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Suppose that we lined up our roughly 14 million United States businesses in order of size, starting with the smallest, along an imaginary road from San Francisco to New York. There will be 4,500 businesses to the mile, or a little less than one per foot. Suppose further that we planted a flag each business. The height of the flag pole represents the yearly volume of sales (销量) , each $ 10, 000 in sales in shown by one foot of pole.
The line of flagpoles is a very interesting sight. From San Francisco to about Reno, it is almost unnoticeable, a row of poles about a foot high. From Reno eastward the poles increase in height until, near Columbus, Ohio - about four - fifths of the way across the nation - flags fly about 10 feet in the air.
But as we approach the eastern terminus (终点) , the poles suddenly begin to mount (升高) . There are about 300, 000 firms in the country with sales over $ 500, 000. These firms take up the last 75 miles of the 3,000 - mile road. There are 200, 000 firms with sales over $ 1 million. They take up the last 50 miles. Then there are 1, 000 firms with sales of $ 50, 000, 000 or more. They take up the last quarter of a mile before the city limits, flags flying at cloud height, 5 , 000 feet up .
At the very gate of New York, on the last 100 feet of the last mile , we find the 100 largest industrial firms . They have sales of at least $ 1.5 billion, so that their flags are already miles high. Along the last 10 feet of road , there are 10 largest companies . Their sales are roughly $ 10 billion and up : their flags fly 190 miles in the air , almost in the stratosphere (平流层) .
1.What is the author’s main purpose in this passage?
A．To tell the reason why the largest firms are in New York.
B．To show the geographical distribution (分布) of the United States businesses.
C．To provide a general idea of the size of businesses in the United States.
D．To tell us how the United States businesses are arranged.
2.What’s the correct order of the following places from east to west?
A．San Francisco, Reno, New York, Columbus.
B．San Francisco, Reno, Columbus, New York.
C．New York, Columbus, Reno, San Francisco
D．New York, Reno, Columbus, San Francisco
3.Among the four parts of the imaginary road , which part , considering all the firms in it , has the largest total volume of sales ?
A．The last 75 miles. B．The last 50 miles.
C．The last 100 feet of the last mile. D．The last quarter of a mile
4.Which of the following diagrams (图表) shows the right order of size of the US businesses , according to the text ?
S =" San" Francisco R =" Reno" C =" Columbus" N =" New" York H =" height" F = feet
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Everyone hates to wait in lines. We get that anxious feeling that our precious life is slipping away while we’re doing something so meaningless. But it’s not always the length of the wait we find so unbearable. Some people camp outside Apple stores for an entire night just to get their hands on the latest product. But waiting 10 minutes in a grocery store just to buy a drink? Forget it.
Our behavior when waiting is only partly decided by the length of the wait. “Often the psychology of queuing is more important than the statistics of the wait itself,” notes the MIT researcher Richard Larson.
One apparent aspect of queuing psychology is that we get bored when we wait in line. This issue is solved in many ways, from magazines in hospital waiting rooms to mirrors in elevators so that we can check our appearance.
We really hate it when we expect a short wait and then get a long one. But studies show that we are much more patient when we are given an idea of how long we’ll be waiting.
Walt Disney Co knows this better than anyone else. It posts estimated waiting times for attractions in its theme parks. But according to Larson, these times are overestimated so that visitors get to the front of the queue more quickly than they expect. It keeps them happy.
But perhaps the biggest influence on our feelings about waiting in a line has to do with our sense of fairness. When it comes to queues, the universally acknowledged standard is first come, first served. Any departure from this principle is regarded as unfair and can lead to violent queue anger.
You’ve probably experienced mild queue anger yourself in fast food restaurants, watching people in the other line zoom ahead of you, cursing yourself for having chosen the “wrong” line. In order to solve this problem, the serpentine(蛇形) line was invented. The serpentine line guides all customers into one big snaking queue, separated by ropes or barriers. When you reach the head of the queue, you are directed to the next available server, or teller, or customs official. The serpentine line isn’t always faster than multi-lines before an array(排) of cash registers. But it offers important comfort: you absolutely never have to see someone arrive after you and get served before you.
