阅读理解，请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

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阅读理解，请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　Seventeen-year-old Randy Waldron, Jr．was shocked when he applied for his first credit card and was denied．He was even more shocked by the reason：He failed to repay thousands of dollars in debt．

　　Waldron's identity had been stolen by his father, who left when Randy was learning to walk．Form 1982 to 1999, Randy Waldron, Sr, used his son's Social Security number to obtain credit from various merchants and lenders, then racked up tens of thousands of dollars in debts．He declared bankruptcy in his son's name, which resulted in default judgments against the younger Waldron．It has taken Randy Jr．now a 24-year-old flight attendant, years to untangle the mess．

　　Waldron isn't alone．Identity theft is this country's fastest-growing crime-and, increasingly, ID thieves are targeting children．Their clean credit and absence of criminal histories make them ideal victims．

　　Linda Foley，co-executive director of the Identity Theft Resource Center in San Diego estimates that at least 400, 000 children had their identities stolen in 2005．more than double the number in 2003．Waldron's case is typical：The resource center estimates that two-thirds of child ID thefts are committed by family members．

　　Some dishonest persons use children's names and Social Security numbers to ring up massive debts; others use children's identities in place of their own when caught committing other crimes; still others sell identification information on the black market to illegal immigrants, fellow criminals or even terrorists．The theft brings its victims enormous financial and emotional trauma, in part because the identity abuse often goes undetected for years．

　　Dealing with child identity theft after it happens is extremely difficult．Laws in many states are insufficient to handle the crime's complexity, and financial institutions are often less than helpful．Randy Waldron, Jr．, has worked tirelessly for eight years to straighten out his credit record, and he continues to deal with the fallout．“It's been a very long and arduous battle, ”he says．“Recovering my identity was really the absolute hardest part．I think a lot of victims assume the problem will go away．”

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阅读理解，阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　The automobile may not be closely associated with modern American culture, but it has occupied a central role in America's economic and social history．

　　No one can deny the status of Henry Ford in car history．When the first Ford Model T rolled off the assembly line in 1908, businessman Henry Ford transformed the car from a luxury attachment for the rich to an automobile product for the middle classes．The rush of cars into the community forced all levels of government to build new and better roads．Better roads fed the demand for larger, faster, more stylish vehicles, and a host of companies rushed to meet that demand．

　　If there was a first Golden Age of automobile, it may well have been the 1950s．It was an age of prosperity．Large, regular paychecks encouraged the public display of wealth through costly items such as new cars．Americans, moreover, needed those cars as they moved away from the cities into the suburbs, where such things as stores, jobs, and schools were seldom within walking distance．Cars became essential if people were to get to work or to the grocery store．

　　As Ac 1950s slipped into 1960s, it became apparent that these fashionable wheels were gas-consuming road cruisers, dangerous in an accident, and often full of faults．Under pressure from a variety of groins, the federal government required that newer models provide greater fuel efficiency and cleaner emissions．Seatbelts became standard equipment as well rising fad prices in the 1970s, coupled with concern for the environment, made the smaller cars produced by foreign companies for European and Asian markets very popular．

　　The 1980s and 1990s saw an upswing in the popularity of big cars．New models including minivans and sport utility vehicles have become main products in auto dealers’ showrooms．Traffic jams on the roads have become part of the American way of life．In 1911 a horse could travel through rush-hour traffic in Los Angeles at 11 miles per hour．In 2000 a car covering the same territory at the same time of day moved at about 4 miles per hour．But perhaps that is not important．When a car is equipped with a telephone and television set, a computer, and global positioning satellite connections, it can feel just like home．

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阅读理解，阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　Hidden deep in our subconscious is an idyllic(牧歌般的，田园诗式的)vision．We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the continent．We are traveling by train．Out the windows, we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hillsides, of city skylines and village halls．But uppermost in our minds is the final destination．On a certain day at a certain hour, we will pull into the station．Bands will be playing and flags waving．Once we get there, so many wonderful dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle．How restlessly we pace the aisles, damning the minutes for hanging around-waiting, waiting, waiting for the station．“When we reach the station, that will be it! ” we cry．“When I'm 18．”; “When I buy a new 450SL Mercedes Benz! ”; “When I put the last kid through college．”; “When I paid off the mortgage! ”; “When I get a promotion．”; “When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily ever after! ” Sooner or later, we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all．The true joy of life is the trip．The station is only a dream．It constantly outdistances us．“Relish(享受)the moment” is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 180：24：“This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it．” It isn't the burdens of today that drive men mad, it is the regrets over yesterday and fear of tomorrow．Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today．So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles．Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go bare foot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less．Life must be lived as we go along．The station will come soon enough．

