Most people agree that the direct, assertive(过分自信的) American personality is a virtue, but it sometimes surprises foreigners. In many cultures, respect for older people or those in positions of authority keeps others from expressing their true feelings. But in the U.S, children often argue with their parents, students may disagree with their teachers, and citizens may express opposition to the actions of the government. If the soup has a fly in it or the meat is too tough to chew, the diner can complain to the waiter, if the boss makes a mistake, an employee will politely point it out.

Some straight talk about the American character must include the admission that Americans have their faults. The extremely competitive nature of Americans is probably their worst fault. Of course, competition isn’t always bad. As a matter of fact, it promotes excellence by encouraging individuals and businesses to try to do their best. But the desire to get ahead of others sometimes causes people to do things that are unkind and even dishonest. Also, Americans admire what is practical, fast, efficient, and fresh. Sometimes they fail to understand and appreciate practices that have greater respect for more traditional, leisurely ways of doing things. On the other hand, people from other cultures may dislike the practical, challenging American lifestyle.

Despite culture differences, most foreigners give Americans credit for their virtues. Americans are generally viewed as friendly, adaptable, energetic, and kindhearted. Most newcomers to the U.S. like Americans, and the feeling is usually mutual. Perhaps the greatest American virtue is a deep interest in new ideas and new people. In a nation of immigrants, the foreigner does not remain an outsider for long.

73．Find a word in the last paragraph closest in meaning to the underlined word immigrant?

74.Why is the extremely competitive nature considered as one of American faults?（不超过10个词）

75.What does the passage mainly talks about? （不超过2个词）

阅读下列短文，根据所读内容在短文后的表格中填入恰当的单词。注意：表格的每个空格只填一个单词。

Educating girls quite possibly yields a higher rate of return than any other investment （投资）available in the developing world. Women's education may be unusual territory for economists（经济学家）, but enhancing women's contribution to development is actually as much an economic as a social issue. And economics（经济因素）, with its emphasis on incentives, provides guideposts that point to an explanation for why so many girls are deprived（剥夺）of an education.

　　Parents in low-income countries fail to invest（投资）in their daughters because they do not expect them to make an economic contribution to the family: girls grow up only to marry into somebody else's family and bear children. Girls are thus seen as less valuable than boys and art kept at home to do housework while their brothers are sent to school - the prophecy （预言) becomes self- fulfilling, trapping women in a vicious circle (恶性循环) of neglect.

　　An educated mother, on the other hand, has greater earning abilities outside the home and faces an entirely different set of choices. She is likely to have fewer but healthier children and can insist on the development of all her children, ensuring that her daughters are given a fair chance. The education of her daughters then makes it much more likely that the next generation of girls, as well as of boys, will be educated and healthy.

Few will dispute that educating women has great social benefits. But it has enormous economic advantages as well. Most obviously, there is the direct effect of education on the wages of female workers. Wages rise by 10 to 20 per cent for each additional year of schooling. Such big returns are impressive by the standard of other available investments, but they are just the beginning. Educating women also has a significant impact on health practices, including family planning.

Topic: The significance of female1.       in developing countries

Green-space facilities are contributing to an important extent to the quality of the urban environment. Fortunately it is no longer necessary that every lecture or every book about this subject has to start with the proof of this idea. At present it is generally accepted, although more as a self-evident statement than on the base of a closely-reasoned scientific proof. The recognition of the importance of green-spaces in the urban environment is a first step on the right way; this does not mean, however, that enough details are known about the functions of greenspaces in towns and about the way in which the inhabitants (居民) are using these spaces.

The theoretical separation of living, working, traffic and recreation which for many years has been used in town-and-country planning, has in my opinion resulted in disproportionate (不成比例的) attention for forms of recreation far from home, whereas (但是）there was relatively little attention for improvement of recreative possibilities in the direct neighborhood of the home. We have come to the conclusion that this is not right, because an important part of the time which we do not pass in sleeping or working, is used for activities at and around home. So it is obivous that recreation in the open air has to begin at the street door of the house. The urban environment has to offer as many recreation activities as possible, and the design of these has to be such that more obligatory (强制性的) activities can also have a recreative aspect.

The very best standard of living is nothing if it is not possible to take a pleasant walk in the district, if the children cannot be allowed to play in the streets, because the risks of traffic are too great, if during shopping you can nowhere find a spot of enjoying for a moment the nice weather, in short, if you only feel yourself at home after the street door of your house is closed after you.

According to the author, the importance of greenspaces in the urban environment _______.

A. is still unknown                     B. is being closely studied

C. is usually neglected                 D. has been fully recognized

The theoretical separation of living, working, traffic and recreation has led to _______.

A. the disproportion of recreation facilities in the neighborhood

B. all of the recreation facilities far from home

C. relatively little attention for recreative possibilities

D. the improvement of recreative possibilities in the neighborhood

The author suggests that the recreative possibilities of greenspaces should be provided _______.