In life, waiting is inevitable. But a better understanding of the psychology of waiting can help make it a bit more bearable. When all else fails, bring a book or a smart phone will also do.
1.In the 1st paragraph, the author intends to tell us_____.
A. why people are crazy about Apple’s products
B. people waste their precious time in queuing
C. waiting time is not the only cause for people’s hate in queuing
D. the psychology is the real reason why people hate to wait in lines
2.Walt Disney Co makes people queuing happily by_____.
A. having people queue in serpentine line
B. letting people know how long they will wait exactly
C. making people queue shorter than they are informed
D. offering people magazines to read when waiting in lines
3.Serpentine line was invented to_____.
A. make the waiting line move faster
B. guarantee the first-come-first-served principle
C. solve the problem of feeling bored in queuing
D. guide all customers into one big snaking queue
4.The main purpose of the passage is _____.
A. to explain the advantages of serpentine line
B. to introduce ways of saving time in queuing
C. to offer an explanation of the psychology of queuing
D. to analyze the psychology of people queuing for Apple products
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Thirteen vehicles lined up last March to race across the Mojave Desert, seeking a million in prize money. To win, they had to finish the 142-mile race in less than 10 hours. Teams and watchers knew there might be no winner at all, because these vehicles were missing a key part-drivers.
DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, organized the race as part of a push to develop robotic vehicles for future battlefields. But the Grand Challenge, as it was called, just proved how difficult it is to get a car to speed across an unfamiliar desert without human guidance. One had its brake lock up in the starting area. Another began by throwing itself onto a wall. Another got tied up by bushes near the road after 1.9 miles.
One turned upside down. One took off in entirely the wrong direction and had to be disabled by remote (远程的) control. One went a little more than a mile and rushed into a fence;
Another managed to go for six miles but stuck on a rock. The “winner,” if there was any, reached 7.8 miles before it ran into a long, narrow hole, and the front wheels caught on fire.
“You get a lot of respect for natural abilities of the living thing,” says Reinhold Behringer, who helped design two of the car-size vehicles for a company called Sci-Autonics. “Even ants (蚂蚁) can do all these tasks effortlessly. It’s very hard for us to put these abilities into our machines.”
The robotic vehicles, though with necessary modern equipment such as advanced computers and GPS guidance, had trouble figuring out fast enough the blocks ahead that a two-year-old human recognizes immediately. Sure, that very young child, who has just only learned to walk, may not think to wipe apple juice off her face, but she already knows that when there’s a cookie in the kitchen she has to climb up the table, and that when she gets to the cookie it will taste gook. She is more advanced, even months old, than any machine humans have designed.
1.Watchers doubted if any of the vehicles could finish the race because ______.
A. they did not have any human guidance.
B. the road was not familiar to the drivers.
C. the distance was too long for the vehicles
D. the prize money was unattractive to the drivers.
2.DARPA organized the race in order to _______.
A. raise money for producing more robotic vehicles
B. push the development of vehicle industry
C. train more people to drive in the desert
D. improve the vehicles for future wars
3.From the passage we know “robotic vehicles” are a kind of machines that_______.
A. can do effortlessly whatever tasks living things can
B. can take part in a race across 142 miles with a time limit
C. can show off their ability to turn themselves upside down
D. can move from place to place without being driven by human beings
4.In the race, the greatest distance one robotic vehicle covered was ______.
A. about eight miles
B. six miles
C. almost two miles
D. about one mile
5.In the last paragraph, the writer implies that there is long way to go ______.
A. for a robotic vehicle to finish a 142-mile race without any difficulties
B. for a little child who has just learned to walk to reach the cookie on the table
C. for a robotic vehicle to deal with a simple problem that a little child can solve
D. for a little child to understand the importance of wiping apple juice off its face
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The summer before my dad died, we moved house. Up until that point, our family had our own space to spread out. Money was tight, so there was no television set, but we owned a turntable on which my dad’s records played constantly. Mostly, it played Bob Dylan. Tracks from The Basement Tapes and Desire became an important part of our new life. My brother and I, aged 8 and 10, climbed trees, built hideaways and learned the words of Clothes Line Saga. We would chant over the, lost in our own joy.
