出自:专升本英语
A rapid means of long-distance transportation became a necessity for the United States as settlement
（新拓居地）spread ever farther westward.The early trains were impractical curiosities,and for a long
time the railroad companies met with troublesome mechanical problems.The most serious ones were the
construction of rails able to bear the load,and the development of a safe,effective stopping system.
Once these were solved,the railroad was established as the best means of land transportation.By 1860
there were thousands of miles of railroads crossing the eastern mountain ranges westward to the
Mississippi.There were also regional southern and western lines.
The high point in railroad building came with the construction of the first transcontinental
system.
In 1862 Congress authorized two western railroad companies to build lines from Nebraska westward and
from California eastward to a meeting point,so as to complete a transcontinental crossing linking the
Atlantic seaboard with the Pacific.The Government helped the railroads generously with
money and
land.Actual work on this project began four years later.The Gentral Pacifie Company,starting from
California,used Chinese labor,while the Union Pacific employed
crews of Irish labourers.The two groups worked at remunkable speed,euch trying to cover a greater distance than the other.In 1869 tay
met at a place called Promontory in whut is now the state of Utah. Many visitors came there for the gea
oceasion.There were joyous celebratione all over the country,with parades and the ringing of chure
bells to honor the great achievement.
The railroad was very important in encouraging westward movement.It also helped build
industry and farming by moving raw materials and by distributing producets rapidly to distant markets.hn
linking towns and people to one another it helped unify the United States.
The major problems with America.s railroad system in the mid 19th century lay in
A.poor quality rails and unreliable stopping systems
B.lack of financial support for development
C.limited railroad lines
D.lack of a transcontinental railroad
The construction of the transcontinental railroad took
C.4 years
D.3years
A.9 years
B.7 years
Unless we spend money to spot and prevent asteroids(小行星）now,now might crash into Eanh
and destroy life as we know it,say some scientists.
Asteroids are bigger versions of the meteoroids(流星）that race across the night sky.Most orbit
the sun far from Earth and don.t threaten us.But there are also thousands of asteroids whose orbits put
them on a collision course with Earth.
Buy$50 million worth of new telescopes right now.Then spend$10 million a year for the next 25
years to locate most of the space rocks.By the time we spot a fatal one,the scientists say,we.1l hawe
a way to change its course.
Some scientists favor pushing asteroids off course with nuclear weapons.But the cost wouldn.t be
cheap.
Is it worth it?Two things experts consider when judging any risk are:(1)How likely the evem
is;and(2)How bad the consequences if the event occurs.Experts think an asteroid big enough to
destroy lots of life might strike Earth once every 500,000 years.Sounds pretty rare-but if one did fal,
it would be the end of the world."If we don.t take care of these big asteroids,they.11 take care of us,
says one scientist."It.s that simple."
The cure,though,might be worse than the disease.Do we really want fleets of nuclear weapons
siting around on Earth?"The world has less to fear from doomsday(毁灭性的）rocks than fromt
great nuclear fleet set against them,"said a New York Times article.
What does the passage aay about asteroids and meleoroide?(对应表比较的信号词：第二段
一行的 bigger)
A.They are heavenly bodies different in composition.
B.They are heavenly bodies similar in nature.
C.There are more asteroids than meteoroids.
D.Asteroids are more mysterious than meteoroids.
What do scientists say about the collision of an asteroid with Earh?(对应表示转折的信号同：
第二段第二行中的but)
A. It is very unlikely but the danger exists.
B.Such a collision might occur once every 25 years.
C.Collisions of smaller asteroids with Earth occut more often than expected.
D.It.s still too early to say whether such a collision might oecur.
What do people think of the suggestion of using nuelear weapons to alter the course of asteroide?
（对应表示比较的信号词：未段第一行中的 worse)
A.It sounds practical but it may not solve the problem.
B.It may create more problems than it might solve.
C. It is a waste of money because a collision of asteroids with Earth is very unlikely.
D.Further research should be done before it is proved applicable.
As protector of her family.s health,the poineer woman confronted situations she never imagined
before crossing the Mississippi.Few women came West prepared to deal with desert sunburn,
rattlesnake bites,or arrow wounds.Even when doctors were available,they were often no more
knowledgeable than their patients.And most patent(专利）
medicines were no more reliable than the
itinerant(巡游）
merchants who sold them.
