Passage 1

Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage.

     The average population density of the world is 47 persons per square mile. Continental densities range from no permanent inhabitants in Antarctica to 211 per square mile in Europe. In the western hemisphere, population densities range from 4 per square mile in Canada to 675 per square mile in Puerto Rico. In Europe the range is from 4 per square mile in Iceland to 831 per square mile in the Netherlands. Within countries there are wide variations of population densities. For example，in Egypt，the average is 55 persons per square mile,but 1, 300 persons inhabit each square mile in settled portions where the land is arable (可耕种的).

High population densities generally occur in regions of developed industrialization, such as the Netherlands, Belgium, and Great Britain, or where lands are intensively used for agriculture, as in Puerto Rico and Java.

Low average population densities，which are characteristic of most underdeveloped countries, are generally associated with a relatively low percentage of cultivated land. This generally results from poor quality lands. It may also be due to natural obstacles to cultivation, such as deserts, mountains or malaria-infested jungles; to land uses other than cultivation, as pasture and forested land; to primitive methods that limit cultivation; to social obstacles; and to land ownership systems which keep land out of production.

More economically advanced countries of low population density have, as a rule, large proportions of their populations living in urban areas. Their rural population densities are usually very low. Poorer developed countries of correspondingly low general population density, on the other hand, often have a concentration of rural population living on arable land, which is as great as the rural concentration found in the most densely populated industrial countries.

Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

A. World Population,

B. Population Densities,

C. Population Migration,

D. Economics and Population

In the cultivated areas of Egypt, we may expect to find_____.

A.few inhabitants,

B.densely populated settlements,

C.l,300persons living in one settlement,

D.55 persons inhabiting one square mile

The most densely populated community in Europe is_____ .

A.Iceland,

B.Belgium,

C.the Netherlands,

D.Great Britain

This passage indicates that Puerto Rico is_____.

A.agriculture-oriented,

B.malaria-infested,

C.highly industrialized,

D.poverty-stricken

This passage has probably been taken from a/an _____.

A.tourist guide,

B.business journal,

C.world geography book,

D.economic report

Passage 2

Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage.

    Engaging in a hobby like reading a book, making a patchwork quilt or even playing computer games can delay the onset of dementia, a US study suggests. Watching TV, however, does not count—and indeed, spending significant periods of time in front of the box may speed up memory loss, researchers found. Nearly 200 people aged 70 to 89 with mild memory problems were compared with a group who had no impairment. The researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota asked the volunteers about their daily activities within the past year and how mentally active they had been between the age of 50 to 65. Those who had? during middle age, been busy reading, playing games or engaging in craft hobbies like patchworking or knitting were found to have a 40% reduced risk of memory impairment. In later life，those same activities reduced the risk by a rate between 30% and 50%. Those who watched TV for less than 7 hours a day were also 50% less likely to develop memory loss than those who spend longer staring at the screen.

“This study is exciting because it demonstrates that ageing does not need to be a passive process，” said neuroscientist Dr. Yonas Geda. “By simply engaging in cognitive exercise, you can protect against future memory loss. Of course, the challenge with this type of research is that we are relying on past memories of the subjects (实验对象)，therefore we need to confirm these findings with additional research.” Sarah Day，head of public health at the Alzheimer’s Society，said，“One million people will develop dementia in the next 10 years so there is a desperate need to find ways to prevent dementia. Exercising and challenging your brain~by learning new skills, doing puzzles such as crosswords, and even learning a new language—can be fun. However, more research, where people are followed up over time, is needed to understand whether these sorts of activities can reduce the risk of dementia.”

If one suffers from dementia, he would be unable to_____.

A. move his limbs,

B. speak correctly,

C. recall past events,

D. sit in upright posture

The subjects of the research mentioned in the passage were_____.

A. people watching TV programs several hours a day,

B. the middle-aged with lots of daily mental activities,

C. people actively engaged in their hobbies at an early age,

D. two groups of seniors either with or without memory problems

It was found in the research that_____.