It was January when my dad left us forever because of the cancer. He was 36 going on 37 then, the same age as Dylan. Afterwards, our laughter disappeared, but we kept on playing the records, which became our only ritual of remembrance. The two men became so intertwined in my head, I struggled to tell them apart.
Dylan was my dad’s gift to me. What child wouldn’t be fascinated by songs full of pirates and seasick sailors? How did it feel to have No direction home? Farewell, Angelina became my party-piece. I would sing this at church cheese and wines to the assembled audience. A lot of donations were made.
Growing up, I remained a fan of the music, but I wasn’t obsessed with Dylan until one day in early 1995, my brother bought us both tickets to see him play at Brixton Academy. London felt like a long way to go. But finally seeing Dylan step out onto the stage brought a sudden rush of excitement.
I have seen Dylan a couple of times since. My brother is not around so much these days. But he was up for a visit recently. We passed a happy evening laughing and drinking, while his son, aged nine, performed his party—piece Subterranean Homesick Blues for us. He sang it word-perfect. And so it goes on: Dylan’s music as a gift, passed down the generations.
1.What’s the author’s purposed of writing the passage?
A. To praise his late father. B. To tell about his family history.
C. To express his longing for family reunion. D. To show his love for Bob Dylan.
2.The underlined word “ritual” in the second paragraph means “________”.
A. passion B. ceremony
C. memory D. belief
3.How did the author raise money in his childhood?
A. By singing a Dylan’s song at church gatherings.
B. By providing cheese and wines to church prayers.
C. By playing a private in church performances.
D. By accepting donations from the church.
4.The recent visit of the author’s brother indicates that ________.
A. his nephew was ever invited to play in Dylan’s concert
B. his brother has never seen a live performance of Dylan
C. Dylan’s music has influenced three generations of his family
D. Subterranean Homesick Blues is always his favourite song
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I began to worry that maybe we had made a mistake when the sand began kicking up and hitting our faces.
That afternoon,my dad had stood on the deck of our home and laughed as our neighbors packed up their cars and headed inland.They left to spend the night in motels or at friends’ homes that were out of range of approaching summer storm.
Challenging the weather that threatened to damping our spirits,we lit a fire on the beach.Dad told jokes and we had a good time.When it was 6:30 pm,all laughter disappeared.Ours eyes were drawn to the sky.A tornado was headed straight for us!In a flash,we were all on our feet.The wind started screaming and now we were running to the cottage.My mom stopped next to the front door."where can we go?"She shouted at my dad.
Most cottages on this part of Lake Michigan had been built without basements.Ours was no exception.The huge windows and the cottage itself wouldn't offer safety from high wind.
"Follow me!"my dad yelled.We crawled beneath the deck,pressing ourselves against the foundation of the cottage.Between the deck supports,we watched the approaching storm in silent terror.
My dad shouted,"Hold on!"and something else I couldn't hear over the screaming wind.I think he was praying. By the time it reached our cottage,it was nothing more than a strong wind.The rest of the storm lasted for an hour and then simply blew away.
1.what did the family do before the storm came ?
A. They left the motels. B. They visited their neighbors.
C. They packed up the cars. D. They stayed on the beach.
2.What was the family do before the storm came?
A. Praying in silent terror. B. Running away at once.
C. Crawling on the ground. D. Closing their eyes tightly
3.Where did the family stay in the storm ?
A. Under a deck. B. In a basement.
C. Inside the car D. Behind a door
4.What can be the best title for the text ?
A. Life on the beach B. An Unusual Cottage
C. Surviving a Storm D. My Admirable Family
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When the sand began kicking up and hitting our faces, I started to worry that maybe we had made a mistake.