In certain cases,a woman could draw upon the folk wisdom and remedies she had learned back
home;Western mosquitoes,for example,proved to be as repelled by a paste of vinegar and salt as were
their Eastern cousins.More often,however,a woman was
guided only by her own ingenuity in
concocting(调制的）tonics(补药），powders,poisons,and polishes from whatever she had at land:
salt made a passable toothpaste,gunpowder was applied to wants,and turpentine to open cuts,goose grease,skunk oil,and the ever present lard
were basic liniments;medicinal teas and tonics wen
brewed from sunflower seeds and roots.
36.Which of the following statements best expresses the main idea of the passage?
A.Many people who went West were doctors.
B.Medicine and the people who sold it were not reliable.
C.Many pioneer women died from bites inflicted by snakes and mosquitoes.
D.Pioneer women had to invent their own remedies when they moved West.
37.According to the passage,why
were doctors in the West sometimes unable to help thei
patients?
A.They did not know how to treat the unfamiliar illnesses.
B.They were more interested in establishing practices in the cities.
C.They were more concerned with doing research than with treating patients.
D.They were often overcome by diseases caught from their patients.
38.Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about patent medicines?
A.They did not cost much.
B.They helped heal snake bites.
C.They did not work very well.
D.They had a strong taste.
39.It can be inferred that most of the pioneers referred to in the passage were originally from where
in the United States?
A.The desert.
B.The West.
C.The State of Mississippi.
D.The East.
40.As used in line 8,the word"cousins"
refers to
A.similar medicines
B.mosquitoes in the East
C.people with the same beliefs
D.family members in the West
Passage Three
The kids at Shute Country Primary School in Devon are surprisingly quiet when it.s time to go home
in the afternoon.Instead of the usual shouting and running you can hear them asking each other,"Are
the lights all off?""Shall we check the taps in case they are dripping?""How many paper towels did
we use today?"
But it.s not unusual here.The kids have declared a war on waste.
＂We.ve never made the children do anything,"explained Liz Templar,the school.s head teacher.
＂They came up with all the ideas themselves.They.re doing this because they want to."
If you take a look around the school you won.t see anything thrown away unnecessarily.
Everything is collected and reused,or sent to be recycled.
Shute School started its green revolution two years ago.They looked carefully at every part of school
life-from the teaching to the cleaning.They looked at the stationery(文具）that was used-
especially photocopying,the way cleaning was carried out,and how food was used-and wasted!could bhey bring more children in fewer car?
deh on the liat wos the wase of Popec, Next came uariondly dleuning proburk. Pape uelh eoe
ouo pun sgoa u paa
（自愿地），the childien gove dhem up.Now they bring aple and hoe ne e
The school has its own garden where they grow vegelables and flower so thut they ean learmn about
eironment.They also use this area for theireryeling soreare aoainen o lae
Juminium,bottles,paper and fabric(织物）。
Even the school.s play area is made from recycled things.
Since the children started,the school.s heating and lighting bills have fallen obviously and the
number of rubbish bags has gone down from seven a week to two or three.
Everywhere in Shute School there are bright posters asking everyone to take their rubbish home,to save energy and paper and to keep the green flag flying.
41.The children at Shute School
A.are fighting against air pollution
B.are learning to save things
C.have declared a war on waste
D.have found a way to recycle waste things
42.Pupils at Shute Country Primary School bring apples and home-made snacks to school in order
to
A.create less rubbish
B.save money
C.obey the school.s rules
D.keep their promise
43.We can infer in the passage that"green revolution"in Paragraph 6 means
A.beautifying schoolyard
B.activity against waste
D.throwing away waste
C.planting green plants
44.What do the children think creates the most waste?
B.Cleaning products.
D.Paper.
A.Paper towels.
C.Snacks.
45.We learn from the text that the children.s behavior_
A.was forced by their head teacher
B.has saved the school.s cost
C.worried their parents
D.has brought arguments Passage Four
Sequoyah was a young Cherokee Indian,son of a white trader and an Indian Squaw(北美印第安。
女人）。At an early age,he became fascinated by "tile talking leaf",an expression that he used to
describe the white man.s written recorde.Although many believe this"talking leaf"to be a gift from tile
Great Spirit,Sequoyah refused to accept that theory.Like other Indians of tile period,he wes illiterate,
but his determination to remedy tile situation led to the invention of a unique 86 character al phabet based on the sound patterns that he heard.