A.cognitive exercise helps people prevent future memory loss,

B.cure for dementia will soon be available in 10 years or so,

C.mentally challenging hobbies usually lead to mental fatigue,

D.nothing can deter the gradual loss of memory

The research was based on the data of the_____.

A.brain makeup of the subjects,

B.past memories of the subjects,

C.uses of language of the subjects,

D.physical exercises of the subjects

More research should be conducted in which .

A.people of different age groups should be investigated,

B.the relationship between dementia and genes will be investigated,

C.more subjects will be included so as to verify the current findings,

D.effects of cognitive exercise on subjects should be traced over time

Passage 3

Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following passage.

   The complex topic “social class” is difficult to avoid when discussing British society，which is often seen as a society in which “social class” is more important than in other countries. This is true to a certain extent, but should probably not be exaggerated. Most countries have some kind of class structure. There exist broad groups within society which share types of employment, income levels, and certain cultural characteristics. But important in the idea of “class” is that it makes a difference to an individual’s “life-chances” which group or class he or she is bom into. So if a middle-class couple, perhaps a doctor and a teacher, have a child, it is more likely that that child will also acquire middle-class education, employment and income levels than will the child of working-class factory workers. This is certainly the case in the UK, though it should be stressed that it is far from impossible for the working-class child to acquire middle-class status: it is simply statistically much more unlikely than for his middle-class school-friend.

If asked, about half the British population would describe themselves as middle-class, and half as working-class. Employment would be the main guide they would use: manual (or “blue-collar”）workers would usually call themselves working-class，and office (or “white-collar”）workers would usually call themselves middle-class. However, there is a hazy area around unskilled office-work and skilled well-paid manual work which leads to sub-divisions such as “lower middle class”being used; and the term “upper middle class” might be used to describe doctors and lawyers and so on who have relatively high incomes and high status professions—especially in families with long traditions of such employment. This would differentiate them from the majority of middle-class people today, most of whom have working-class parents or grandparents. This reflects the huge expansion of the middle class over the twentieth century，and especially since 1945, when more equal social policies were adopted by the government.

The author discusses British society from the perspective of_____.

A. education,

B. social class,

C. employment,

D. income levels

“Class” is important because it____.

A.determines an individual’s personality,

B.makes a difference to an individual’s marriage,

C.makes a difference to the opportunities available to an individual,

D. gives an individual equal chances for education and employment

The British would distinguish their social classes mainly by____.

A. employment,

B.income levels,

C. family traditions,

D.education backgrounds

British doctors and lawyers belong to the____.

A. upper middle class,

B.lower middle class,

C. upper class,

D.working class

The middle-class expanded considerably over the twentieth century mainly because____.

A. the British earned more money than before,

B. more people received higher education than before,

C.the number of doctors and lawyers increased sharply,

D.the British government introduced more equal social policies

Passage 4

Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following passage.

   “But I can’t save any money.” It’s an excuse I hear a lot from which I detect a note of defiance. In the past few years, it has become increasingly frequent, as more and more Americans make less than we spend, eating up the savings in our homes. The national savings rate is declining. And the situation seems to be getting worse.

We certainly know that saving money is good for us. Yet saving for tomorrow is still a largely ignored and unappreciated skill. The question that naturally follows is: Why? Why don’t Americans make saving a priority?

To start with, saving today is much harder. The typical household income has held largely steady for a good half decade, while prices have continued to rise. If you’re having to spend a disproportionate amount of income on food and gas,it’s hard to save. Besides, credit became too accessible. For years it was simply too easy to get your hands on money to spend. While banks at one time would not let you spend more than 36 percent of your total income on debt, they stretched that number to 55 percent during the housing boom. Why save when you could get that big flat-screen TV today and pay for it with mortgage debt that was both cheap and deductible? Last but not least, saving is, was, and always will be no fun. Think about it this way: Choosing to save almost always means opting for delayed gratification instead of immediate gratification. The pleasure of getting something good today is much greater than that in the future—even if the reward in the future is bigger.

