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A

The way in which people in Latin America spend their money changes from country to country. It obviously depends on the economy (经济). It’s not sensible to compare economies such as those of Argentina, Colombia or Mexico. As they are not the same, consumers spend their money in different ways.

There are many articles online about consumption habits in Latin America that show statistics; however, many of them just refer to the crisis (危机) and how bad the economy is.

In Argentina for example, due to the fact that there aren’t many ways to get a loan (贷款) and because of their cost, Argentineans prefer to buy cars. They invest their money in electrical appliances. They also spend a good part of their salaries on leisure: going out to dinner, to the movies or to the theater.

In Colombia, “plata”, which is an informal word for money, is used to buy houses. It doesn’t matter if you already have one, you can always buy a second one and rent it. Cars are also a very attractive option to spend money on; however, the most important thing is a house. Some people also spend their money on education: bachelor’s degrees, master’s programs, doctorates (博士学位) and so on. Recently, some Colombian people have decided to spend their money on something else: surgery (手术). The most common ones are to improve their nose, to lose some weight and also to gain weight in specific areas.

Mexican people spend their money on houses and education as well, and some on cars after that. Nonetheless, it’s also important to mention fun and going out for dinner. Some people say that they spend lots of money in restaurants.

However, be aware that those are just some general consumption habits in Latin America; it doesn’t mean that people there only spend their money on those things.

1. The article was written mainly to ______.

A. show how the economy influences consumption habits

B. explore consumption habits in Latin America

C. present the changes in people’s consumption habits

D. analyze why Latin American countries spend money in different ways

2. Argentineans prefer to buy cars because ______.

A. cars show their social status

B. they are inexpensive

C. houses are too expensive for them

D. it is convenient to travel by car in Argentina

3. What can be concluded from the article?

A. Colombia is the most educated country in Latin America.

B. Colombian people prefer to spend money on cars rather than on houses.

C. Mexican people spend more time eating out than they spend eating at home.

D. People in Mexico and Colombia attach a lot of importance to education.

B

James Joyce called Dublin the “center of paralysis (瘫痪),” and complained in a letter: “How sick, sick, sick I am of Dublin! It is the city of failure, of rancor (怨恨) and of unhappiness. I long to be out of it.” (22 August 1909)

He spent the last 30 years of his life in exile (流放), settling for periods in Trieste, Rome, Zurich, Paris – anywhere but Dublin.

It is a much remarked-upon irony (讽刺) that his masterpiece (代表作) Ulysses is not only set in Dublin, but never allows us to forget it. The novel tells the story of the hour-by-hour events of one day in Dublin – June 16, 1904 – as an ordinary Dubliner, Leopold Bloom, makes his way through the urban landscape, the journey of a modern-day Ulysses.

Streets, shops, pubs, churches, bridges – something of Dublin pops up on nearly every page. The city is always there no matter how difficult to understand Joyce’s prose (散文) becomes.

Bloomsday – June 16 – is an annual celebration among Joyce fans throughout the world, from Fort Lauderdale to Melbourne. It is celebrated in at least 60 countries worldwide, but nowhere so imaginatively, of course, as in Dublin. There the events of Leopold Bloom’s day are acted out all across Dublin by anyone who cares to participate.

At lunchtime, it’s traditional to stop off for a glass of wine and a Gorgonzola sandwich at Davy Byrne’s Pub on Duke Street, just as Bloom did. In the afternoon, the Ormond Hotel, where Bloom had feelings for the barmaids in the Sirens chapter, is the spot for an afternoon drink.

The years since 1904 have made following Bloom’s exact route (路线) impossible – Bloom’s home at 7 Eccles Street no longer exists and the red-light district (“Nighttown”), in which the unreal Circe chapter takes place, has been leveled; only the street pattern remains.

Bloomsday celebrations also feature readings of Ulysses, James Joyce lookalike contests, various other semi-literary activities, and a good excuse for drinking a few Guinnesses. In the eyes of many, it’s easier and a lot more fun than trying to work your way through the novel.

4. What does the word “irony” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A. Joyce’s prose was difficult to understand but it was a great success.