His family and friends thought him mad,but while recuperating(恢复）from a hunting aociden,
he diligently and independentdly set out to creute a form of communication for his own people a wellas
for other Indians.In 1821,after twelve years of work,he had successfully developed a writen langouage
that would enable thousands of Indians to read and write.
Sequoyah.s desire to preserve words and events for later generation has caused him to be
remembered among the important inventors.The giant redwood trees of California,called"sequoias(红杉）＂in his honor,will further imprint his name in history.
46.What is the most important reason that Sequoyah will be remembered?
A.California redwoods were named in his honor.
B. He was illiterate.
C.He created a unique alphabet.
D.He recovered from his madness and helped mankind.
47.How did Sequoyah.s family react to his idea of developing his own"talking leaf"?
A.They arranged for his hunting accident.
B.They thought he was crazy.
C.They decided to help him.
D.They asked him to teach them to read and write.
48.What prompted Sequoyah to develop his alphabet?
A.People were writing things about him that he couldn.t read.
B.He wanted to become famous.
C.After his hunting accident,he needed something to keep him busy.
D.Future generations.
49.How would you describe Sequoyah?
A.Determined.
B.Mad.
C.Backward.
D.Meek(温顺的）。
50.Which of the following is NOT true?
A.Sequoyah developed a form of writing with the help of the Cherokee tribe.
B.Sequoyah was a very observant young man.
C.Sequoyah spent twelve years developing his alphabet.
D.Sequoyah was honored by having some trees named after him.
It is natural that children are curious about the world around them.For example,they want to
know how their hearts beat.They want to know why the ocean water tastes salty.
As children grow up,they become curious about different kinds of things.When they are babies,
they are interested in the parte of their bodies and in the smiles of their mothers.Then they become interested in the physical world around them:the plants,the animals,and the sky.Later,they
become interested in the things that people have made:wheels,bicycles,cars.And when they are nules,theirecuriosity econtinues,Sometimes huis curoeily leaulk to a curer in sciemnce.
Scientists spend their lives trying to find out about the world.Thoe who work with the earth
ociences study the earth,the ceans,and the akies.Other aeiemtins who touly loring lhinge work wilh the biological sciences.A thicd goup of scientistk audy the phywical wieces,e g phyuice,
chemistry.These scientists have already discovered a lot about our world.For example,they lell us why your heaurt beats fast when you run.They say thet when you are quiet,your heart normlly beats sixty-five or scventy-five times a minute.Your heart is a pump(泵）that pumps bloud to all parte of the body.The blood carries oxygen and nutrition.When you run,your muscles work very hard and use the nutrition that the blood carries to them.The muscles need oxygen,too.So your bruin sends a signal to the heart.The signal means that the muscles need more nutrition and oxygen.Then the heart beats fast and sends blood quickly to the muscles.It may beat 90 to 140 times a minute. Of course,scientists cannot answer all of our questions.If we ask,"Why does the ocean water taste salty"scientists will say that the salt comes from rocks.When a rock gets very hot or very cold,it cracks.Rain falls into cracks.The rain then carries the salt into the earth and into the rivers.The rivers carry the salt into the ocean.But then we ask,"What happens to the salt in the ocean?The ocean does not get saltier every year,"scientists are not sure about the answer to this question. We know a lot about our world,but there are still many answers that we do not have,and we are curious.
51.According to the text,which of the following statements is true?
A.People are curious in almost the same way.
B.People in different countries are interested in different things.
C.Men and women are curious about different things.
D.People of different ages are interested in different things.