That afternoon, my dad had stood on the deck (露台) of our home and laughed as our neighbors packed up their cars and headed inland. They left to spend the night in motels or at friends’ homes that were out of range of approaching summer storm.
Challenging the weather that threatened to damping our spirits, we lit a fire on the beach. Dad told jokes and we had a good time. When it was 6:30 p.m., all laughter disappeared. Our eyes were drawn to the sky. A tornado (龙卷风) was headed straight for us! In a flash, we were all on our feet. The wind started screaming and now we were running to the cottage. My mom stopped next to the front door. “Where can we go?” She shouted at my dad.
Most cottages on this part of Lake Michigan had been built without basements. Ours was no exception. The huge windows and the cottage itself wouldn’t offer safety from high wind.
“Follow me!” my dad yelled. We crawled (爬) beneath the deck, pressing ourselves against the foundation of the cottage. Between the deck supports, we watched the approaching storm in silent terror.
My dad shouted, “Hold on!” and something else I couldn’t hear over the screaming wind. I think he was praying. By the time it reached our cottage, it was nothing more than a strong wind. The rest of the storm lasted for an hour and then simply blew away.
“Next time, we’ll stay inland at Grandma’s. Okay?” my dad said.
1.What did the family do before the storm came?
A.They left the motels. B.They packed up the cars.
C.They stayed on the beach. D.They visited their neighbors.
2.What was the family’s immediate action when they saw the tornado approach?
A.Closing their eyes tightly. B.Praying in silent terror.
C.Crawling on the ground. D.Running away at once.
3.Where did the family stay in the storm?
A.Under a deck. B.In a basement.
C.Inside the car. D.Behind a door.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A.Life on the beach B.An Unusual Cottage
C.Surviving a Storm D.My Admirable Family
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When the sand began kicking up and hitting our faces, I started to worry that maybe we had made a mistake.
That afternoon, my dad had stood on the deck (露台) of our home and laughed as our neighbors packed up their cars and headed inland. They left to spend the night in motels or at friends’ homes that were out of range of approaching summer storm.
Challenging the weather that threatened to damping our spirits, we lit a fire on the beach. Dad told jokes and we had a good time. When it was 6:30 p.m., all laughter disappeared. Our eyes were drawn to the sky. A tornado (龙卷风) was headed straight for us! In a flash, we were all on our feet. The wind started screaming and now we were running to the cottage. My mom stopped next to the front door. “Where can we go?” She shouted at my dad.
Most cottages on this part of Lake Michigan had been built without basements. Ours was no exception. The huge windows and the cottage itself wouldn’t offer safety from high wind.
“Follow me!” my dad yelled. We crawled (爬) beneath the deck, pressing ourselves against the foundation of the cottage. Between the deck supports, we watched the approaching storm in silent terror.
My dad shouted, “Hold on!” and something else I couldn’t hear over the screaming wind. I think he was praying. By the time it reached our cottage, it was nothing more than a strong wind. The rest of the storm lasted for an hour and then simply blew away.
“Next time, we’ll stay inland at Grandma’s. Okay?” my dad said.
1.What did the family do before the storm came?
A. The
B. They stayed on the beach.
C. They packed up the cars.
D. They visited their neighbors.
2.What was the family’s immediate action when they saw the tornado approach?
A. Running away at once.
B. Praying in silent terror.
C. Crawling on the ground.
D. Closing their eyes tightly.
3.Where did the family stay in the storm?
A. Inside the car. B. In a basement.
C. Under a deck. D. Behind a door.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A. Life on the beach B. Surviving a Storm
C. An Unusual Cottage D. My Admirable Family
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The question came up at the meeting_____ we had enough money for our research．
A．that B．which C．whether D．if
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The question came up at the meeting_____ we had enough money for our research．
A．that B．which C．whether D．if
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________that the government can clear up official corruption，we are________ about the future of our country．
A．Convinced；optimistic B．Convincing；optimistic
C．Convinced；pessimistic D．Convincing；pessimistic