单选题 A Few Aspects of American Life Travel A. It's summer time. For many Americans, this is the season to travel. Why? Because school is over and the weather is great. And most of all, they believe they deserve a break. When Americans take a break, they often head for their favorite vacation spot. B. Throughout their history, Americans have been people on the move. The early immigrants had to travel to get to the New World. Once they arrived, they settled along the East Coast. But they weren't content to stay here. Explorers and traders journeyed to the unknown western territories. Later, settlers moved west to develop new areas. As a result of this west movement, Americans eventually occupied the whole continent—from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Even today, Americans seem unable to stay put. Research says that average American moves every five years. C. Americans are used to traveling. Some people make long-distance commuting to work daily. Their jobs may even require them to take frequent business trips. Most companies provide an annual vacation for their employees, and people often use that time to travel. Some people just visit friend or relatives in distant states. Some go on low-budget weekend trips and stay in economy motels. Those with more expensive tastes choose luxurious hotels. Camping out in the great outdoors appeals to adventurous types. Some travel in recreational vehicles to camp out in comfort, while others 'rough it' by sleeping in tents. Families often plan their trips with the kids in mind. More and more 'family friendly' hotels offer special programs for children. Pet D. Americans love pets. Many pet owners treat their pets as a part of the family. You might say Americans treat their pets like they treat their children—sometimes even better. E. In America, there are more households with pets than those with children. At least 43 percent of US homes have pets of some sort. Usual creatures, such as monkeys, snakes and even wolves, find a home with some Americans. More common pets include fish, mice and birds. But the all-time favorites are cats and dogs, even at the White House. Americans sometimes have strong feelings about whether dogs or cats make better pets. 'Dog people' and 'cat people' often enjoy friendly competition. F. Many grocery stores in America sell pet foods. Pets can even accompany their owners on vacation. Fancy hotels are beginning to accommodate both man and animal. Animal guests at Four Seasons Hotels can enjoy delicious meals served on fine china and sleep in soft beds. G. The average American enjoys having pets around, and for good reason. Researchers have discovered that interacting with animals lowers a person's blood pressure. Dogs can offer protection from robbers and unwelcome visitors. Cats can help rid the home of unwanted mice. Little creatures of all shapes and sizes can provide friendship and love. In many cases, having a pet prepares a young couple for the responsibilities of parenthood. Pets even encourage social relationships: they give their owners an appearance of friendliness, and they provide a good subject of conversation. H. Pets are as basic to American culture as hot dogs or apple pie. To Americans, pets are not just property, but a part of the family. Marriage I. 'I do.' To Americans, these two words carry great meaning. They can even change your life, especially if you say them at your own wedding. Making wedding promises is like signing a contract. Now Americans don't really think marriage is a business deal. But marriage is a serious business. J. It all begins with engagement. Traditionally, a young man asks the father of his sweetheart for permission to marry her. If the father agrees, the man later proposes to her. Often he tries to surprise her by asking her to marry him in a romantic way. K. Sometimes the couple just decides together that the time is right to get married. They may be engaged for weeks, months or even years. As the big approaches, bridal showers and bachelor's parties provide many gifts. Today many couples also receive counseling during engagement. This prepares them for the challenges of married life. L. At last it's time for the wedding. Although most weddings follow long-held traditions, there's still room for individualism. For example, the usual place for a wedding is in a church. But some people get married outdoors. A few even have the ceremony while skydiving or riding on horseback! The couple may invite hundreds of people or just a few close friends. They choose their own style of colors, decorations and music during the ceremony. But some things rarely change. The bride usually wears a beautiful, long white wedding dress. She traditionally wears 'something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue'. The groom (新郎) wears a formal suit. Relatives and close friends participate in the ceremony. M. As the ceremony begins, the groom stands with the minister, facing the audience. Music signals the entrance of the beautiful bride. Nervously, the young couple repeats their promises. Traditionally, they promise to love each other 'for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health'. But sometimes the couple composes their own promises. They give each other a gold ring as a symbol of their marriage promise. Finally the minister announces the big moment: 'I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride!'

