We’ve considered several ways of paying to cut in line: hiring line standers, buying tickets from scalpers (票贩子), or purchasing line-cutting privileges directly from, say, an airline or an amusement park. Each of these deals replaces the morals of the queue (waiting your turn) with the morals of the market (paying a price for faster service).
Markets and queues—paying and waiting—are two different ways of allocating things, and each is appropriate to different activities. The morals of the queue, “First come, first served, have an egalitarian (平等主义的) appeal. They tell us to ignore privilege, power, and deep pockets.
The principle seems right on playgrounds and at bus stops. But the morals of the queue do not govern all occasions. If I put my house up for sale, I have no duty to accept the first offer that comes along, simply because it’s the first. Selling my house and waiting for a bus are different activities, properly governed by different standards.
Sometimes standards change, and it is unclear which principle should apply. Think of the recorded message you hear, played over and over, as you wait on hold when calling your bank: “Your call will be answered in the order in which it was received.” This is essential for the morals of the queue. It’s as if the company is trying to ease our impatience with fairness.
But don’t take the recorded message too seriously. Today, some people’s calls are answered faster than others. Call center technology enables companies to “score” incoming calls and to give faster service to those that come from rich places. You might call this telephonic queue jumping.
Of course, markets and queues are not the only ways of allocating things. Some goods we distribute by merit, others by need, still others by chance. However, the tendency of markets to replace queues, and other non-market ways of allocating goods is so common in modern life that we scarcely notice it anymore. It is striking that most of the paid queue-jumping schemes we’ve considered—at airports and amusement parks, in call centers, doctors’ offices, and national parks—are recent developments, scarcely imaginable three decades ago. The disappearance of the queues in these places may seem an unusual concern, but these are not the only places that markets have entered.
1.According to the author, which of the following seems governed by the principle “First come, first served”?
A. Taking buses. B. Buying houses.
C. Flying with an airline. D. Visiting amusement parks.
2.The example of the recorded message in Paragraphs 4 and 5 illustrates ______.
A. the necessity of patience in queuing
B. the advantage of modern technology
C. the uncertainty of allocation principle
D. the fairness of telephonic services
3.The passage is meant to ______.
A. justify paying for faster services
B. discuss the morals of allocating things
C. analyze the reason for standing in line
D. criticize the behavior of queue jumping
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
No one knows for sure when advertising first started. It is possible that it grew out of the discovery that some people did certain kinds of work better than others did them. That led to the concept of specialization, which means that people would specialize, or focus on doing one specific job.
Let’s take a man we’ll call Mr. Fielder, for example. He did everything connected with farming. He planted seeds, tended the fields, and harvested and sold his crops. At the same time, he did many other jobs on the farm. However, he didn’t make the bricks for his house, cut his trees into boards, make the plows (犁), or any of other hundreds of things a farm needs. Instead, he got them from people who specialized in doing each of those things.
Suppose there was another man we shall call Mr. Plowright. Using what he knew about farming and working with iron, Mr. Plowright invented a plow that made farming easier. Mr. Plowright did not really like farming himself and wanted to specialize in making really good plows. Perhaps, he thought, other farmers will trade what they grow for one of my plows.
How did Mr. Plowright let people know what he was doing? Why, he advertised, of course. First he opened a shop and then he put up a sign outside the shop to attract customers. That sign may have been no more than a plow carved into a piece of wood and a simple arrow pointing to the shop door. It was probably all the information people needed to find Mr. Plowright and his really good plows.
Many historians believe that the first outdoor signs were used about five thousand years ago. Even before most people could read, they understood such signs. Shopkeepers would carve into stone, clay, or wood symbols for the products they had for sale.
A medium, in advertising talk, is the way you communicate your message. You might say that the first medium used in advertising was signs with symbols. The second medium was audio, or sound, although that term is not used exactly in the way we use it today. Originally, just the human voice and maybe some kind of simple instrument, such as a bell, were used to get people’s attention.