Recently, neuroeconomists, a relatively new breed of experts in economics and neuroscience，have started using MRIs (核磁共振成像）to view the brain as it is making money choices. When something we want to buy comes into view, they see the pleasure center firing up. Similarly, getting a few dollars today is more thrilling than getting a slightly larger profit tomorrow. And if you have to wait a few months for that gain, it will have to be much bigger in order to arouse the same interest in your brain. Things way off in the future---like retirement—don’t jostle the pleasure center much at all.

In the author’s eyes，Americans say they can’t save any money because they_____.

A. want to win sympathy,

B. are well prepared for retirement,

C.will make more money in the future,

D.are probably unwilling to be economical

According to the passage, during the housing boom the banks _____.

A. raised the saving interest rate,

B. issued fewer credit cards,

C. made it easier to borrow money,

D. initiated credit risk management

How many reasons are given in Paragraph 3?

A.2.,

B.3.,

C.4.,

D.5.

The neuroeconomists' research is cited to prove_____.

A.saving will be more thrilling as time goes by,

B.MRIs help customers make purchase decisions,

C.if s a complex process to stimulate the pleasure center,

D.immediate gratification is more appealing than delayed gratification

What suggestion do you think the author is most likely to give in the following paragraphs?

A. Saving up money.,

B. Applying for credit cards.,

C. Stimulating consumption.,

D. Studying the pleasure center.

Passage 5

Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.

   Many editors and writers today define flash fiction as a story ranging from a few words to not usually over 1,500 to 2,000 words (but more often less than 1,000 words). A traditional short story ranges from 3,000 to 20,000 words, so flash fiction is considerably shorter. However, while length can help identify flash fiction, it is of little use in actually defining it.

The amorphous and variable quality of flash fiction allows for the constant changing of shapes as these stories draw and develop from various genres and traditions to create stand-alone stories that often work on their own terms. Countless writers are involved in writing flash fiction in various ways. Many are involved in following the form’s long tradition，and many others are reinventing the form as they continue to experiment with the boundaries and methods of fiction. These shortest of stories are not always diversions for the moment but are often stories that are profound and memorable—as good fiction of longer lengths can be.

Charles Baxter notes in the introduction to Sudden Fiction International: 60 Short Short Stories, 'This form is not about to be summarized by anyone's ideas about it. The stories are on so many various thresholds: they are between poetry and fiction, the story and the sketch, prophecy and reminiscence, the personal and the crowd As a form，they are open，and exist in a state of potential.”

Some names for flash fiction are chosen to stress brevity, suggesting that such stories can be read or even written in a flash. Other names are chosen to emphasize the way in which the stories affect and enlighten readers. And still other names are chosen for the way in which they cause readers to perform the act of reading, many times forcing them to slow down and read such pieces as slowly and carefully as they would read good poetry.

Even though this type of writing travels by several names, flash fiction has become the most popular label, likely because of its snappy poetic consonance, which makes it easy to hold in memory, and because of its distance from the older, less descriptive term “short-shorts”. More and more writers，editors, and readers use “flash fiction” to refer to very short stories.

Flash fiction usually refers to a story ranging from a few words to____.

A.less than 1，000 words,

B.more than 2,000 words,

C.more than 3,000 words,

D.less than 20,000 words

The form of flash fiction can be best described as____.

A.variable,

B.unified,

C.traditional,

D.complete

How many ways of naming flash fiction are mentioned in Paragraph 4?

A. 2.,

B. 3.,

C. 4.,

D. 5.

Among all the labels referring to very short stories, the most popular one is____.

A.short-shorts,

B.short story,

C.flash fiction,

D.poetic story

The passage mainly focuses on flash fiction in terms of its____.

A.popularity,

B.names,

C.readers,

D.poetic quality