Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard

A . Questions from 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:

A . Questions from 36 to 40 are based on the following passage:

A、He is a tour guide B、He is a famous architect C、He is a local enterpreneur D、He is the owner of the Hill House

A．Last week． B．Three’weeks ago． C．Two months ago． D．Three years ago．

A．human brains differ considerably B．the brain a person is born with is important in determining his intelligence C．environment is crucial in determining a person’s intelligence D．persons having identical brains will have roughly the same intelligence

There are two types of people in the world.Although they have equal degree of health and wealth and other comforts of life, one becomes happy, while the other becomes unhappy.This arises from the different ways in which they consider things, persons, events and the resulting effects upon their minds. People who are to be happy fix their attention on the convenience of things: the pleasant parts of conversation, the well prepared dishes, the goodness of the wine and the fine weather.They enjoy all the cheerful things.Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the opposite things.Therefore, they are continually dissatisfied.By their remarks, they sour the pleasure of society, offend(hurt) many people, and make themselves disagreeable everywhere.If this turn of mind was founded in nature, such unhappy persons would be the more to be pitied.The intention of ccriticizing and being disliked is perhaps taken up by imitation.It grows into a habit, unknown to its possessors.The habit may be strong, but it may be cured when those who have it realize its bad effects on their interests and tastes.I hope this little warning may be of service to them, and help them change this habit. Though in fact it is chiefly an act of the imagination, it has serious results in life since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck.Those people offend many others; nobody loves them, and no one treats them with more than the most common politeness and respect.This frequently puts them in bad temper and draws them into arguments.If they aim at getting some advantages in social position or fortune, nobody wishes them success.Nor will anyone start a step or speak a word to favor their hopes.If they bring on themselves public objections, no one will defend or excuse them, and many will join to criticize their wrong doings.These should change this bad habit and be pleased with what is pleasing, without worrying needlessly about themselves and others.If they do not, it will be good for others to avoid any contact with them.Otherwise, it can be disagreeable and sometimes very inconvenient, especially when one becomes mixed up in their quarrels. 21.According to the passage，those who are unhappy _______. A.always consider things differently from others B.are usually influenced by the result of certain things C.can discover the unpleasant part of certain things D.usually have the habit of finding faults with others 22. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage？ A.All the unhappy people should be pitied even more. B.The unhappy people are critical about everything. C.Most unhappy people want to get rid of their habit. D.The unhappy people are not content with themselves. 23. The phrase "sour the pleasures of society" (Para. 2) most probably means "__________". A.enjoy the displeasure of society B.feel happy with the pleasures of society C.make the company of others less enjoyable D.become discontent with their nation 24. The unhappy people&39;s habit can cause serious consequences. Which of the following is NOT one of the consequences according to the passage？ A.When the unhappy people want to succeed, no one wishes them to. B.The unhappy people can offend many other people without knowing. C.It brings on deep sorrow to the unhappy people themselves as well as others. D.Many people may join to criticize the unhappy people&39;s misconduct. 25. According to the author, if such unhappy people will not change their bad behavior, the solution to the problem is that __________. A.people should understand and forgive them B.people should avoid contact with them C.people should help them get rid of the bad habit D.people should show more respect to them

A．It is entertaining. B．It is a costly hobby. C．It takes lots of time. D．It requires training.

The greatest fear of nuclear power opponents has always been a reactor “meltdown” (堆内熔化). Today, the chances of a meltdown that would threaten U.S. public health are very little. But to even further reduce the possibility, engineers are testing new reactors that rely not on human judgement to shut them down but on the laws of nature. Now General Electric is already building two advanced reactors in Japan. But don’t expect them ever on U.S. shores unless things change in Washington. The procedure for licensing nuclear power plants is a bad dream. Any time during, or even after, construction, an objection by any group or individual can bring everything to a halt while the matter is investigated or taken to court. Meanwhile, the builder must add nice-but-not-necessary improvements, some of which force him to knock down walls and start over. In every case where a plant has been opposed, the Nuclear Regulation Commission has ultimately granted a license to construct or operate. But the victory often costs so much that the utility ends up abandoning the plant anyway. A case in point is the Shoreham plant on New York’s Long Island. Shoreham was a virtual twin to the Millstone plant in Connecticut, both ordered in the mid-’60s. Millstone, completed for $101 million, has been generating electricity for two decades. Shoreham, however, was singled out by anti-nuclear activists who, by sending in endless protests, drove the cost over $5 billion and delayed its use for many years. Shoreham finally won its operation license. But the plant has never produced a watt of power. Governor Mario Cuomo, an opponent of a Shoreham start-up, used his power to force New York’s public-utilities commission to accept the following settlement; the power company could pass the cost of Shoreham along to its consumers only if it agreed not to operate the plant! Today, a perfectly good facility, capable of servicing hundreds of homes, sits rusting. 第36题：What has made the procedure for licensing nuclear power plants a bad dream？ A) The inefficiency of the Nuclear Regulation commission. B) The enormous cost of construction and operation. C) The length of time it takes to make investigations. D) The objection of the opponents of nuclear power.

Age has its privileges in America. And one of the more prominent of them is the senior citizen discount. Anyone who has reached a certain age—in some cases as low as 55—is automatically entitled to a dazzling array of price reductions at nearly every level of commercial life. Eligibility is determined not by one’s need but by the date on one’s birth certificate. Practically unheard of a generation ago, the discounts have become a routine part of many businesses—as common as color televisions in motel rooms and free coffee on airliners. People with gray hair often are given the discounts without even asking for them；yet, millions of Americans above age 60 are healthy and solvent (有支付能力的). Businesses that would never dare offer discounts to college students or anyone under 30 freely offer them to older Americans. The practice is acceptable because of the widespread belief that “elderly” and “needy” are synonymous (同义的). Perhaps that once was true, but today elderly Americans as a group have a lower poverty rate than the rest of the population. To be sure, there is economic diversity within the elderly, and many older Americans are poor, But most of them aren’t. It is impossible to determine the impact of the discounts on individual companies. For many firms, they are a stimulus to revenue. But in other cases the discounts are given at the expense, directly or indirectly, of younger Americans. Moreover, they are a direct irritant in what some politicians and scholars see as a coming conflict between the generations. Generational tensions are being fueled by continuing debate over Social Security benefits, which mostly involves a transfer of resources from the young to the old. Employment is another sore point, Buoyed (支持) by laws and court decisions, more and more older Americans are declining the retirement dinner in favor of staying on the job-thereby lessening employment and promotion opportunities for younger workers. Far from a kind of charity they once were, senior citizen discounts have become a formidable economic privilege to a group with millions of members who don’t need them. It no longer makes sense to treat the elderly as a single group whose economic needs deserve priority over those of others. Senior citizen discounts only enhance the myth that older people can’t take care of themselves and need special treatment； and they threaten the creation of a new myth, that the elderly are ungrateful and taking for themselves at the expense of children and other age groups. Senior citizen discounts are the essence of the very thing older Americans are fighting against-discrimination by age. 31. We learn from the first paragraph that ________. A) offering senior citizens discounts has become routine commercial practice B) senior citizen discounts have enabled many old people to live a decent life C) giving senior citizens discounts has boosted the market for the elderly D) senior citizens have to show their birth certificates to get a discount

14. According to 'the passage, which results in less rain and lower overall humidity？ [A] cools [B] air rises [C] deserts [D] warm

23. A. Canada. B.Europe. C. Ghana. D. America.

A．Friends． B．Colleagues ． C．Husband and wife D．Mother and son．