题型：阅读理解 题类：其他 难易度：中档
年份：2016
B
The highest beef prices in almost three decades have arrived just before the start of hot season, causing a great shock to both consumers and restaurant owners—and relief isn’t likely anytime soon. A decreasing number of cattle and growing export demand from countries such as China and Japan have caused the average price of fresh beef to climb to $ 5.28 a pound in February, up almost a quarter from January and the highest price since 1987.
“Everything that’s produced is being consumed,” said Kevin Good, an analyst at CattleFax, a Colorado-based information group. And prices likely will stay high for a couple of years as cattle producers start to rebuild their herds amid big questions about whether the Southwest and parts of the Midwest will see enough rain to water the grass.
“I quit buying steaks a while ago when the price went up,” said 59-year-old Lubbock resident Len Markham, who works at Texas Tech. She says she limits red meat purchases to hamburger, choosing chicken, pork and fish instead.
Restaurant owners, too, must deal with the high prices. Mark Hutchens, owner of the 50 Yard Line Steakhouse in Lubbock, raised his menu prices for beef items by about 5 percent in November. Since then, the owner of the small eating house has tried to make cuts elsewhere to avoid passing it on to customers. “It really squeezes the small guys more,” he said of non-chain restaurants. “I just think you have to stay competitive and keep your costs low.”
“White-tablecloth restaurants have adjusted the size of their steaks, making them thinner,” says Jim Robb, director of the Colorado-based Livestock Marketing Information Center. “And fast-food restaurants are cutting costs by reducing the number of menu items and are offering other meat options, including turkey burgers,” Robb said. “Chain restaurants also try to buy in volume as much as they can, which essentially gives them a discount,” Iowa State University assistant economics professor Lee Schulz said.
The high prices are welcome news for at least one group: ranchers (大农场经营者), especially those in Texas who for years have struggled because of drought and high feed prices. But even as ranchers breathe a sigh of relief, some worry lasting high prices will cause consumers to permanently change their buying habits—switching to chicken or pork. Pete Bonds, a 62-year-old Texas rancher and president of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, said that’s a big concern, especially as younger consumers start to establish themselves. “But such fears may be unfounded, Robb said. Three years ago, economists thought consumers would start finding substitutions for beef as the drought spread. “We’re surprised we haven’t seen more of that,” he said.
South Dakota rancher Chuck O’Connor is optimistic that consumers won’t abandon beef for good. “I’m sure some are maybe going to cut back some, but to say that people aren’t going to buy it anymore, I don’t think that’s going to happen,” he said, adding, “I hope not.”
| A. ranchers have found ways to deal with high feed prices
|
| B. there is a lack of rain and the export of beef is increasing
|
| C. there is a growing demand for fresh beef among Americans
|
| D. cattle producers have succeeded in raising a new type of cattle |
| A. They have made the steaks smaller than before.
|
| B. They have increased the prices of beef-related dishes.
|
| C. They have made hamburgers with many other kinds of meat.
|
| D. They have sought discount by purchasing large amounts of beef. |
| A. tell people that it is a tough job to look for substitutions for beef
|
| B. show his fear that chicken or pork may be an alternative to beef
|
| C. explain that customers won’t change their buying habits completely
|
| D. indicate that ranchers may be least affected by the high beef prices |
题型：阅读理解 题类：其他 难易度：中档
年份：2016
C
The heat of the moment is a powerful, dangerous thing. My friend Eduardo Andrade and I wondered if emotions could influence how people make decisions even after the heat or anxiety wears off. However, really, we worried about it. If we were right, and recklessly (鲁莽地) poor emotional decisions guide later rational (理性的) moments, well, then, we’re not terribly sophisticated (精明的) decision makers, are we? If emotional decisions guide later rational moments, well, then, we’re not terribly sophisticated decision makers, are we?
To test the idea, we needed to observe some emotional decisions. So we annoyed some people, by showing them a five-minute clip from the movie Life as a House, in which an arrogant (自负的) boss fires an architect who proceeds to smash the firm’s models. We made other subjects happy, by showing them — what else? — a clip from the TV show Friends.
Right after that, we had them play a classic economics game, in which a “sender” (in this case, Eduardo and I) has $20 and offers a “receiver” (the movie watcher) a portion of the money. Some offers are fair (an even split) and some are unfair (you get $5, we get $15). The receiver can either accept or reject the offer. If he rejects it, both sides get nothing.
Traditional economics predicts that people — as rational beings — will accept any offer of money rather than reject an offer and get zero. But behavioral economics shows that people often prefer to lose money in order to punish a person for making an unfair offer.
Our findings followed suit, and, interestingly, the effect was amplified (增强) among our irritated (被惹恼了的) subjects. Life as a House watchers rejected far more offers than Friends watchers, even though the content of the movie had nothing to do with the offer. Just as a fight at home may sour your mood, increasing the chances that you’ll send a terrible e-mail, being subjected to an annoying movie leads people to reject unfair offers more frequently even though the offer wasn’t the cause of their mood.