52.Scientists who work with the biological sciences study
B.the earth,the oceans and the sky
A.ocean water
C.plants and animals
D.man-made things
53.When you run,your muscles need
B.water
A.more nutrition and oxygen
D.more signals
C.more salt
54.A rock cracks
A.when rain falls onto it
B.in dry regions
C.at very high or very low temperatures
D.when salty water falls in it
55.People are always curious about the world because
A.they cannot explain many things
B.they know nothing about the world
C.they know little about the world
D.they want to be scientists
For some time past it has been widely accepted that babies and other creatures learn to do things
because certain acts lead to " rewards";and there is no reason to doubt that this is true.But it used also to be widely believed that effective rewards,at least in the early stages,had to be directly related to such basic physiological"drives"as thirst or hunger.In other words,a baby would learn if he got food
or drink or some sort of physical comfort,not otherwise.It is now clear that this is not so.Babies will learn to behave in ways that produce results in the world with no reward except the successful outcome.
Papousek began his studies by using milk in the normal way to"reward"the babies and so teach
them to carry out some simple movements,such as turning the head to one side or the other.Then he
noticed that a baby who had had enough to drink would refuse the milk but would still go on making the learned response with clear signs of pleasure.So he began to study the children.s responses in situations where no milk was provided.He quickly found that children as young as four months would learn to turn their heads to right or left if the movement"switched on"a display of lights-and indeed that they were
capable of learning quite complex turns to bring about this result.For instance,two left or two right,or even to make as many as three turns to one side.Papousek.s light display was placed directly in front of the babies and he made the interesting observation that sometimes they would not turn back to watch the lights closely although they would ＂smile and bubble"when the display came on.Papousek concluded that it was not primarily the sight of the lights which pleased them,it was the success they were achieving in solving the problem,in mastering the skill,and that there exists a fundamental human urge to make sense of the world and bring it under intentional control.
46.According to the author,babies learn to do things which
A.are directly related to pleasure
B.will meet their physical needs
C.will bring them a feeling of success
D.will satisfy their curiosity
47.Papusek noticed in his studies that baby.
A.would make learned responses when it saw the milk
B.would carry out learned movements when it had enough to drink
C.would continue the simple movements without being given milk
D.would turn its head to right or left when it had enough to drink
48.In Papusek.s experiment babies make learned movements of the head in order to
A.have the lights turned on
B.be rewarded with milk
C.please their parents
D.be praised
49.The babies would"smile and bubble"at the lights because_
A.the lights were directly related to some basic"drives"
B.the sight of the lights was interesting
C.they need not turn back to watch the lights
D.they succeeded in"switching on"the lights
50.According to Papusek,the pleasure babies get in achieving something is a reflection of
A.a basic human desire to understand and control the world
B.the satisfaction of certain physiological needs
C. their strong desire to solve complex problems
D.a fundamental human urge to display their learned skills
There are 15 incomplete sentences in this section.For each sentence there are four choices marked A,B,C and D.Choose one answer that best completes the sentence and blacken the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet.
6.There
no one to help me at this moment,I need to handle the work all by myself.
A.be
B.being
C.to be
D.been
7.Mary took a part-time job last summer,but her parents were unhappy about_
she did.
A.these
B.which
C.that
D.what
8.I did not do well on the writing exam,for the topic to write on was unfamiliar_
A.to
me.
B.for
C.with
D.about
9.1 can hardly distinguish the two girls,since they look quite
A.like
D.likely
B.unlike
C.alike
10.You.d better speak loudly at the meeting
everyone can hear you.
A.except that
D.so that
B.such that
C.in that
11.Peter would
stay at home watching TV than go shopping with his mom.
A.rather
D.still
B.quite
C.better
a new look.
12.By the time you return in two years,your hometown will_
A.have taken on
D.be taken on
B.take on
C.have been taken on
13.Please make sure that your name is entered in the
space when you fill out this form.
A.vacant
B.bare
C.blank
D.empty
14.Reading aloud every day can be one of the most
ways to improve your spoken English.
A.evident
B. effective
C.favorite
D.favorable
15.If Peter had told his teacher about his difficulty in math homework,she
him before the
exam.
A.helps
B. will help
C.would have helped
D.would help
16.
all the difficulties,the researcher continued her research.
A.In case of
B.In spite of
C.Because of
D.Instead of
17.The organizers of the conference have arranged hotel rooms for those students
from out of
town.
B.come
A.to come
D.to have come
C.coming
18.The job applicant was worried about the interview
he was well prepared.
A.if
B. because
C. when
D.though
19.It was suggested that this hardworking girl
an example for other students.
