B. A medical report. C. An announcement, D. A product introduction. 【答案】21-23 ABA
B
It’s hard not to crack a smile when you’re faced with the tail-wagging, constantly smiling Kit-Cat Clock, which is kind of the reason it first came to be.
In the 1930s, America was in the thick of the hopeless and gloomy Great Depression, and across the country people were in low spirits. Powerless to the crisis on a larger scale, Oregon designer Earl Arnault designed a way to bring a glimmer of joy to the people around him; the Kit-Cat Clock. He conceived the feline(猫科的)—themed product in early 1932—tricky eyes, black wagging tail and all—but it wasn’t until the end of the decade when the depression began to lift that production of the clocks officially began.
Originally, the smiling Kit-Cat Clock were made entirely from metal, but as the popularity of manufacturing with plastic grew, the Kit-Cat Clock soon followed suit. Two forepaws and a bow tie were added in the 1950s, and the wagging tail was made a little bit fashionable. Aside from these minor changes, however, the design remained largely unchanged from the time of its birth. Sadly, in the 1980s the Kit-Cat Clock nearly went kaput—with motor manufacturing relocated offshore and batteries still in their infancy(幼儿期), it was difficult to keep the clock’s many parts moving. So, it was up to the makers to come up with a solution: a brand new, powerful piece of battery technology. With the Kit-Cat Clock free to tick away another day, different colour options and sizes, and a lady version were eventually introduced, too.
24. Why did Earl Arnault design the Kit-Cat Clock? A. To kill the time. B. To bring people pleasure. C. To present his designing ability.
D. To encourage people to face the crisis bravely. 25. When was the Kit-Cat Clock put into production? A. In the 1950s. B. In the 1980s.
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C. In the early 1930s. D. In the late 1930s.
26. What can we infer from Paragraph Three? A. The Kit-Cat clock is made totally from plastic now. B. The Kit-Cat clock has changed greatly since the 1950s. C. It was the new battery technology that saved the Kit-Cat Clock. D. Kit-Cat Clocks of different shapes can be bought on the market. 27. What’s the passage mainly about? A. The history of the Kit-Cat Clock. B. The design of the Kit-Cat Clock. C. The change of the Kit-Cat Clock. D. The purpose of the Kit-Cat Clock. 【答案】24-27 BDCA
C
I reached into the closet to unfasten the Belleek porcelain(瓷器) flower pinned to a red coat. From a navy blue jacket, I removed a dark green feather pin. I detached a sparkling diamond from the collar of a black jacket.
Every coat and jacket of my mother was decorated with complementary jewelry. I was breaking up time-honored pairings because I had to, because she died one recent evening when she sat down to rest and never got up. So it was perfectly understandable that I put in my pocket the porcelain flower my father had sent her from boot camp when he was a young World War I Marine in Paris Island, South Carolina, but I still felt like a thief, stealing bits and pieces of my mother’s life.
Like thieves, my sister Ellen and I were going through her private items. The treasures before me include surprises, like a lock of hair from my first haircut; my daughter’s poem to her grandmother; the notes from friends and family, including a love note to Dad in a Father’s Day card she sent him. Ah, love notes.
I once mentioned the letters between her and my father when he served in the South Pacific. They wrote to each other daily for three years, without missing a day. “Oh, I destroyed them.” she said as she casually poured herself a cup of tea. “How could you do that?” She asked. My mother looked at me directly and unapologetically said, “They were not your letters but mine. They were for
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me alone, no one else, so I destroyed them.” Gone! Just like that! What was in them? I wondered.
And yet, as I reached through her clothes, books, photos, the many possessions of a long life, I can see her point. She had a right to keep something of herself from the rest of us. Even though I wish she hadn’t, she possessed and protected her very private feelings in her own inner safe. Take everything else, she said in effect, but not those.
28. Why did the author take away the jewelry on her mother’s clothes? A. Because she wanted to sell them. B. Because her mother passed away. C. Because she liked them very much. D. Because her mother asked her to do so.
29. What does the underlined part “time-honored pairings” in Paragraph 2 probably refer to? A. Her mother and her father. B. The author and her mother. C. The jewelry and the letters.
D. The jewelry and her mother’s clothes.
30. According to the author, why did her mother destroy the letters? A. Because her father had passed away.
B. Because her mother thought they were useless. C. Because her mother wanted to keep them to herself. D. Because those letters were hard to recognize over time. 31. What may be the best title for the text? A. Mother’s love B. The “Thief” in me C. Destroyed letters D. Mother’s jewelry 【答案】28-31 BDCB
D
Close your eyes. What does your dream hotel look like? Does it have chandeliers? Do the rooms have beds covered with rose petals? Do the bathrooms have Jacuzzis? Are there breathtaking views from the balcony? Is the hotel made of brick? Marble? Ice? Ice sounds a bit ridiculous, but a
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hotel made of ice is actually a reality.
Sweden’s Icehotel is the latest cool hotel in town, and it really is made of ice. So, how did this idea come about? It all started in 1990. A French artist held the opening of his exhibition in a man-made igloo on the frozen Tome River--- home of the Icehotel. The igloo was named “Arctic Hall” and attracted many visitors. Amongst these visitors was a brave group of adventurers who used the igloo as their accommodation. This act of bravery, (or madness, depending on your perspective) inspired the construction of the Icehotel.
Situated 200 km above the Arctic Circle, the hotel is only open during the winter months. Why? Because the ice starts to melt in the spring time. This means that the hotel is built from scratch every year. As soon as winter begins, architects, ice sculptors and artists meet in Sweden’s Lapland to build this beautiful creation.
But does this hotel have any of the facilities you find in a regular hotel? Well, actually, yes. In fact, the Icehotel seems to have everything: the famous “Absolute IceBar”, an ice art exhibition and a cinema. It even has an ice sauna and spa to keep you warm. And, of course, you can enjoy the natural habitat that surrounds the hotel, There is a snowmobile safari which takes you across the snowfields. And if you’re feeling brave, you can drive the snowmobile yourself.
The Icehotel is a real find. And, it’s not impossible to get to, either. There are flights and trains every day. If you’re travelling from London, it will take you only three and a half hours to get there. So, what are you waiting for? Just make sure you wrap up warm and take a thermal sleeping bag. 32. Why did the author ask so many questions in Paragraph 1? A. To express his doubts. B. To introduce the main topic. C. To present his dream hotel. D. To compare different hotels.
33. According to the passage, “Arctic Hall” was actually used to . A. hold an exhibition B. offer adventurous activities C. store paintings and materials D. provide accommodation for visitors 34. What is right about the Icehotel?
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