Next came the important part. We waited. And when the emotions caused by the movie were no longer a factor, we had the participants play the game again. Those who had been annoyed the first time they played the game rejected far more offers this time as well. They were tapping the memory of the decisions they had made earlier, when they were responding under the influence of feeling annoyed. In other words, the tendency to reject offers remained heightened among our Life as a House group — compared with control groups — even when they were no longer irritated.
| A. Whether we are emotional in making decisions. |
| B. Whether our emotions are influenced by actions. |
| C. Whether decision makers have emotional problems. |
| D. Whether short-term emotions have long-term effects. |
| A. are more likely to reject unfair offers |
| B. are annoyed to be receivers of the money |
| C. are willing to accept any offer of money |
| D. are in no mood to offer others any money |
| A. their findings correspond to what traditional economics predicts
|
| B. their findings correspond to what behavioral economics shows
|
| C. they did their study by following the rules of behavioral economics
|
| D. they did their study by following the rules of traditional economics |
| A. confirmed their assumption
|
| B. changed their study objectives
|
| C. disagreed with their assumption
|
| D. adopted a different study method |
题型：阅读理解 题类：模拟题 难易度：中档
年份：2016
A
New York Transit Museum: Ghost Station Tour
City Hall Station, an abandoned station of the New York Rapid Transit (运输) subway, was originally the last stop at the southern end of the subway line. Opened in 1904, the station was designed to be the most impressive station of the city’s new subway system.
City Hall Station remained in use until 1945, when the station had to be closed due to certain changes in the city’s subway system. As more and more passengers started to travel by subway, it became necessary to add more cars to subway trains. This meant that subway platforms needed to be extended to fit the longer trains. However, City Hall Station was originally built with a short, bent platform, making improvements to the station difficult. Rather than trying to rebuild it, officials chose to abandon City Hall Station in favor of another nearby station, the Brooklyn Bridge Station. Thus, City Hall became a “ghost” (鬼，幽灵) station on the New York subway line, a modern underground ruin.
Although the station is no longer used by subway travelers, the New York Transit Museum has found a new use for the station. The museum has reopened City Hall Station for tourists. Due to the historic significance and beauty of this station, the New York Transit Museum schedules special tours of the station. With some new features added, the station has been named as a landmark by the U.S. government.
Tour Information and Reservations
Please make reservations with the Transit Museum from Tuesday to Friday, 10 am to 4 pm. Payment in advance is required for tours and must be received at least one week before the scheduled tour. Payment can be made by credit or check.
Tours may require a lot of walking. Wear good walking shoes and comfortable clothes. For your safety, follow the instructions of the tour guide when touring abandoned stations, stay with the group at all times, and follow instructions or signs at the facilities.
Photography is not permitted inside abandoned facilities and some tours have been restricted since 2001 due to security concerns. Please check before booking.
| A. The history and features of this station.
|
| B. A special tour for children.
|
| C. The most popular subway station in New York.
|
| D. A way to tour New York by subway. |
| A. People not using the station. |
| B. The use of more cars.
|
| C. Passengers from the Brooklyn Bridge Station. |
| D. The way the platform was built. |
| A. Tour guides and visitors ride trains.
|
| B. Tours require reservation.
|
| C. Tours are six hours long.
|
| D. Tours cannot be reserved more than a week in advance. |
| A. A science textbook. |
| B. A tourist map.
|
| C. A museum guide. |
| D. A news report. |
题型：阅读理解 题类：月考试卷 难易度：中档
年份：2016
| A. the evening arrived |
| B. they got to the concert hall |
| C. the spotlight came on |
| D. her mother talked to her friend |
| A. The pianist knew the boy’s mother very well. |
| B. The pianist helped the boy to play a beautiful music. |
| C. The pianist told the boy to stop playing the piano. |
| D. The pianist wanted to play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star |
| A. we could get help and we should help others |
| B. we should give helping hands to others when they notice |
| C. we never receive helping hands when we need |
| D. we always do things successfully without help |
题型：阅读理解 题类：其他 难易度：中档
年份：2016
B
You may have heard that the weekend is a time when people in the UK are supposed to do gardening or enjoy a Sunday roast dinner. But for many soccer fans, it is actually a time to be on the move.
The 3 pm kickoff is an important moment. Many fans watch their television sets or go to their local pub to meet their fellow supporters. But for thousands of more serious fans, the kickoff is only a part of the story.
There are still traveling supporters waking up early across England to make the “away” journey. Look closely on the roads and you might see a supporters’ coach, carrying happily singing fans to their destination. Other fans drive their cars, sometimes covered in their teams’ names and with soccer scarves flying from the windows.
In England alone, there are around 230 professional and semi-professional teams. From giants like Manchester United to small town teams like AFC Fylde, fans spend a lot of time and money on “the love of the game”. And being a die-hard (铁杆) soccer fan is an expensive hobby. According to a recent BBC study, the cheapest season ticket at Arsenal is as much as￡1，014 (9788 yuan). Other costs include the travel, the parking, the food and the drink.
