第一节 短文改错（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）

Last week I bought an English dictionary in a bookstore near my home. So when I came home and read carefully I found that several page of the dictionary had been missing. Worse still, the misprints spread everywhere the dictionary and serious affected my reading. I went to a store to ask for a replacement. But to my surprised, the staff of the bookstore turn down my request rudely and even denied the poor quality of the dictionary. It goes without saying what a high standard of service is needed in today’s society. However, to my regret, businessmen are fail to achieve this standard. The quality of the staff needs improve.

 

Many years ago, I pulled a family out of a burning car somewhere in Wyoming. Last week I received a telephone call from a woman who could not stop crying as she told me that one of my stories had saved her son from committing suicide. In closing she called me a hero.

That got me thinking about what a hero is. Was I a hero because I pulled a family from a burning car? If so, how could I be a hero just because I wrote a story that saved someone’s life?

Today I looked up the word “hero” in the dictionary to see exactly what it meant. It read “a person who does something brave” and also “a person who is good and noble”.

That statement impressed me more than the part about being brave. So I thought about something very important. And I remembered what happened to me years ago.

After my marriage of twenty years ended, I was in such a condition. I was within hours trying to get up enough courage to end the pain and misery. When I returned home, someone had sent me a card in the mail which told me how much they would appreciate me as a friend. That wonderful card probably saved my life. That person, without even knowing it, saved a life and became a hero.

The many stories I kept writing in the following years saved the life of a teenage boy. In turn that makes the person who sent me the card a double hero. I suppose that is why I fight so hard to help the children now living in orphanages (孤儿院). Most children come out of these institutions with a very hard and bitter attitude against the world. The gifts we send them let them know that they have not been forgotten. Hopefully, most of them will never hurt anyone because of the kindness shown to them by those of us who cared. If it works, we will also become "heroes".

1.The main idea of the passage is _______________.

A．why the writer should be a hero            B．that everyone is a hero

C．whether the writer is a hero               D．what a hero exactly is

2.Why did the woman call the writer a hero at the end of the call?

A．Because he asked her son not to kill himself.

B．Because he saved a family from a burning car.

C．Because his story saved her son’s life.

D．Because he was cute and kind to everybody.

3.What does the underlined word “it” in the last sentence of Paragraph 5 refer to?

A．The fact that the sender helped the writer.

B．The action of sending the card.

C．The wonderful card the writer received.

D．The fact that the sender was a friend of the writer.

4.According to the writer, who can be considered as a hero?

A．A person who is brave.

B．A person who helps someone in trouble.

C．A person who can hold a door for others.

D．A person who writes wonderful stories.

 

The economic growth that many nations in Asia and increasingly Africa have experienced over the past couple of decades has transformed hundreds of millions of lives – almost entirely for the better. But there’s a byproduct to that growth, one that’s evident – or sometimes less than evident – in the smoggy, smelly skies above cities like Beijing, New Delhi and Jakarta. Thanks to new cars and power plants, air pollution is bad and getting worse in much of the world, and it’s taking a major toll (伤亡人数，代价) on global health.

How big? According to a new analysis published in the Lancet, more than 3.2 million people suffered deaths from air pollution in 2010, the largest number on record. That’s up from 800,000 in 2000. And it’s a regional problem: 65% of those deaths occurred in Asia, where the air is choked by diesel soot (内燃发动机烟雾) from cars and trucks, as well as the song from power plants and the dust from endless urban construction. In East Asia and China, 1.2 million people died, as well as another 712,000 in South Asia, including India. For the first time ever, air pollution is on the world’s top – 10 list of killers, and it’s moving up the ranks faster than any other factor.

So how can air pollution be so damaging? It is the very finest soot – so small that it roots deep within the lungs and from the enters the bloodstream – that contributes to most of the public – health toll of air pollution including death. Diesel soot, which can also cause cancer, is a major problem because it is concentrated in cities along transportation zones affecting overpopulated areas. It is thought to contribute to half the deaths from air pollution in urban centers. Fro example, 1 in 6 people in the U.S. live near a diesel – pollution hot spot like a rail yard, port terminal or freeway.