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阅读理解，阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　Suppose you want to go abroad and learn about the foreign exchange in culture in different countries．Here is some information you may need．

　　●Name：Susan Lane Age：22

　　Place：Reykjavik, Iceland, 1994．Cost：＄7, 000 Organization：AFS

　　Experience：“I think it was a turning point in my life．I began to understand more about my own culture by experiencing another culture and seeing how other people live．”

　　●Name：Sara Small Age：23

　　Place：Crivitz, Germany, 1996．Cost：＄8, 000 Organization：EF Foundation

　　Experience：“I love the traveling and I made a lot of friends．I found the European school system to be hard but I am fluent now in German so it was worth it．I did miss my family and friends in Australia but I would love to do it again．”

　　●Name：David Links Age：16

　　Place：Stuttgart, Germany, 1996．Cost：＄6, 000 Organization：Southern Cross Cultural Exchange

　　Experience：“I wanted to try something that was very different in culture．In Germany everything was different but I soon got settled．The family I was with was great and I really feel as though I have a second family．”

　　●Name：Tom Jennings Age：21

　　Place：Conflans, France, 1995．Cost：＄7, 000 Organization：Southern Cross cultural Exchange

　　Experience：“There were times when it was difficult but I liked it, experiencing a different culture．You just have to play each situation as it comes．If there is one thing you learn when you are on a student-exchange program it is how to take care of yourself．”

　　●Name：Linda Marks Age：19

　　Place：Chonburi Province, Thailand, 1994．Cost：＄3, 500 Organization：Rotary International

　　Experience：“There are lots of ups and downs, but you always come back for more．I had a few problems but there was always someone to turn to and that was great．”

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阅读理解，阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　What would you think if someone proposed knocking down St Paul's Cathedral to widen the road? Or pulling down Big Ben to make way for a car park? It'd be ridiculous, right? But when it comes to devastation(毁灭)of the natural world, we aren't so easily shocked．But we should be…or we'll be in a lot of trouble!

　　Nature is shrinking by the day．Ancient forests are destroyed．Wetlands are becoming dry．Woodland is disappearing, and all in the name of progress．This is bad in itself, but it's devastating for biodiversity．

　　Biodiversity refers to the variety of plants, animals and other living things which are all interconnected．The ecological services provided by biodiversity are vital to everyday life．The air we breathe is a product of photosynthesis(光合作用)by green plants．Insects, worms and bacteria break down waste and make soils rich．And tiny organisms clean the water in rivers and seas．In fact, all life on earth exists thanks to the benefits of biodiversity．More than 90 percent of calories consumed by people worldwide are produced from 80 plant species．And 30 percent of medicines are developed from plants and animals．Maintaining a wide diversity of species in each ecosystem is necessary to preserve all living things．

　　The loss of biodiversity could be devastating．“It is wrong to think that biodiversity can be reduced indefinitely without threatening humans, ” said Harvard University biologist Edward O．Wilson, known as the “father of biodiversity”．He warned, “We are about to reach a critical point beyond which biodiversity loss will become irreversible(不可挽回的)．”

　　But what can we do? The present problem is that the concept of biodiversity is so vague(含糊的)．People might care about giant pandas, but it is much harder to excite them about the fate of tiny sea creatures which are being boiled to death in the cooling systems of power stations along coastlines．The Guardian newspaper is trying to help．It has launched the Biodiversity 100 campaign to try to convince governments around the world to take action to deal with the widespread concerns about biodiversity．This includes persuading the UK government to create a series of marine reserves to reverse the decrease in the sea life caused by industrial fishing, stopping fishing sharks by the Japanese fishermen and banning the killing of dingoes in Australia, among many other things．

　　There is a lot to do．And we’ d better act quickly if we don't want to end up with a planet that can't sustain life!