B. Joyce complained about Dublin but wanted to spend some time there.

C. Joyce disliked Dublin but his work Ulysses actually helped readers to remember it.

D. Joyce hated Dublin but showed his love for it in his novel Ulysses.

5. According to the article, Bloomsday _______.

A. started on June 16, 1904 in Dublin

B. is celebrated in over 60 countries every other year

C. is a holiday for people who want to enjoy everything that Dublin offers

D. is a day to celebrate James Joyce and his masterpiece Ulysses

6. Which of the following is a typical Bloomsday celebration?

A. Making some traditional food to celebrate it.

B. Acting out some events in Leopold Bloom’s day.

C. Following Bloom’s route and visiting his home.

D. Taking part in Ulysses reading contests.

C

Do cell phones cause cancer? No one knows for sure. Mobile phones have only been widely used for around 20 years, with the very first ones introduced just over 30 years ago. It’s too soon to tell just how harmful cell phones are.

In February 2011, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association recorded changes in brain glucose metabolism (葡萄糖代谢) during cell phone use. The study became the first to prove that cell phone use changes brain activity by monitoring 47 healthy volunteers seated and on the phone for 50 minutes. The volunteers’ brains were monitored by positron emission tomography (PET) scans to measure glucose metabolism.

Then in May 2011, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) added radiation from cell phones to its list of substances (物质) that possibly cause cancer in humans. The IARC’s research found that most cell phone use did not lead to more risk of glioma, a dangerous type of brain cancer, or meningioma, a more common, but typically not harmful, cancer. However, the study did find enough evidence that using cell phones for long periods of time on the same side of the head could mean an increased risk of glioma.

In a contrasting report released in July 2011, a British Institute of Cancer Research study found little evidence of cancer risk in 10 to 15 years of use. The study showed that there have been no increases in brain tumors (肿瘤) in several countries over the last 30 years since cell phones were introduced or even in the last 20 years since their use became more widespread.

With no long-term research available yet, limiting exposure to cell phone radiation by texting more and talking less is recommended. Stay off the phone when you have a weak signal, as it will need more radiation to contact the tower. Phone use for children should also be limited because their brains absorb twice as much cell phone radiation.

The kind of radiation that cell phones release is non-ionizing (非电离的) radiation, less harmful than ionizing radiation, which can cause mutations (突变) and cancer. However, scientists have long believed that non-ionizing radiation can enter the body and cause harm to sensitive tissue. Because of the lack of long-term evidence, it’s probably best to limit exposure whenever possible.

7. We cannot be sure whether cell phones cause cancer because ______.

A. there has been little research into it up to now

B. past findings have been proven unreliable

C. it’s difficult to track the bad effects of cell phone radiation

D. there has been little evidence of it given the short history of cell phones

8. What did the IARC find from their research?

A. Cell phone use could change brain glucose metabolism.

B. Most use of cell phones could lead to an increased risk of cancer.

C. Radiation from cell phones could increase the risk of cancer.

D. Cell phone use is more likely to cause meningioma than glioma.

9. To reduce the harm from cell phone use, it is recommended to ______.

A. stay far away from the signal tower

B. talk more and text less via cell phones

C. limit children’s exposure to cell phones

D. use cell phones when the signal is weak

10. The last paragraph was mainly written to ______.

A. discuss how to reduce cell phone radiation

B. tell readers about the bad effects of non-ionizing radiation

C. explain why limiting exposure to cell phone radiation counts

D. inform us of the link between non-ionizing radiation and cancer

D

What was life like in Whitby back when the town was not a tourist attraction but a working fishing port?

First and foremost, it was community life. You were part of group that knew and cared about you, as you did about your neighbors. People tended to live in one house for the whole of their life, often continuing with a married son or daughter taking on the household responsibilities and caring for their ageing parents. There was a friendliness and a sharing of one’s joys and troubles with other people. Loneliness was hardly possible. A widowed (寡居的) man might find his washing quietly done for him, or maybe some kind of baking left on his doorstep. A newly confined (分娩的) mother would have few worries about the care of her other children as they would be left with a neighbor. And in due course she would repay the kindness with a similar service.

Perhaps the hardest part was the water supply. In the old days there was a pump in a near yard. Much later, piped water was led to a shared tap in each yard where one filled the daily buckets. It was often their children’s job to get the water in before going to school.

The social history of Whitby is one of comfortable middle-class living alongside those were very poor indeed. But despite the extreme poverty, Whitby people were very good at making the best of things and did not air their poverty publicly. Respectability was important and most people tried to keep some “Sunday best” clothes.

