park. They explained our and gave us a beautiful campsite.
That evening, , we learned about the canyon . They were strong and cold, rocking our little camping truck violently，and we lay in the dark until the winds died away.
the weeks that followed, we learned to survive in our truck and the little money my wife by substitute teaching. Building a successful business and then losing it had left very little time for building a successful For a time after our business I thought I might lose my family as well.
Living in the tiny with no television, we sat close together reading and talking. One evening, standing under a jeweled sky，I found myself for all the hardships. We had walked the trails and climbed the canyon walls. We had become a family!
| 小题1: | | A．back | B．edge | C．centre | D．entrance |
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| 小题2: | | A．sponsored | B．published | C．noticed | D．answered |
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| 小题3: | | A．safe | B．free | C．convenient | D．beautiful |
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| 小题4: | | A．in return | B．in time | C．in short | D．in turn |
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| 小题5: | | A．attempt | B．agreement | C．appeal | D．appointmei |
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| 小题6: | | A．crowded | B．dangerous | C．ideal | D．quiet |
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| 小题7: | | A．repeatedly | B．immediately | C．eventually | D．calmly |
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| 小题8: | | A．attack | B．leave | C．pass | D．search |
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| 小题9: | | A．satisfied | B．determined | C．confident | D．aware |
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| 小题10: | | A．responsibilities | B．requirements | C．circumstances | D．conditions |
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| 小题11: | | A．moreover | B．therefore | C．meanwhile | D．however |
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| 小题12: | | A．winds | B．snows | C．woods | D．trails |
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| 小题13: | | A．shaking | B．quarrelling | C．mourning | D．aching |
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| 小题14: | | A．After | B．Between | C．During | D．Beyond |
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| 小题15: | | A．give away | B．hand out | C．live on | D．put aside |
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| 小题16: | | A．borrowed | B．earned | C．posted | D．raised |
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| 小题17: | | A．business | B．career | C．family | D．image |
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| 小题18: | | A．started | B．failed | C．expanded | D．declined |
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| 小题19: | | A．truck | B．park | C．house | D．camp |
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| 小题20: | | A．desperate | B．ready | C．suitable | D．thankful |
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You’ve flown halfway around the world; you’ve sniffed out this place that nobody in Falongland or Thailand seems to have ever heard of; so what on earth is there to do here? You consider this question as you sink into an old wooden beach chair that holds you above the sand.
It was a long journey from Bangkok to Huaplee. By the time you found the bus station and got yourself sorted out, it took almost as long as the flight from Falongland.
Huaplee is located just south of Hua Hin, about two hundred kilometres from Bangkok, down the west side of the Gulf of Thailand. Not many tourists find this place，and the ones that do wonder if finding it has been their purpose all along.
There’s an apparent laziness that surrounds you here. It’s what this place offers, and it，s free of charge. The small waves that tap the shoreline seem to slow everything down. You settle into your beach chair in preparation for a long rest. You sit there and watch the sea.
It’s early afternoon, so the cook comes out and asks what you’d like to eat this evening. Before long he’s rushed off to the market to buy the ingredients for whatever it was that you ordered---every meal fresh and to order. No menu here.
There is no poolside noise here but just that wonderfully warm, clear blue sea. There9 s no street noise. The only sounds are the murmurs of nature.For now you just count your blessings (福祉)，listing them in the sand with your toe (脚趾)• You don’t have to worry about being late for work. You don’t have to do anything.
The beach to your right stretches off to the horizon (地平线)，slowly narrowing to nothingness only to re-emerge again on your left, now steadily widening until it covers the chair beneath you. Sand to your left and sand to your right; it’s unbroken, endless. No start, no end, just sand, sun,and peace. Step off it, and you re-enter the world of traffic, stress, work，and hurry.
Normally you，re the type who can，t sit still for more than ten minutes, but you’re on Huaplee Lazy Beach now and, in the right frame of mind, it stretches all the way around theworld.
“How could it take me so long to find it?” you wonder.
小题1:When the author first went to Huaplee Beach,____| A．he found it unworthwhile | | B．he failed to sort himself out | | C．he became sensitive to smell | | D．he had difficulty in finding it |
小题2:What is special about the food service at Huaplee Beach?| A．No menu. | | B．Free food. | | C．Self service. | | D．Quick delivery. |
小题3:In the author’s opinion, a tourist can enjoy Huaplee Beach most when he____ .| A．sits in a beach chair | | B．forgets his daily routine | | C．plans a detailed schedule | | D．draws pictures in the sand |
小题4:What does the author imply by his question at the end of the passage?| A．He shouldn’t have counted his blessings. | | B．He should have understood the wonder of nature. | | C．He shouldn’t have spent so much time on the trip. | | D．He should have come to the place earlier. |
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For most city people, the elevator is an unremarkable machine that inspires none of the enthusiasm or interest that Americans afford trains, jets，and even bicycles. Dr. Christopher Wilk is a member of a small group of elevator experts who consider this a misunderstanding. Without the elevator, they point out, there could be no downtown skyscrapers or tall buildings, and city life as we know it would be impossible. In that sense, they argue，the elevator’s role in American history has been no less significant than that of cars. In fact, according to Wilk? the car and the elevator have been locked in a “secret war” for over a century, with cars making it possible for people to spread horizontally (水平地)，and elevators pushing them toward life in close groups of towering vertical (垂直的)columns.
If we tend to ignore the significance of elevators, it might be because riding in them tends to be such a brief, boring, and even awkward experience^one that can involve unexpectedly meeting people with whom we have nothing in common, and an unpleasant awareness of the fact that we’re hanging from a cable in a long passage.
In a new book, Lifted, German journalist and cultural studies professor Andreas Bernard directed all his attention to this experience, studying the origins of elevator and its relationship to humankind and finding that riding in an elevator has never been a totally comfortable experience. “After 150 years, we are still not used to it”， Bernard said. “We still have not exactly learned to cope with the mixture of closeness and displeasure.” That mixture, according to Bernard, sets the elevator ride apart from just about every other situation we find ourselves in as we go about our lives.
Today，as the world’s urban population explodes，and cities become more crowded, taller, and more crowded, America’s total number of elevators—900,000 at last count, according to Elevator World magazine’s “2012 Vertical Transportation Industry”一are a force that’s becoming more important than ever. And for the people who really, really love them, it seems like high time that we looked seriously at just what kind of force they are.
小题1:What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．The general view of elevators. | | B．The particular interests of experts. | | C．The desire for a remarkable machine. | | D．The enthusiasm for transport vehicles. |
小题2:The author’s purpose in mentioning cars is .| A．to contrast their functions with elevators, | | B．to emphasize the importance of elevators | | C．to reveal their secret war against elevators | | D．to explain people’s preference for elevators |
小题3:According to Prof. Bernard, what has made the elevator ride different from other life experiences?| A．Vertical direction. | | B．Lack of excitement. | | C．Little physical space. | | D．Uncomfortable conditions. |
小题4:The author urges readers to consider .| A．the exact number of elevator lovers | | B．the serious future situation of elevators | | C．the role of elevators in city development | | D．the relationship between cars and elevators |
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