单选题 Linkedln, the social network for the workplace, has added a new feature to help college students uncover their best education path to a future career. The new tool, called 'University Pages', allows higher education facilities to help guide students down a career path. Christina Allen, Director of Product Management at Linkedln, wrote in a blog post announcing the new feature that University Pages is a cornerstone strategy to help students at 'every critical milestone from campus to fulfilling, successful careers. ' According to Linkedln, 200 universities have already adopted their pages, including New York University, University of California San Diego, University of Michigan, Villanova, Rochester Institute of Technology, and University of Illinois. The professional social network said that thousands of more schools will be given access to their University Pages over the next few weeks. Pages will be operated by staff members at the universities, which will utilize the social network to serve current and past students, as well as recruit prospective students. Universities can utilize an interactive chart to show statistics from its alumni (校友) students to see where they have gone on to work and in what positions, where they live, and what they studied in school. 'We believe University Pages will be especially valuable for students making their first, big decision about where to attend college, ' Allen said. She said that LinkedIn will begin to make the social networking site available to high school students beginning on September 12. These students will be able to use the new feature to look at prospective universities, as well as 'greatly expand their understanding of the careers available, and get a head start on building a network of family and friends to help guide them at every milestone, ' Allen added. 'For the past few years, I'd watched my daughter and her friends struggle with these choices (selecting colleges), ' she wrote in her blog. 'Through my relationships at LinkedIn, I knew that hidden in millions of member profiles were powerful insights about the career outcomes of educations from universities around the world. If harnessed, these insights could provide incredible value for students—helping them explore possible futures and build a support network to help them succeed on campus and beyond. '

单选题 Over the past decade, the environmental movement has exploded onto the mind of mainstream consumers, a fact not lost on marketers and advertisers. Green advertising started in the mid-1980s when issues of the environment muscled their way to the forefront of marketing. Advertisers saw the consumer desire for environmentally safe products and tried to meet the demand as quickly as possible. Not surprisingly, this first wave suffered from rough and poorly conceived marketing efforts. Many advertisers embraced a genuine concern for the environment. But consumers realized that some companies made false claims and exploited the movement, using such nebulous (模糊的) terms as 'environmentally friendly' and 'green' Consumers grew wary of environmental appeals, and advertisers reacted by reducing its emphasis. To avoid future trouble, many companies waited for state and federal governments to define terms and provide legal guidelines, which paved the road to a second wave. In 1992 the Federal Trade Commission established guidelines for green marketing, followed shortly by state governments. California passed particularly strict laws, setting definitions for terms like 'ozone friendly', 'biodegradable', and 'recycled'. According to the state's court, 'California seeks to guard against potentially specious; claims or ecological puffery (吹捧) about products with minimal environmental attributes.' Texas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Tennessee, Connecticut, and Washington soon followed the Golden State's lead. The rigid regulations have left a number of advertisers confused and frustrated, although some feel that environmental claims have already peaked and are on their way out. Some believe that we've now entered green advertising's third wave, where environmental concern is now part of the mainstream.

单选题 Directions: For this part, you are allowed 80 minutes to write an essay. Suppose there are two views on the key to becoming a talented person: One is personal abilities and the other opportunities. You are to make a choice between the two. Write an essay to explain the reasons for your choice. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.

单选题 Babies cry to call attention to their immediate needs: food, or rest, or a diaper change or cuddles. But without intending to, crying babies might also provide insight into a defining trait that will develop later in life. As Matt Stevens of the New York Times reports, a new study has found that the pitch of a baby's cry could predict what he or she will sound like as an adult. Researchers in the U.K. and France wondered if vocal pitch might be determined even earlier than age seven—during infancy, perhaps, or even in the womb (子宫). To find out, the team recorded the cries of 15 French babies—six girls and nine boys, from two to five months old. Researchers then compared those recordings to recordings of the same children at age four or five. The team found that the pitch of babies' cries was a 'substantial predictor' of vocal pitch at four or five years of age. 'Differences in voice pitch,' the researchers conclude, 'may—at least partly—arise very early in life.' The authors of the study suggest that these differences might develop in the womb, when fetuses are exposed to varying levels of hormones. As Carl Engelking of Discover reports, the team also analyzed the children's 2D:4D digit ratio, or the ratio between the lengths of the index finger and the ring finger. Studies have suggested that this ratio can reveal how much testosterone (睾丸激素) a person was exposed to in the womb. Researchers found that 2D:4D digit ratio in the right hand correlated positively with differences in vocal frequency in both baby cries and children's speech (this is consistent with other studies showing that 2D:4D ratios are expressed more strongly in the right hand). In other words, as a statement announcing the new research explains, 'if the index finger on the right hand is longer than the ring finger, a baby will be likely to grow up to have a high-pitched voice. Conversely, if it is shorter, they will be more likely to have a lower-pitched voice.'