No soccer game in the UK is without a large quantity of songs, and from dawn, fans begin clearing their throats to sing. Many pop songs have been used by supporters, usually to make fun of the other team. So if you’re a fan of KTV, you might like to try the British version: soccer.
| A. Take care of their gardens. |
| B. Move to watch games. |
| C. Sing songs in KTV. |
| D. Meet fellow supporters at home. |
| A. most soccer fans are from rich families |
| B. food and drink is included in the season ticket |
| C. AFC Fylde is a national soccer team |
| D. being a die-hard soccer fan is costing |
| A. UK soccer fans’ enthusiasm for the game. |
| B. UK soccer fans’ journey to destination. |
| C. UK soccer fans’ songs on weekends |
| D. UK soccer fans’ expense on hobbies. |
| A. A travel guide. |
| B. A business magazine. |
| C. A cultural journal. |
| D. A weekly newspaper. |
题型：阅读理解 题类：其他 难易度：中档
年份：2016
C
On Jan 1, people in Western countries traditionally make a New Year’s resolution, which is a promise to yourself to get something done–to finish a long-delayed task, start a positive habit or repair a damaged relationship, for example.
The New Year offers the chance to re-invent oneself, and resolutions make that progress more concrete. They say, “I will change, and this is how I will do it.”
So at the beginning of January, gym owners can expect their profits to go way up, as people crowd around exercise machines trying to keep their weight loss resolutions. Meanwhile, bookstores and libraries see self-help books fly off the shelves after having sat there, untouched, for many months. McDonald’s and KFC–along with many different alcohol, cigarette and video game companies–might lose some money, causing their CEOs to panic.
But the sad truth is that humans are usually weak. Several months later, people’s waistlines will go back to where they were; their weekly calls with their mothers will stay at once a month; they’ll start smoking again. Richard Wiseman, a famous UK psychologist, did a study in 2014 and found that 52 percent of people making New Year’s resolutions were confident they would stick with them, but only 12 percent really did.
Then why bother? Well, New Year’s resolutions are, as UK author Samuel Johnson wrote, “a victory of hope over experience”. They are a way to show what we wish for ourselves. They’re a way to make a note of what we’re not satisfied with ourselves. And, perhaps most importantly, they’re a method of erasing the errors of the past year.
| A. Building a new relationship. |
| B. Creating a new oneself. |
| C. Taking down satisfying points. |
| D. Finishing an emergent task. |
| A. Gym and bookstore owners. |
| B. CEOs of fast food restaurants. |
| C. People wanting to lose weight. |
| D. Parents staying at home. |
| A. humans are usually weak |
| B. New Year’s resolutions are important |
| C. most people are confident |
| D. famous people are influential |
| A. beneficial and worthy |
| B. practical to the makers |
| C. hard to insist on |
| D. useless in nature |
题型：阅读理解 题类：期中考试 难易度：中档
年份：2016
B
Anna Schiferl hadn’t even got out of bed when she reached for her cell phone and typed a text to her mom, one recent Saturday. Mom was right downstairs in the kitchen. The text? Anna wanted an egg for breakfast. Soon after, Joanna Schiferl called, “If you want to talk to me, Anna, come downstairs and see me!” Anna laughs about it now. “I was kind of being lazy, ” she admits.
These days, many people with cell phones prefer texting to a phone call. And that’s creating a communication divide, of sorts—the talkers vs. the texters. Some would argue that it’s no big deal. But many experts say the most successful communicators will, of course, have the competence to do both. And they fear that more of us are unable to have—or at least are avoiding—the traditional face-to-face conversations.
Many professors say it is not common to see students outside of class. “I sit in my office hours lonely now because if my students have a question, they email me, often late at night,” says Renee Houston, a professor at the University of Puget Sound in Washington state. “And they never call.”
As Anna sees it: “There are people you’ll text, but won’t call. It’s just a way to stay in touch with each other.” Some believe that scores of texts each day keep people more connected. “The problem is that the conversation isn’t very deep, ” says Joseph Grenny, co-author of the book Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High.
“The problem has been there since we’ve had telephones—probably since the time of a telegraph,” Grenny says. Texting is just the latest way to do that. Though they may not always be so good at deep conversations themselves, Grenny suggests that parents model the behavior for their children and put down their own cell phones. He says that they also should set limits, as Anna’s mom did when she made the “no texting to people in the same house” rule.
| A. was very strict with her daughter |
| B. did not know how to use a cell phone |
| C. was angry that her daughter got up late |
| D. did not have any breakfast that morning |
| A. chance | B. ability |
| C. courage | D. patience |
| A. They often work late at night. |
| B. They often ask strange questions. |
| C. Few ask her questions face to face. |
| D. Many email her if she feels lonely. |
| A. cell phones make people lonelier |
| B. telephones help people communicate clearly |
| C. texting helps people have deeper conversations |
| D. talking should be encouraged instead of texting |
