The influence of America is increasing in my country. Spanish people drink Coca Cola, wear blue jeans, watch Hollywood movies, listen to American music, and eat fast food, and they do these things every day.
    I think that American movies are a good way to spread American culture because people are often influenced by what they see in the movies. Most of the programs and documentaries (纪录片) we watch on TV are from America, and most of the movies we go to see are made in Hollywood.
    In the last few years, the government has tried to protect the Spanish movies. Now, in our cinemas, at least twenty percent of the movies which are shown must be from Spain or from other countries in Europe.
     American culture is a part of Spanish life now. It’s certain that many things from America are as much a part of people’s lives as Spanish things. For example, Coca Cola is as familiar to everybody as any typical Spanish product. I’ve known about Coca Cola for my whole life.
     However, it’s different with Western fast food. For example, I don’t think McDonald’s is as successful in Spain as it is in other countries. In my opinion, one of the reasons may be the lifestyle of the Spanish people. The Spanish people normally eat at home.
     On the other hand, maybe McDonald’s hamburgers will eventually replace the famous Spanish tapas. It’s true that in every city in Spain you can find a McDonald’s, and it is more popular among the Spanish children than among the adults. In any case, it’s obvious that American culture is becoming more and more a part of our lives every day.

1. From the first paragraph we can know that ____.
     A. the influence of America on Spain can be found everywhere

　 B. most Spanish people don’t like to listen to their own music

　 C. fast food spreads from Spain to the United States

　 D. some Spanish actors go to America to improve their acting skills

2. What plays an important part in the spreading of American culture in Spain?

　 A. American novels.　　　 B. Hollywood movies.
     C. McDonald’s.　　　　　 D. American music.

3. Why does the author think that McDonald’s is not as successful as it is in other countries?

　 A. Its fast food contains too much fat.

　 B. He thinks it is unhealthy.

　 C. Spanish people seldom eat out.
　 D. Spanish adults don’t like its fast food.

4. What do you think Spanish tapas might be?
     A. The name of a drink.　　 B. The name of a restaurant.

　 C. A clothing brand.　　　　 D. A certain kind of food.

 

　 President Coolidge’s statement, “The business of America is business,” still points to an important truth today—that business institutions have more prestige（威望）in American society than any other kind of organization, including the government. Why do business institutions possess this great prestige?

　 One reason is that Americans view business as being more firmly based on the ideal of competition than other institutions in society. Since competition is seen as the major source of progress and prosperity by most Americans, competitive business institutions are respected. Competition is not only good in itself, it is the means by which other basic American values such as individual freedom, equality of opportunity, and hard work are protected.

　 Competition protects the freedom of the individual by ensuring that there is no monopoly（垄断）of power. In contrast to one all-powerful government, many businesses compete against each other for profits. Theoretically, if one business tries to take unfair advantage of its customers, it will lose to competing business which treats its customers more fairly. Where many businesses compete for the customers’ dollars, they cannot afford to treat them like inferiors or slaves.

　 A contrast is often made between business, which is competitive, and government, which is a monopoly. Because business is competitive, many Americans believe that it is more supportive of freedom than government, even though government leaders are elected by the people and business leaders are not. Many Americans believe, then, that competition is as important, or even more important, than democracy（民主）in preserving freedom.

　 Competition in business is also believed to strengthen the ideal of equality of opportunity. Competition is seen as an open and fair race where success goes to the swiftest person regardless of his or her social class background. Competitive success is commonly seen as the American alternative to social rank based on family background. Business is therefore viewed as an expression of the idea of equality of opportunity rather than the aristocratic（贵族的）idea of inherited privilege.

61. The statement “The business of America is business” probably means ________.

　 A. America is a great power in world business

　B. Business is of primary concern to Americans

　 C. The business institutions in America are concerned with commerce

　 D. Business problems are of great importance to the American government

62. Americans believe that they can realize their personal values only _______.

　A. by protecting their individual freedom

　B. when given equality of opportunity

C. by way of competition

　 D. through doing business

63. Who can benefit from business competition?

　A. People with ideals of equality and freedom.

　B. Both business institutions and government.

　C. Honest businessmen.

　D. Both businessmen and their customers.

64. Government is believed to differ strikingly from business in that government is characterized by ________.

　A. its role in protecting basic American values

　B. its absolute control of power

　C. its democratic way of exercising leadership

　D. its function in preserving personal freedom

65. It can be inferred from the passage that the author believes ___________.

　A. in many countries success often depends on one’s social status

　 B. businesses in other countries are not as competitive as those in America

　C. American businesses are more democratic than those in other countries

　D. Americans are more ambitious than people in other countries

Everyone working on Sunday will have _____ pay doubled.

　 A. its 　 B. their C. ones 　 D. one

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出适合填入对应空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。

　 That holiday morning I didn’t have to attend school. Usually, on holidays, Mother 26 me to sleep in. And I would certainly take full advantage of it. __27_ , on this special morning, I felt like getting up early.

I stood by my window overlooking(眺望，俯视) the _28_, having nothing better to do. But as it turned out, I was soon to learn about something _29_ in life.