A crier, in the historical sense, is not someone who weeps easily. It is someone, probably a man, with a voice loud enough to be heard over the other noises of a city. In ancient Egypt, shopkeepers might hire such a person to spread the news about their products. Often this earliest form of advertising involved a newly arrived ship loaded with goods. Perhaps the crier described the goods, explained where they came from, and praised their quality. His job was, in other words, not too different from a TV or radio commercial in today’s world.
1.What probably led to the start of advertisement?
A. The discovery of iron. B. The specialization of labor.
C. The appearance of new jobs. D. The development of farming techniques.
2.To advertise his plows, Mr. Plowright __________.
A. praised his plows in public B. placed a sign outside the shop
C. hung an arrow pointing to the shop D. showed his products to the customers
3.The writer makes up the two stories of Mr. Fielder and Mr. Plowright in order to __________.
A. explain the origin of advertising B. predict the future of advertising
C. expose problems in advertising D. provide suggestions for advertising
4.In ancient Egypt, a crier was probably someone who __________.
A. owned a ship B. had the loudest voice
C. ran a shop selling goods to farmers D. functioned like today’s TV or radio commercial
5.The last two paragraphs are mainly about __________.
A. the history of advertising B. the benefits of advertising
C. the early forms of advertising D. the basic design of advertising
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Genetically Modified (GM) food is unfortunately becoming more popular among farmers and food processors. Crops are being genetically modified to resist insects, plant diseases, insecticides(杀虫剂). Plants are also modified to look bigger and better. Unfortunately the end goal isn’t providing nutrition for people, it’s to increase profit margins and to make food look better. In fact many modern fruits and vegetables are twice the size of what they used to be while having far less vitamins, and not tasting good either. Now research is showing that genetically modified food might even be bad for you.
GM organisms are organisms that have genes inserted into their DNA in order to offer certain characteristics. In this way you can make it better, or make it last longer.
Jeffrey M. Smith has published a study about the dangers of GM food. It was discovered that when GM soy was fed to female rats they found that all their young died within 3 weeks compared to a natural 10% death rate. Their young were also born smaller and they later had problems becoming pregnant. A study of pigs found that they also became infertile(不育) after eating GM corn.
Many people are eating GM food without even realizing it. The solution to this problem is simple. Human beings existed in their current form for hundreds of thousands of years. For most of that time we ate a diet consisting of meat, fruit, vegetable, fish, eggs and nuts. This is our optimal diet which leads us to live a healthy and long life. But over the last 30 years North America has experienced diabetes, cancer and heart disease. All due to the misinformation provided by groups who work on behalf of the manufacturers of GM food. The way to avoid obesity, heart disease and cancer is by eating like our stone-age ancestors.
1.According to the author, what ultimately inspired the popularity of GM crops?
A. Rich nutrition. B. Unique taste.
C. High profits. D. Energy saving.
2.What had we better do if we want to stay healthy according to the text?
A. Eat more fruit. B. Be vegetarians.
C. Eat more grains. D. Keep traditional diet.
3.The text is organized in the form of ________.
A. time and events B. cause and effect
C. reasoning and argument D. contrast and comparison
4.We can infer that the lobby groups (in Paragraph 4) are people who are ________.
A. scientists who give out false information because of carelessness
B. doctors who try to profit from patients who suffer from unhealthy food
C. workers who try to cheat customers for the benefits of food producers
D. agricultural technicians who are responsible for promoting new product
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
They may be teenagers, but 17-year-old Brittany Bull and 16-year-old Sesam Mngqengqiswa have grand ambitions—to launch Africa’s first private satellite into space. They are part of a team of high school girls from Cape Town, South Africa, who have designed and built equipment for a satellite that will orbit over the earth’s poles scanning Africa’s surface.
Once in space, the satellite will collect information on agriculture, and food security within the continent. Using the data, “we can try to determine and predict the problems Africa will be facing in the future”, explains Bull, a student at Pelican Park High School. “Where our food is growing, where we can plant more trees and vegetation and also how we can monitor remote areas,” she says. “We have a lot of forest fires and floods but we don’t always get out there in time.” Information received twice a day will go towards disaster prevention.