We also know that air pollution may be linked to other non – deadly diseases. Fortunately in the U.S. and other developed nations, urban air is for the most part cleaner than it was 30 or 40 years ago, thanks to regulations and new technologies like the catalytic converters (催化式排气净化器) that reduce automobile emissions. Governments are also pushing to make air cleaner – see the White House’s move last week to further tighten soot standards. It’s not perfect, but we’ve had much more success dealing with air pollution than climate change.

Will developing nations like India eventually catch up? Hopefully – though the problem may get worse before it gets better. The good news is that it doesn’t take a major technological advance to improve urban air. Switching from diesel fuel to unleaded (无铅燃油) helps, as do newer and cleaner cars which are less likely to send out pollutants. Power plants – even ones that burn mineral fuels like coal – can be fitted with pollution – control equipment that, at a price, will greatly reduce smog and other pollutants.

But the best solutions may involve urban design. In the Guardian, John Vidal notes that Delhi now has 200 cars per 1,000 people, far more than much richer Asian cities like Hong Kong and Singapore. Developing cities will almost certainly see an increase in care ownership as residents become wealthier – and that doesn’t have to mean deadly air pollution. Higher incomes should also lead to tougher environmental regulations, witch is exactly what happened in the West. We can only hope it happens before the death toll from bad air gets even higher.

1.What tends to give rise to the highest death toll according to the passage?

A．The lack of tight environmental protection standards.

B．The increasing numbers of the diesel cars and trucks.

C．The frighteningly high death rate from deadly cancer.

D．The world’s serious air pollution such as soot and dust.

2.The “byproduct” (Paragraph 1) most probably refers to     .

A．consequence      B．solution       C．reform         D．design

3.The basic reason why so many people die from air pollution is that       .

A．the diesel soot is too small to be seen

B．the diesel soot is much too poisonous to breathe

C．the diesel soot roots in lungs and gets into blood

D．the diesel soot can also contribute to deadly cancer

4.According to the passage, the writer actually wants to convince the readers that        .

A．the global economic growth is mainly to blame for air pollution and climate change

B．the developing countries are repeating the same mistakes as the developed ones made

C．the ecological situation and air pollution in India are becoming worse and worse

D．the unbeatable air is increasingly becoming a major killer throughout the world

5.By describing urban design as “the best solution” in the last paragraph, the writer means that        .

A．the making of tougher environmental regulations alone is of little use

B．more sever regulations should be made to handle air pollution

C．the urban construction in western developed countries is the best choice

D．the pace of development has to be slowed down to reduce air pollution

 

In a world where comparisons happen non-stop, it is difficult to look outside yourself and to ever be   36   with who you are. There’s always someone who’s a bit   37  . The only solution is to reach   38   and measure against what Warren Buffett calls your own inner yardstick. There is no more   39   measure for comparison than who your were yesterday, last week or last decade, when you were at your   40  .

Nothing useful ever comes from comparison to others. Either you see yourself as better than someone and you get   41  , or you see someone else as better than you and you feel like all your hard work is for   42  . It is a fool’s game. Not one of us is exactly   43  . The only direct and honest comparison is   44   yourself. Everything else is apples to oranges.

My opinion is that you are only   45   to compare yourself to someone else if their life   46   is the same as your own. Good luck finding that   47  . And one thing is for sure. No matter how hard you work and how dedicated you are, there will always be someone who can run a little faster, jump a little higher, score a little better or look a little nicer in a swimsuit. And if there’s not, you can   48   someone is coming up fast   49   you. So how can you always win in life? Become your best   50  .

Having an image of your most recent past limits is the perfect thing to   51   you to the next level. If you ran 7 flights of stairs yesterday, then do 8 today. Who   52   if the guy next to you did 15? It doesn’t make a bit of   53  . You are a more   54   person today than you were yesterday. Your own   55   is all you need.