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阅读理解，阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　It was the first day of school．I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder．I turned around to find a little old lady smiling at me．She said, “Hi handsome．My name is Rose．I'm eighty-seven years old．Can I give you a hug? ”

　　I laughed and said, “Of course! ” And she gave me a big hug．“Why are you in college at such an age? ” I asked．

　　She jokingly replied, “I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have kids and then retire and travel．”

　　“No seriously．”

　　“I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one! ”

　　We became friends at once．Over the course of the year, Rose easily made friends wherever she went．She loved to dress up and she was happy with the attention given to her from the other students．At the end of the term we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet(宴会)．I'll never forget what she taught us in her speech．

　　“We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing．There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy and achieving success．You have to laugh and find humor every day．You’ve got to have a dream．When you lose your dreams, you die．We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it! There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up．If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one useful thing, you will turn twenty years old．If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything, I will turn eighty-eight．Anybody can grow older．That doesn't take any ability．The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity to do productive things．Have no regrets(遗憾；后悔)．The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but we regret for things we did not do．”

　　At the year's end Rose finished the college degree．One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep．Over two thousand college students attended her funeral to honor the wonderful woman!

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阅读理解，阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　The National Gallery of Art in Washington,D．C．, is one of the world's greatest art museums．Millions of people have entered its doors to see paintings by the world's fine artists．But if these priceless masterpieces are to be preserved, the Gallery must protect them carefully．The Gallery's 135-man guard force has successfully prevented them from being stolen, but protecting the paintings from nature is a greater problem．

　　In past times, the owners of paintings did not protect them from damaging changes in humidity(湿度)and temperature．As a result, the life of these paintings were shortened．In the National Gallery, however, humidity and temperature are carefully controlled．The building is air-conditioned in summer and heated in winter．The air-conditioning and heating system are so important to the life of the painting that the Gallery has two of each system．If one should fail, the extra one can take over．

　　Light is another enemy of paintings．Ultraviolet rays(紫外线)in light cause paintings to fade(褪色)．Long ago, paintings often hung in dark churches and palaces．A coat of varnish(清漆)was a protection from the weak light．But when museums took over the care of many paintings, they were often hung in brighter light than before．Soon they were in danger of fading．The damaging effects of light were increased when the museums removed the varnish coating, yellowed with age．

　　To protect its paintings, the National Gallery put a special kind of glass in its skylights．This glass allows visible lights to enter the building but it keeps out harmful ultraviolet rays．The Gallery has also developed new and better varnishes which help to keep paintings from fading．

　　Thanks to these new precautions, many of the world's greatest paintings are being well protected for future generations to enjoy．

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阅读理解，阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

A Letter from Steve Jobs

　　August 24, 2011

　　To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community,

　　I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I would be the first to let you know．Unfortunately, that day has come．

　　So I resign(辞职)as CEO of Apple．I would like to serve, if the Board feels fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee．

　　As far as my successor goes, I strongly suggest that we name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple．

　　I believe Apple's brightest days are ahead of it．And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role．ks5u

　　I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you．

　　Steve

　　More Information：

　　Steve Jobs(February 24, 1955-October 5, 2011)was an American businessman, designer and inventor．He is best known as the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc．Unluckily, in 2003, Jobs was diagnosed(确诊)with a pancreas neuroendocrine tumor(胰腺癌)．Although the cancer was

　　treated in the first place, he appeared thinner as his health fell．On medical leave for most of 2011, Jobs finally made a decision to resign as Apple CEO in August that year．Shortly after that, on October 5, he died．He continues to receive honors and public attention for his influence in the technology and music industries．

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　　A group of teenagers： they laugh and talk over each other, dance and make faces-you wouldn't believe they had just played on the same stage as famous American singers Kid Cudi and Eminem．

　　These seven kids, all under the age of 20, are members of the band Kids These Days(KTD)．

　　Fresh out of high school, the band already has done things that most teens couldn't even imagine．They played at festivals including the recent SXSW in Austin and Lollapalooza in their hometown, Chicago, to crowds of loyal fans．

　　KTD uses a mix of hip-hop, jazz, blues and classic rock to make a sound of their own．

　　“KTD simply mixes most, if not all of my favourite music styles, ” said Kamia Jones, as Chicago high school student．“I like that they aren't afraid to be different and that their music is real and speaks to the soul．”

　　The band formed two years ago．Now, as well as local fans, they are becoming popular around the world．Their facebook page is filled with supportive posts from admirers from California to Tokyo．

　　“It's really strange to me that people from London, Australia and Russia．．．They have heard of us and they like our music because it's really cool feeling, ” says Marcie Stewart, who plays keyboard for the band．

　　Despite their recent fame, KTD is a group of normal teenagers and they remain very close to one another．While talking to the reporters, they dance and make fun of each other．

　　When asked what advice they would give to other teen musicians, Greg Landfair, KTD's drummer, said, “Keep your heart in it．Never lose the music and what you are doing, because that's what you’re here for．Let the music always be first．”

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