As I watched several people go by, get into their cars and drive off, I 30 an old man on a bicycle with a bucket（水桶） _31_ on its handle(把手) and pieces of old and used cloth in a basket and bottles on its back-carriage(后座). He 32 from one car to another, washing and cleaning them. From the water on the ground, it seemed that he had already 33 washing and cleaning about a dozen or more cars. He must have begun to work quite early in the morning.

Several thoughts 34 my mind as I watched him work. He wasn’t well-dressed. He had on a pair of shorts and a(n) 35 T-shirt. The bicycle he rode was not by any means the kind modern 36 would want to be seen riding on. But he seemed 37 with life. There he was, working hard at his small business, 38 passers-by(过路人) and stopping to have a free talk now and then 39 elderly men and women on their way to the market nearby.

There was a noticeable sense of 40 in the way he seemed to be doing things— 41 the windscreen (挡风玻璃), then standing back to look at it proudly; scrubbing (擦净) the wheels and 42 , standing back to see what they look like after the scrub.

It was a 43 to learn, I felt. One doesn’t have to beg for a 44 at any age if one is in good health and willing to work hard. For a while I felt 45 of myself. Though I am young —just sixteen, and there was this old man before me who must have got up very early and been busy working so hard and actively.

26．A．forces 　 B．allows　 C．causes　 　　D．prevents

27．A．Or　 　　 　　B．So　 　　　 　　C．However 　　 　　D．Besides

28．A．parking lot B．bus stop　 　　　 C．school　 D．market

29．A．interesting B．surprising　 C．terrible 　 D．useful

30．A．noticed　 　　 B．recognized 　 C．called 　 D．helped

31．A．hanged　 　　　 B．hang　 　 　　　 C．hanging　 　　 D．hung

32．A．searched　 　　 B．left 　　　 　　　 C．moved 　 D．wandered

33．A．stopped　 　　 B．started　 　 C．intended 　 D．finished

34．A．crossed　 　　 B．went　　　 C．disturbed 　　 D．came

35．A．beautiful　 　 B．shiny　 C．simple　 D．expensive

36．A．repairmen　 　 B．businessmen C．drivers D．cyclists

37．A．busy 　　 　 B．satisfied 　 C．careful　 　　　 D．bored

38．A．saying hello to　 　 B．looking at　 　 C．laughing at 　 D．pointing at

39．A．about　 B．for　　 C．with 　　 D．like

40．A．worry　 B．respect　 　　　 C．pity 　　　 D．pride

41．A．cleaning　 　　 B．fixing　 C．replacing 　　 D．covering

42．A．still　 　　 　 B．yet　 　　 　 C．again 　　 　　D．soon

43．A．lesson 　 B．subject C．skill 　　D．fact

44．A．business　 B．living　 C．success D．right

45．A．tired　 　 B．doubtful (怀疑的) 　　　 C．fearful D．ashamed(惭愧的)

　　

　　Trees are useful to man in three very important ways: they provide him with wood and other products, they give him shade, and they help to prevent drought and floods.

　　Unfortunately, in many parts of the world man has not realized that the third of these services is the most important. In his eagerness to draw quick profit from the trees, he has cut them down in large numbers, only to find that without them he has lost the best friends he had.

　　Two thousand years ago a rich and powerful country cut down its trees to build warships, with which to gain itself an empire. It gained the empire but, without its trees, its soil became hard and poor. When the empire fell to pieces, the country found itself faced by floods and starvation.

　　Even though a government realizes the importance of a plentiful supply of trees, it is difficult for it to persuade the villager to see this. The villager wants wood to cook his food with, and he can earn money by making charcoal or selling wood to the townsman. He is usually too lazy or too careless to plant and look after trees. So unless the government has a good system of control, or can educate the people, the forests will slowly disappear.

　　This does not only mean that the villagers? sons and grandsons have fewer trees. The results are even more serious. For where there are trees their roots break the soil up—allowing the rain to sink in and also hold the soil, thus preventing it being washed away easily, but where there are no trees, the soil becomes hard and poor. The rain falls on hard ground and flows away on the surface, causing floods and carrying away with it the rich topsoil, in which crops grow so well. When all the topsoil is gone, nothing remains but a worthless desert.

63. The purpose that the writer wrote this article for is ____ .

　A. to tell people that trees are very useful to man

　B. to warn people not to cut down trees any more

　C. to warn that man mustn't destroy forests any more

　D. to explain how trees help to prevent drought and floods

64. In the writer's opinion, ____ , or the forests slowly disappear.

　A. measure must be taken                      B. people shouldn't draw benefit from the tree

　C. government must realize the serious results      D. unless trees never be cut down

65. According to the article we know it is ____ to prevent the forests from slowly disappearing.

　A. necessary but impossible                    B. necessary but difficult

　C. impossible and unimportant                  D. difficult and impossible

66. In the last two paragraphs the writer wanted to make it clear that ____ .

　A. where there are no trees, the soil becomes hard and poor

　B. where there are many trees, there are fewer floods

　C. where there are no trees, the land might become desert slowly

　D. floods will make the land become desert