单选题 Desert Formation A. The deserts, which already occupy approximately a fourth of the Earth's land surface, have in recent decades been increasing at an alarming pace. The expansion of desert-like conditions into areas where they did not previously exist is called desertification. It has been estimated that an additional one-fourth of the Earth's land surface is threatened by this process. B. Desertification is accomplished primarily through the loss of stabilizing natural vegetation and the subsequent accelerated erosion of the soil by wind and water. In some cases the loose soil is blown completely away, leaving a stony surface. In other cases, the finer particles may be removed, while the sand-sized particles are accumulated to form mobile hills or ridges of sand. C. Even in the areas that retain a soil cover, the reduction of vegetation typically results in the loss of the soil's ability to absorb substantial quantities of water. The impact of raindrops on the loose soil tends to transfer fine clay particles into the tiniest soil spaces, sealing them and producing a surface that allows very little water penetration. Water absorption is greatly reduced; consequently runoff is increased, resulting in accelerated erosion rates. The gradual drying of the soil caused by its diminished ability to absorb water results in the further loss of vegetation, so that a cycle of progressive surface deterioration is established. D. In some regions, the increase in desert areas is occurring largely as the result of a trend toward drier climatic conditions. Continued gradual global warming has produced an increase in aridity for some areas over the past few thousand years. The process may be accelerated in subsequent decades if global warming resulting from air pollution seriously increases. E. There is little doubt, however, that desertification in most areas results primarily from human activities rather than natural processes. The semiarid lands bordering the deserts exist in a delicate ecological balance and are limited in their potential to adjust to increased environmental pressures. Expanding populations are subjecting the land to increasing pressures to provide them with food and fuel. In wet periods, the land may be able to respond to these stresses. During the dry periods that are common phenomena along the desert margins, though, the pressure on the land is often far in excess of its diminished capacity, and desertification results. F. Four specific activities have been identified as major contributors to the desertification processes: over-cultivation, over-grazing, firewood gathering, and over-irrigation. The cultivation of crops has expanded into progressively drier regions as population densities have grown. These regions are especially likely to have periods of severe dryness, so that crop failures are common. Since the raising of most crops necessitates the prior removal of the natural vegetation, crop failures leave extensive tracts of land devoid of a plant cover and susceptible to wind and water erosion. G. The raising of livestock is a major economic activity in semiarid lands, where grasses are generally the dominant type of natural vegetation. The consequences of an excessive number of livestock grazing in an area are the reduction of the vegetation cover and the trampling and pulverization of the soil. This is usually followed by the drying of the soil and accelerated erosion. Firewood is the chief fuel used for cooking and heating in many countries. The increased pressures of expanding populations have led to the removal of woody plants so that many cities and towns are surrounded by large areas completely lacking in trees and shrubs. The increasing use of dried animal waste as a substitute fuel has also hurt the soil because this valuable soil conditioner and source of plant nutrients is no longer being returned to the land. H. The final major human cause of desertification is soil salinization resulting from over-irrigation. Excess water from irrigation sinks down into the water table. If no drainage system exists, the water table rises, bringing dissolved salts to the surface. The water evaporates and the salts are left behind, creating a white crustal layer that prevents air and water from reaching the underlying soil. The extreme seriousness of desertification results from the vast areas of land and the tremendous numbers of people affected, as well as from the great difficulty of reversing or even slowing the process. Once the soil has been removed by erosion, only the passage of centuries or millennia will enable new soil to form. In areas where considerable soil still remains, though, a rigorously enforced program of land protection and cover-crop planting may make it possible to reverse the present deterioration of the surface. I. In geography, an oasis is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source. Oases also provide habitat for animals and even humans if the area is big enough. The location of oases has been of critical importance for trade and transportation routes in desert areas. Caravans must travel via oases so that supplies of water and food can be replenished. Thus, political or military control of an oasis has in many eases meant control of trade on a particular route. For example, the oases of Awjila, Ghadames and Kufra, situated in modem-day Libya, have at various times been vital to both North-South and East-West trade in the Sahara. Oases are formed from underground rivers or aquifers such as an artesian aquifer, where water can reach the surface naturally by pressure or by man made wells. Occasional brief thunderstorms provide subterranean water to sustain natural oases, such as the Tuat. Substrata of impermeable rock and stone can trap water and retain it in pockets, or on long faulting subsurface ridges or volcanic dikes water can collect and percolate to the surface. Any incidence of water is then used by migrating birds who also pass seeds with their droppings which will grow at the water's edge forming an oasis.