It’s part of a project by South Africa’s Meta Economic Development Organization(MEDO) working with Morehead State University in the US.
The girls (14 in total) are being trained by satellite engineers from Cape Peninsula University of Technology, in an effort to encourage more African women into STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics).
Scheduled to launch in May 2017, if successful, it will make MEDO the first private company in Africa to build a satellite and send it into orbit.
Mngqengqiswa comes from a single parent household. Her mother is a domestic worker. By becoming a space engineer or astronaut, the teenager hopes to make her mother proud. “Discovering space and seeing the Earth’s atmosphere, it’s not something many black Africans have been able to do, or get the opportunity to look at. I want to see and experience these things for myself,” says Mngqengqiswa.
Her teammate Bull agrees, “I want to show to fellow girls that we don’t need to sit around or limit ourselves. Any career is possible—even aerospace.”
1.What does Paragraph 2 mainly talk about?
A. Information provided by the satellite.
B. The benefits brought by the satellite.
C. Problems African agriculture faces.
D. The way the satellite collects information.
2.Why are the experts teaching the girls satellite technology?
A. To turn them into good farmers.
B. To help African women to live better.
C. To train employees for a private company.
D. To attract more African women to sci-tech fields.
3.What do you think of the girls in the text?
A. Ambitious and pioneering.
B. Generous and considerate.
C. Independent and modest.
D. Brave and tolerant.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Before going outside in the morning, many of us check a window thermometer(温度计)for the temperature. This helps us decide what to wear. 1.. We want our food to be a certain coldness in the refrigerator. We want it a certain hotness in the oven. If we don’t feel well, we use a thermometer to see if we have a fever. We keep our rooms a certain warmth in the winter and a certain coolness in the summer.
Not all the thermometers use the same system to measure temperature. We use a system called the Fahrenheit scale. But most other countries use the Centigrade scale.
Both systems use the freezing and boiling points of water as their guide.2. .
The most common kind of thermometer is made with mercury(水银)inside a clear glass tube. As mercury (or any other liquid ) becomes hot, it expands. As it gets colder, it contracts(收缩). That is why on hot days the mercury line is high in the glass tube.3..
First. Take a clear glass juice bottle that has a cap ; fill the bottle with coloured water. Tap a hole in the center of the cap using a hammer and thick nail. Put the cap on the jar. Then stick a plastic straw through the nail hole.
4..
Finally. Place a white card on the outside of the bottle and behind the straw. Now you can see the water lever easily.
5..
As the temperature goes down, the water will contract, and the lever in the straw will come down. Perhaps you will want to keep a record of the water lever in the straw each morning for a week.
A.We use and depend on thermometers to measure the temperature of many other things in our daily lives.
B.Thermometers measure temperature, by using materials that change in the same way when they are heated or cooled.
C．Now that you know this rule you can make a thermometer of your own that will work.
D．The water will rise in the straw. As the temperature of the air goes up, the water will expand and rise even higher.
E.They label these in different ways. On the Fahrenheit scale water freezes at 32 degrees and boils at 212 degrees. On the Celsius scale water freezes at 0 degrees and boils at 100degrees.
F.Take wax (you may use an old candle if you have one) and melt some of it right where the straw is struck into the cap to seal（把..粘住) them together.
G．People use thermometers which are made by themselves when travelling around the world.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
It was raining. I went into a café and asked for a coffee. ________ I was waiting for my drink, I realized that there were other people in the place, but I sensed _______. I saw their bodies, but I couldn't feel their souls ________ their souls belonged to the _________.
I stood up and walked between the tables. When I came to the biggest computer, I saw a thin, small man ________ in front of it. "I'm Steve", he finally answered after I asked him a couple of times what his name was. "I can't talk with you. I'm ________", he said. He was chatting online with somebody--probably someone he didn't know--and, at the same time, he was playing a computer game--a war game. I was surprised. He was chatting online and, ________ , he was playing a computer game—a war game. I was_________.