Romantic as the artists may have found it, Whitby undoubtedly had its problems. Access to the upper floors was often by way of wooden steps and galleries outside. Roofs leaked (漏水), floors rotted, plaster (石膏) fell off. People would joke about how well their houses were ventilated (通风的).

Perhaps the state of the upkeep (维修) of the houses left much to be desired, but that was the landlord’s responsibility, not the people who actually lived in them. But for their part they did their best, cleaning the floor every week. Not only that, they also cleaned the yard steps from top to bottom.

11. What did life in Whitby’s community use to be like?

A. People moved out to live elsewhere when they got married.

B. People lived in harmony with their neighbors.

C. A widowed man would find it hard to manage his life.

D. Children were usually brought up by their grandparents.

12. What can we conclude from the text about people from Whitby?

A. They felt quite comfortable about their poverty.

B. The middle class and the poor were often in conflict.

C. They showed respect for each other though they were poor.

D. They cared about their public image, even if they were poor.

13. What was the main problem that most of the people of Whitby had?

A. They found it hard to get water from a pump.

B. They didn’t know how to keep their houses ventilated.

C. They lived in poor conditions and couldn’t afford their own houses.

D. They were not active enough to improve their living conditions.

14. According to the text, the people of Whitby were ______ in the old days.

A. romantic and artistic B. caring and optimistic

C. friendly and open-minded D. cautious and intelligent

E

Pollution’s disastrous effects on the environment have become more obvious in recent years, leading to a movement to promote energy efficiency (效率), less reliance on fossil (化石的) fuels and a reduction in air and water pollution. Most scientists agree that such changes are necessary to protect our environment from further harm.

The construction industry consumes a large quantity of energy and resources and creates a huge amount of pollution. In the United States, building and development account for 39 percent of the country’s total energy use, 12 percent of total water consumption, 68 percent of total electricity consumption and 38 percent of carbon dioxide emissions (排放), according to the Environment Protection Agency.

Green buildings use less energy, water, create less waste and are healthier to live, work and go to school in than standard buildings. Builders of green buildings use techniques that use resources more efficiently during the entire building cycle – construction, restoration, operation, maintenance (维护) and demolition (拆毁) – than those who construct more regular buildings.

The environmental benefits of building green include the protection of ecosystems and biodiversity, improved air and water quality, less waste flowing into streams and the conservation of natural resources. Green buildings can also result in lower operating costs because they typically use less energy and fewer materials and improve indoor air quality, improving the health of people who live there.

The process of building green includes technical and artistic planning with nature conservation in mind. Building designs often reflect the surrounding environment and natural resources and use renewable building materials such as bamboo and straw. In addition, recycled resources found locally are used for green buildings, reducing the cost and air pollution associated with transporting materials long distances.

Careful site selection is important to minimize (最小化) human impact on the surrounding environment. For example, placing a structure in an area that allows it to take advantage of cool breezes (微风) and sunlight can reduce energy use and expenses. More energy and expense are needed for larger buildings as well, so it is important to build small.

Green roofs are another feature of green houses that reduce energy use and cost. These roofs are partially or completely covered with plants, which helps to keep heating and cooling costs low, prevent water running off and deal with pollutants.

Other features of green buildings often include energy and water conservation, recycling and waste reduction. In addition, renewable energy sources such as solar power, hydropower (水能) and wind power are used for heat and electricity, which greatly reduces costs and decreases the impact on the environment.

15. What is the text mainly about?

A. The necessity of promoting energy efficiency.

B. The process of building green buildings.

C. The benefits and features of green buildings.

D. Green buildings’ effects on the environment.

16. According to the text, green buildings refer to the buildings that ______.

A. produce no waste B. only use clean energy

C. are made of recycled materials

D. use energy and resources more efficiently

17. Which of the following statements is TRUE about green buildings?

A. They rely on fossil fuels and solar power for heat and electricity.

B. Small buildings are less efficient in energy use than larger ones.

C. The ecosystem has to be considered when building a green building.

D. They are difficult to maintain and thus need more operating costs.

18. Green roofs are used because ______.

A. they fit the surrounding environment well

B. they are cheaper than other kinds of roofs

C. they can keep natural water for use in everyday life

D. they can help to control the temperature in the building well