they grow up.
Ironically, children bom in a baby boom year can become a liability because they will be locked in a tougher competition for educational, natural and material resources. In more sense than one, their competition begins even before they are bom, because their mothers have to wait longer for their regular medical check-ups and to secure a bed in a hospital for childbirth. In China where more often than not parents guide (or even force) their children to choose the subjects to study and the vocations to compete for, zodiac signs are of least or no importance. The real important thing is to encourage children to let their imagination fly and develop their unique skills.
62. Which of the following sentences serves as a supporting fact to the writer’s main point of view?
A. Many more babies will be bom before the Year of the Horse ends.
B. Traditionally it is believed “ Sheep babies ” lead a difficult and suppressive life. C. Doctors warn that premature cesarean section is a violation of the laws of nature. D. The real important thing is to encourage children to let their imagination fly.
63. According to the passage, which one does NOT belong to the concept of “superstition” ? A. You will have seven years of bad luck if you break a mirror. B. Never open an umbrella under a roof or a shelter.
C. When you marry will determine what your marriage will be like. D. A word once spoken can never be recalled.
64. The writer uses facts from the following fields EXCEPT____ to support his point of view. A. culture B. science C. politics D. economy
D
Even before there were people, there were cases of air pollution. There were dust storms. Volcanoes erupted, sending ash and poisonous gases into the atmosphere. When people appeared on the scene and began their conquest of nature, they also began to pollute the air. They cleared land, which made possible even larger dust storms. They built cities, and the soot(煤烟) from their hearths filled the air. The Roman author Seneca wrote in A.D. 61 of the “stink, soot and heavy air”of the imperial city. In 1257, the Queen of England was forced to move away from the city of Nottingham because the heavy smoke was unbearable. The industrial revolution brought even worse air pollution. Coal was burned to power factories and to heat homes. Soot, smoke, and sulfur dioxide(二氧化硫) fill the air.
The good old days? Not in the factory towns. But there were large rural areas unaffected by air pollution.
With increasing population, the entire world is becoming more urban. It is the huge cities that are most affected by air pollution. But rural areas are not unaffected. In the neighborhoods around smoky factories, there is evidence of increased rates of spontaneous abortion(自然流产) and of poor wool quality in sheep, decreased egg production and a high death rate in chickens. Traffic police in Tokyo have to wear gas masks and take “oxygen breaks” —breathing occasionally from tanks of oxygen. Smog in Athena at times has forced factory closings and traffic restrictions. Acid rain in Canada is caused by air pollution in the United States,
contributing to strained relationships between the two countries. Sydney, Rome, Tehran, Ankara, Mexico City, and most other major cities in the world have had frightening experiences of air pollution.
One of the two major types of smog—consisting of smoke, fog, sulfur dioxide, sulfuring acid (H2SO4), ash and soot—is called London smog. Indeed, the word smog is thought to have originated in England in 1905 as a contraction of the words “smoke” and “fog.”
Probably the worst case of smog in history started in London on Thursday, 4 December, 1952. A large cold air mass moved into the valley of the Thames River. A temperature inversion placed a blanket of warm air over the cold air. With nightfall, a dense fog and below-freezing temperatures caused the people of London to put coal into their small stoves. Millions of these fires burned throughout the night, pouring sulfur dioxide and smoke into the air. The next day, Friday, the people continued to bum coal when the temperature remained below freezing. The factories added their smoke and chemical fumes to the atmosphere.
Saturday was a day of darkness. For twenty miles around London, no light came through the smog. The air was cold and still. And the coal fires continued to bum throughout the weekend. On Monday, 8 December, more than one hundred people died of heart attacks while trying desperately to breathe. By the time a breeze cleared the air on Tuesday, 9 December, more than 4,000 deaths had been caused by the smog.
Soot and ash can be removed by electrostatic precipitators(静电吸尘器). Unfortunately, they use large amounts of electricity, and the electrical energy, which is hardly affordable for most of us, has to come from somewhere. Fly ash removed from the air has to be put on the land or water, although it could be used in some way.
The elimination(去除) of sulfur dioxide is more difficult. Low-sulfur coal is rare and expensive. Although sulfur can be washed from finely pulverized(粉末化) coal, the process is expensive. There are also processes for changing dirty coal into clean liquid and gaseous fuels. These processes may hold promise for the future, but they are too expensive to compete economically with other fuels at present. They also waste a part of the coal’s energy. 65. What is the passage mainly talking about? A. The type and form of pollution. B. The cause and effect of pollution.
C. The situation and elimination of pollution. D. The concept and examples of pollution. 66. What can we infer from the first paragraph?