A. in special areas                     B. in the suburbs

C. in the neighbourhood of the house        D. in gardens and parks

The author says “more obligatory activities can also have a recreative aspect” to _______.

A. suggest that obligatory activities don’t need to serious

B. show that recreation activities are very important

C. show how recreation activities have spread wildly

D. suggest how to offer recreation activities around home

Why would someone only feel himself at home according to the last paragraph?

A. One lives the very best standard of living.

B. There are too many distractions outside his home.

C. There are few recreations around his house.

D. One needs the street door of his house to be opened always.

第三部分  阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

The engineer Camillo Olivetti was 40 years old when he started the company in 1908. At his factory in lvera, he designed and produced the first Italian typewriter. Today the company’s head office is still in Ivrea, near Turin, but the company is much lareer than it was in those days and there are offices all around the world.

By 1930 there was a staff of 700 and the company turned out 13,000 machines a year. Some went to customers in Italy, but Olivetti exported more typewriters to other countries.

Camilllo’s son, Adriano, started working for the company in 1924 and later he became the boss. He introduecd a standard speed for the production line and he employed technology and desion specialists. The company developed new and better typewriters and the calculators（计算器）.In 1959 it prodyced the ELLA computer system. This was the first mainframe（主机）computer designed and brade in Italy.

After Adriano died in 1960, the company had a period of financial problems. Other companies, especially the Janpanese, made faster progress in electronic technology than the Italian company.

In 1978, Carlo de Benedetti became the new boss. Olivetti increased its marking and service networks and made agreements with other companies to design and produce more advanced office equipment. Soon it became one, of the world’s leading companies in informationg technology and communications. There are now five independent companies in the Olivetti group --- one for personal computers,one for other office equipment, one for systerms and servicse, and two for telecommunications.

1.From the text we learn that__________.

A.by 1930 Olivetti produced 13,000 typewriters a year

B. Olivetti earned more in the 1960s than in the 1950s

C.some of Olivetti,s 700 staff regularly visited customers in Italy

D. Olivetti set up offices in other countries from the very beginning

2.What was probably the direct result of Olivetti,s falling behind in electronic technology?

A.A dtiano’s death.              B.A period of financial problem

C.its faster progress             D.Its agreements with other companies

3.What do we know about Olivetti ?

A.It produced the best typewriter in the word.

B.It designed the word’s first mainframe computer.

C.It exported more typewriter than other computer.

D.It has five independent companies with its head office in lvrea.

4.The best title for the text would be___________.

A.The Origin of Olivetti                    B.The Success of Olivetti

C.The History of Olivetti                   D.The Producich of Olivetti

Green-space facilities are contributing to an important extent to the quality of the urban environment. Fortunately it is no longer necessary that every lecture or every book about this subject has to start with the proof of this idea. At present it is generally accepted, although more as a self-evident statement than on the base of a closely-reasoned scientific proof. The recognition of the importance of green-spaces in the urban environment is a first step on the right way; this does not mean, however, that enough details are known about the functions of greenspaces in towns and about the way in which the inhabitants (居民) are using these spaces.

The theoretical separation of living, working, traffic and recreation which for many years has been used in town-and-country planning, has in my opinion resulted in disproportionate (不成比例的) attention for forms of recreation far from home, whereas (但是）there was relatively little attention for improvement of recreative possibilities in the direct neighborhood of the home. We have come to the conclusion that this is not right, because an important part of the time which we do not pass in sleeping or working, is used for activities at and around home. So it is obivous that recreation in the open air has to begin at the street door of the house. The urban environment has to offer as many recreation activities as possible, and the design of these has to be such that more obligatory (强制性的) activities can also have a recreative aspect.

The very best standard of living is nothing if it is not possible to take a pleasant walk in the district, if the children cannot be allowed to play in the streets, because the risks of traffic are too great, if during shopping you can nowhere find a spot of enjoying for a moment the nice weather, in short, if you only feel yourself at home after the street door of your house is closed after you.

1. According to the author, the importance of greenspaces in the urban environment _______.

A. is still unknown                     B. is being closely studied

C. is usually neglected                 D. has been fully recognized

2.The theoretical separation of living, working, traffic and recreation has led to _______.

A. the disproportion of recreation facilities in the neighborhood

B. all of the recreation facilities far from home

C. relatively little attention for recreative possibilities

D. the improvement of recreative possibilities in the neighborhood

3.The author suggests that the recreative possibilities of greenspaces should be provided _______.

A. in special areas                     B. in the suburbs

C. in the neighbourhood of the house        D. in gardens and parks

4. The author says “more obligatory activities can also have a recreative aspect” to _______.

A. suggest that obligatory activities don’t need to serious

B. show that recreation activities are very important

C. show how recreation activities have spread wildly

D. suggest how to offer recreation activities around home

5.Why would someone only feel himself at home according to the last paragraph?

A. One lives the very best standard of living.

B. There are too many distractions outside his home.

C. There are few recreations around his house.

D. One needs the street door of his house to be opened always.