1.A. patient                                   B. strict                                 C. content                   D. concerned

2.A. stronger                                 B. better                               C. lazier                       D. wiser

3.A. inside                                     B. out                                    C. for                            D. up

4.A. accurate                       B. useful                               C. careful                    D. powerful

5.A. end                                B. best                                   C. convenience          D. side

6.A. satisfied                        B. busy                                  C. inspired                  D. lazy

7.A. nothing                                  B. fun                                    C. sure                         D. success

8.A. equal                             B. unique                              C. alike                         D. common

9.A. within                                     B. by                             C. for                            D. of

10.A. instructed                           B. allowed                            C. directed                  D. suggested

11.A. situation                     B. position                            C. occasion                 D. accommodation

12.A. game                                    B. match                               C. friend                      D. enemy

13.A. conclude                    B. bet                                    C. announce               D. declare

14.A. before                                 B. beside                              C. below                      D. behind

15.A. assistant                     B. competitor                      C. coach                      D. teacher

16.A. contribute                           B. expose                             C. push                        D. devote

17.A. cares                                    B. says                                   C. wonders                 D. asks

18.A. effort                                   B. sense                           C. difference               D. change

19.A. successful                           B. happy                               C. lucky                        D. fit

20.A. benefit                     B. progress                           C. habit                        D. result

 

It was reported last week that developers could take photos from Apple mobile and Google Android devices without the phone owners knowing that the images were being taken. In Apple’s case, developers can also obtain the location information for each photo.

Senator(参议员) Charles Schumer said in a telephone interview that his office had spoken with officials at both Apple and Google on Monday.

 “We asked them if they could find a way on their own to prevent Apple from having access to private information,” Mr. Schumer said. “They were friendly and open to the idea that this ought to be changed.”

On Sunday, Mr. Schumer said that he planned to send a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking the agency to investigate Apple and Google after the privacy concerns came to light. Claudia Bourne Farrell, an F.T.C. spokeswoman, said the agency had received the letter but she could not comment further.

“It worries people to think that one’s personal photos, address book, and who knows what else can be obtained and even posted online without permission,” Mr. Schumer wrote in his letter to the F.T.C. “If the technology exists to open the door to this kind of privacy invasion（入侵）, then surely technology exists to close it, and that’s exactly what must happen.”

Mr. Schumer said if Apple and Google could not come to an agreement to fix the problem, then he would be forced to take the issue further.

He said other companies had been willing to work with his office to fix issues. “I’m optimistic that we can get this changed without any regulation,” he said. “If it’s not changed, then we’ll turn to the F.T.C., and if that doesn’t work then we’llconsider legislative approach.”

The F.T.C. has warned companies to try to be more vigilant(警醒的) in their efforts to protect consumers when it comes to privacy.

1.The senators spoke with officials at both Apple and Google___________.

A. to discuss whether it is illegal to have access to private information.

B. to urge them not to invade consumers’ privacy.

C. to stop them from developing the technology of taking photos.

D. to keep them from obtaining the location information for each photo.

2.Which of the following statements is true?

A. Privacy invasion from Apple has existed for a long time.

B. Privacy invasion from Google has existed for a long time.

C. Mr. Schumer takes the privacy concerns caused by Apple and Google seriously.

D.Apple and Google have decided to make a change.

3.Mr. Schumer’s letter to the F.T.C. mainly shows that the technology to open the door to privacy invasion___________.

A. causes privacy invasion to happen frequently.

B. can be used if permitted.

C. causes personal information to be posted online without permission.

D. causes people to worry about the safety of their personal information .

4.If the privacy concerns can’t be solved with the help of the F.T.C., ___________.

A.The senators will turn to legislation.

B. The companies will be closed.

C. The companies will be fined.

D. The senators will force the companies not to invade privacy.

5.Where can we read about the passage?

A. In a science report.                   B. In a magazine

C. In a newspaper.                      D. In a textbook.