A. Human beings should not have begun their conquest of nature.
B. Human activities contribute more to pollution than natural disasters do. C. Seneca and the Queen of England were both over-sensitive to air pollution. D. The industrial revolution was a disadvantage in terms of air pollution.
67. With the example of “decreased egg production”in paragraph 3, the author intends to A. explain why the world is becoming more urban
B. indicate that heavy pollution also exists in rural areas C. show that large cities are most affected by air pollution
D. prove smoky factories are more affected by air pollution 68. What is the right order about the 1952 London Smog? a. A breeze cleared the air of London. b. Thousands of people died.
c. There was a day of darkness in London.
d. A large cold air mass caused a blanket of warm air over London. e. London people made continuous fires from coal to keep warm. A. d-e-c-b-a B. c-e-d-a-b C. d-c-e-b-a D. c-d-e-a-b 69. What does the author mainly want to say in the last two paragraphs?
A. The technology to remove air pollution is only currently in development. B. Society must be prepared to spend whatever it takes to eliminate air pollution. C. Air pollution control is too costly to be achieved at the current time. D. Pollution can be controlled using man-made scientific techniques.
70. It can be inferred that when writing this article, the author was in a(n)_______ mood about the topic.
A. sympathetic B. optimistic C. desperate D. concerned
第四部分：任务型阅读(共10小题；每小题1分，满分l0分)
请阅读下面短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。 “New normal” is a popular term referring to China’s current economy. It means the Chinese economy has entered a new phase that is different from the high-speed growth pattern exhibited in the past. It is a new trend that features more sustainable, mid-to-high-speed growth with higher efficiency and lower costs.
During the new normal state, the growth slowdown from a high rate of around 10 percent to now about 7 to 8 percent is unavoidable.
The economy will also undergo comprehensive and fundamental changes. The service
industry will gradually become a backbone(中坚) of the national economy and consumption will be the main source of demand. Along with that process of restructuring, some industries will suffer from the problem of over-productivity. Meanwhile, some new growth points will spring up.
Meanwhile the Chinese economy will transform from the production investment-driven model into an innovation-driven model. The prolonged difficulties facing manufacturing(制造业) industries show China can no longer rely on low cost production factors, as the prices of labor, resources and land are rising. Technological innovation must become the main driving force.
Under the new normal state, the service sectors will provide more new jobs than the manufacturing industries. In 2012, the latter industry created about 980 jobs while creating 100 million yuan of gross domestic product. The service industry can make 1,200 new jobs. The rise of service sectors’ proportion will increase GDP and create more jobs.
Authorities need to increase people’s income, especially the low-income group, who shows stronger buying power. The government will also have to cover all citizens with a basic social welfare net. Without a boost (提升) in income it would be difficult to boost consumption.
Before the “new normal” state, the Chinese economy overwhelmingly relied on investment and export. The changes of foreign demand and investment caused fluctuations(波动) in the economy. The periodic fluctuations will become milder under the new normal state in which the economy relies more on consumption. The stabilization of economic growth will also stabilize the price of goods. The consumer price index(CPI) only increased 2.6 percent in the past two years, and 2.3 percent in the first half of this year.
Innovation will become the most irreplaceable driving force for the restructuring of the Chinese economy. Growth quality and efficiency will be higher on the agenda of enterprises and the society as a whole.
In general, the new normal state can boost China to transform its growth model, overcome the “middle-income trap”, and maintain mid-and-high-speed growth for a considerably long time. Topic Sub-topic Definition Detailed Information The Chinese economy has entered a new trend (71)_______ a slower speed but a healthier state. A mid-to-high-rate growth The economic growth will (72) _______ down to about 7 to 8 percent. Characteristics An upgraded economic (73)_______ Economic (74)_______ New Normal of Chinese Economy Job (76)_______ Service and consumption will become the main driving force. From low cost production model to technological innovation model. More jobs will be created (77) _______ the rise of service industry. More money will be distributed to the low-income group in order to (78) _________ consumption. A basic social welfare net will also cover all citizens. Relying more on consumption and (79)_________ on investment and export will help stabilize the economic growth and hence the price of goods. Innovation will play a role that can be (80)_________ by nothing in the restructuring of the Chinese economy. Income distribution and social welfare extension (75)_________ on society A stable growth and stabilized prices Boosting innovation 第五部分：书面表达(满分25分)
请阅读下面一篇Chinadaily英文报fomm论坛中的一篇短文，并按照要求用英语写一篇l50词左右的文章，向该报投稿，阐述你自己的看法。