Why didn't Steve want to talk with me? I tried ________ to speak to that computer geek (怪人), ______ not a word came out of his mouth. I touched his shoulder, but no reaction. I was ________. I put my hand in front of the monitor, and he started to shout, " _________!" I took a few steps back, wondering if all those people in the café were looking at me. I ________, and saw nobody showed any interest.
_____ , I realized that the people there were having a nice conversation with their machines, not with people. They were more _________ having a relationship with the ________, particularly Steve. I wouldn't want to _________ the future of human beings if they preferred sharing their lives with machines __________ with people.
I was worried and I sank in my thoughts. I didn't even _______ that the coffee was bad, ________ Steve didn't notice there was a person next to him.
1.A. Before B. Since C. Although D. While
2.A. pain B. loneliness C. sadness D. fear
3.A. because B. when C. until D. unless
4.A. home B. world C. Net D. Cafe
5.A. sleeping B. laughing C. sitting D. learning
6.A. busy B. thirsty C. tired D. sick
7.A. first of all B. just then C. at the same time D. by that time
8.A. surprised B. delighted C. moved D. frightened
9.A. once B. again C. first D. even
10.A. but B. so C. if D. or
11.A. excited B. respected C. afraid D. unhappy
12.A. Shut up B. Enjoy yourself C. Leave me alone D. Help me out
13.A. walked about B. walked out C. raised my hand D. raised my head
14.A. From then on B. At that moment C. In all D. Above all
15.A. interested in B. tired of C. careful about D. troubled by
16.A. computer B. soul C. shop D. geek
17.A. tell B. plan C. imagine D. design
18.A. other than B. instead of C. except for D. as well as
19.A. pretend B. understand C. insist D. realize
20.A. as if B. just as C. just after D. even though
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容或括号内单词的正确形式（不多于3个单词）。
Plovdiv is situated in south-central Bulgaria on the two banks of the Maritsa River. The city has historically developed on seven hills, some of 1. are 250m (820.21 ft) high. Because of these hills, Plovdiv is 2.(typical) referred to in Bulgaria as “The city of the Seven Hills”. Plovdiv’s history 3.(date) back to 6000 BC. Though originally it was 4.Thracian city, Plovidiv has been ruled by many empires over centuries. Later it 5.(conquer) by the Romans. Only in 1885 did the city become part of Bulgaria. Nowadays it’s the second 6.(large) city in Bulgaria and it’s a significant economic, educational and cultural center.
Plovdiv remains a popular 7.(choose) for vacation travel. I have been obsessed with the city 8.years. Last summer I was lucky 9.(spend) a couple of days in this city and I just fell in love with its narrow paved streets and neat beautiful house! The Old Town is definitely worthy 10.(see). It is overwhelmed with restaurants, workshops and museums that were previously famous houses.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
下列短文中共有10处语言错误，找出并改正。每句中最多有两处错。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Fang Tong is 34 years old, an actor, director and teacher of Beijing Opera Theatre. Most of his students are from other part of China and have come to Beijing at a very young age of sixteen or seventeen. He hopes create an environment for his students that it is much more relaxing than the one he used to study in. He thought that an actor should relax himself when performing. Yet his students deep respect him and he never needs to raise his voice in order to be hearing. For his opinion, actors should go on even when they feel they have made mistake in their performances because the moment is already gone but people can never be back to it. So art is always changing and developing.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假如你叫王玲，今年参加了某大学自主招生。这所大学要求考生用英语写一封申请信，请按下面提示写一封英语申请信。内容包括：
1.个人情况 2. 个人条件 3. 申请此大学原因
注意：1.词数100左右，开头语已为你写好，不计入总数。
2.可以增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Dean,
My name is Wang Ling. I’ve learned that your university will admit students in advance.
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难度: 简单查看答案及解析