B.will be set
A.be set
C.could be set
D.had been set
20.Since computers were introduced,they
to be useful tools for people weak in math.
A.had proved
B.have proved
D.are proving
C.will prove
In our online life,we need to use passwords frequently.We use passwords 21 e-mail, gaming sites,social networking sites,and other shopping sites.22 the passwords most people use are not very 23 and can easily be"broken"by others.In fact,the most commonly used passwords are so simple that it requires very 24 effort to figure them out.Can you guess 25 the most commonly used passwords are?They are:Names of baseball teams,birth dates of a family 26 the year of a special sports event,the random numbers like 156468, 27 the name of a friend,pet,favorite TV star,or band.There are programs28 to break into people.s online accounts.These programs are29
of trying every word in the English dictionary and the dictionaries 30 many foreign languages,in their effort to break into an account. 31 can even search words backward.Some will try 32 words or words that are followed by numbers,school222.These programs can test millions of passwords in a few minutes.So,you are advised to be careful about 34 passwords so that they will be hard to break.You are also advised not to make 35 hard to remember.Meanwhile,you need to change them once in a while.
21.A.to B.with
C.by
D. for
22.A.However
B.Therefore
C.Moreover
D.Besides
23.A.natural
B.safe
C.strange
D.clear
24.A.minor
B.small
C.little
D.tiny
25.A. what
B.who
C.where
D.which
26.A.figure
B.member
C.creature
D. character
27.A.as close as
B.as good
C.as dear as
D.as well as
28.A.formed
B.shaped
C. composed
D.designed
29.A. typical
B.capable
C.sure
D.true
30.A.from
B.with
C.of
D. for
31.A.They
B.It
C.That
D.Those
32.A.added
B.gathered
C. combined
D. collected
33.A.such
B. except for
C.as for
D.as of
34.A.locating
B. searching
C. choosing
D.tracking
35.A.rather
B. too
C. far
D.enough
Sound sleep occurs when one.s internal clock is regulated.Circadian rhythms(生理节奏）can
become compromised quite easily.Many people with sleep troubles tend to vary bedtimes.To avoid this
common problem,sleep sufferers should go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.To help
improve circadian rhythms,sufferers should enjoy 15 minutes of sun exposure the first thing in the
morning.
A bedtime routine can help prevent insomnia(失眠）。One hour before bedtime,one should lower
the lights and relax.Reading a book or listening to calm music can help prepare the body for a good
night.s sleep.Taking a warm,candlelit bath or drinking a cup of warm milk can also help you prepare
for deep sleep at night.
Stress can have a bad effect on the body and the ability to sleep.A daily exercise routine can help
lower the body.s stress naturally.One can also manage stress by writing diaries.Writing diaries can
help people express their anxieties,plan for the future and improve sleep.Other ways to lower stress
include deep breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation.
The light sending out from computers,cellphones,tablets and televisions can cause sleep
problems.Therefore,these items should be turned off at least an hour before bedtime.Additionally,
lowering the backlight on these electronic devices earlier in the evening can help you fall asleep faster
and stay asleep longer once bedtime arrives.A perfect bedroom invites sweet sleep.Most people sleep better in a cool,dark,and quiet room.
Lower the temperature in the room to 16~20 degrees for a peaceful night.s sleep. A dark room can be
accomplished by installing light blocking curtains or wearing a sleep mask.Noise can be reduced with
either earplugs or a white noise machine.Finally,a comfortable mattress
（床垫）and pillows are
essential to a good night.s sleep.
36.What is the passage mainly about?
A.How to get a sound sleep.
B.How to lower body stress.
C.How to regulate internal clocks.
D.How to manage anxieties.
37.According to Paragraph 2,which of the following may lead to insomnia?
A.Reading a book for relaxation before bedtime.
B.Lowering lights one hour before bedtime.
C.Drinking some warm milk before bedtime.
D.Listening to rock music before bedtime.
38.What can be done to reduce stress?
A.Doing exercise every day.
B. Making plans for the future.
C.Writing about your sleep patterns.
D. Learning to hold your breath.
39.What is the perfect condition for sleep?
A.A quiet room with flashing lights.
B.A bright
room with white curtains.
C.A cool room with comfortable pillows.
D.A dark
room with electronic devices.