E

Millions of Americans return from long-distance trips by air, but their baggage doesn’t always come home with them. The airlines collect the items and, for 90 days, try to find their owners. If they have no luck, they are left holding the bags of thousands of travelers. They don’t keep them, since they’re not in the warehouse business. And by law, they cannot sell the bags, because the airlines might be attracted to deliberately (故意地) misplace baggage.

So once insurance companies have paid for lost bags and their contents, and they no longer belong to passengers, a unique store in the little town of Scottsboro, Alabama, buys them.

The Unclaimed (无人认领的) Baggage Center has turned little Scottsboro in Alabama into a tourist place. It is so popular that the building, which is set up like a department store, is the number-one tourist attraction in all of Alabama. More than one million visitors stop in each year and take one of the store’s noisy shopping carts on a hunt for treasures.

The Unclaimed Baggage Center has unique items lost by travelers, and whole bags of items found in shipments that for some reason never got delivered. You can find everything from valuable jewels to hockey sticks, best-selling novels, leather jackets, tape recorders, surfboards, even half-used tubes of toothpaste.

The store’s own laundry (洗衣店) washes or dry-cleans all the clothes found in baggage, and then sells them. Do you need a wedding dress? There are a lot of beautiful lost and unclaimed ones.

The Unclaimed Baggage Center has found guns, illegal drugs — even a live rattlesnake — inside bags. The store has a little museum where some of its most unusual things have been preserved. They even include a burial mask from an Egyptian pharaoh’s tomb.

51. According to the text, the lost baggage 　　　.

　　 A. will be sent to the poor people in Scottsboro

　　 B. is the result of airlines’ poor management

　　 C. can be got back by the owners at any time

　　 D. is kept by the airlines for about three months

52. Why are the airlines not allowed to sell the lost baggage?

　　 A. Because they are not in the warehouse business.

　　 B. Because there are some illegal items in the baggage.

　　 C. Because the airlines might wrongly deal with baggage on purpose.

　　 D. Because the lost baggage belongs to insurance companies.

53. It can be inferred from the text that the Unclaimed Baggage Center 　　　.

　　 A. is crowded with passengers looking for their baggage

　　 B. becomes the largest department store in Alabama

　　 C. is run by the airlines and insurance companies

　　 D. helps the tourism in Alabama develop greatly

54. The items in the Unclaimed Baggage Center 　　　.

　　 A. will be sold at half prices　　　　 　 B. are not all from passengers

　　 C. are all second-hand products　　 　　 D. are mainly bought by foreign visitors

55. The little museum in the center is to 　　　.

　　 A. keep some unique lost things

　　 B. show great art works in Alabama

　　 C. warn people away from illegal things

　　 D. remind the travelers of traveling safety

D

For many women inventors in years past, the invention process was twice as difficult because, in addition to the suffering of inventing, they also faced the skepticism (怀疑) of a world that didn’t believe women could create something of value. Fortunately, over the years, that opinion has been defeated by women inventors like Margaret Knight, who were willing to fight for the praise and recognition.

Born in Maine in 1838, Margaret Knight showed an interest in inventing from a very young age. After observing an accident in a factory at the age of 12, Margaret started to produce her first invention. She invented a device that would automatically (自动地) stop a machine if something got caught in it. By the time she was a teenager the invention was being used in the mills.

Later, Margaret went to work in a paper bag factory. While working in the factory, she thought how much easier it would be to pack items in paper bags if the bottoms were flat. That idea inspired her to invent the machine that would change her into a famous inventor. Margaret’s machine made the flat-bottom paper bags that are still used to this day in most grocery stores.

However, a man named Charles Annan tried to steal Margaret’s idea. Not one to give in without a fight, Margaret took Annan to court to compete for the patent (专利) that belonged to her. While Annan argued simply that a woman could never design such a machine, Margaret showed evidence that the invention indeed belonged to her. As a result, Margaret received her patent.

Margaret didn’t stop there though; throughout her lifetime she had lots of different inventions — including a rotary engine, a shoe-cutting machine and a dress and skirt shield.　

47. In Margaret’s time 　　　.

　　 A. women inventors were not welcomed　

　　 B. women were not allowed to invent anything

　　 C. people didn’t believe women could invent anything valuable

　　 D. Margaret was the only woman inventor who was recognized

48. We can infer from the text that 　　　.

　　 A. Margaret Knight’s first invention proved unsuccessful

　　 B. Margaret Knight was injured in an accident at the age of 12

　　 C. Margaret Knight was helped by Charles Annan in her invention of the paper bag machine

　　 D. Margaret Knight received the patent for the invention of the paper bag machine with difficulty

49. Margaret Knight became famous for her invention of 　　　.

　　 A. a paper bag machine　　　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. a rotary engine　

　　 C. a shoe-cutting machine　　　　　　　 D. a dress and skirt shield

50. What would be the best title for the text?

　　 A. How the paper bag machine was invented

　　 B. How Margaret Knight received her first patent

　　 C. A woman inventor — Margaret Knight

　　 D. Paper bag machine — a big invention

C

From Mona Lisa in the 15th century to Marilyn Monroe in the 1950s Western artists describe beautiful women as strong with soft, pale skin. Being fat and pale was considered beautiful in the West because it was a sign of having enough food to eat and enough money to stay out of hard work in the sun.

Now, thin models and actresses are everywhere, but thinness isn’t the only symbol of beauty in the world. On the border between Burma and Thailand, women of the Kayan tribe wear metal rings around their necks from the age of five. The heavy rings push their shoulders down over time and their necks become long.

Writer Le Ly Hayslip talks about her mother’s appearance in her book When Heaven and Earth Changed Places. “The women in the Vietnamese village admired her looks because her teeth were not white and her earlobes (耳垂) were very long.” In Mauritiana, a country in West Africa, heavy women are considered beautiful because they signal (标志着) wealth in a land of drought (干旱).

The Brazilian girl in a song written in 1962 had a “guitar-shaped body”, and she was described in the song as “more than a poem, the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.” In the English version she was “tall and tan and young and lovely”.

Beauty proves to be a changeable idea. If you want to keep feeling good, you can stop at the mirror by the door and take a minute to put on one final touch — a scarf, a bright hat, a little anything that makes you feel better. After all, feeling better is more important than looking better.

43. The underlined word “pale” in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to “　　　 ”.

　　 A. weak　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. dark　　 　　　

　　 C. white　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. sick

44. The author takes the Kayan tribe for example in order to 　　　.

　　 A. show us their unique way to be beautiful

　　 B. tell them to stop damaging their health

　　 C. call for equal rights for women

　　 D. show us the women’s hard life

45. We can learn from the third paragraph that 　　　.

　　 A. women in Vietnamese villages all have long earlobes　

　　 B. Le Ly Hayslip’s mother didn’t like to clean her teeth

　　 C. When Heaven and Earth Changed Places is a book about beauty

　　 D. Le Ly Hayslip’s mother was considered to be beautiful at that time

46. What can we infer from the text?

　　 A. The author tells us why the ideas of beauty are different.

　　 B. It is probably not easy to get enough food in Mauritiana.

　　 C. In the 1960s, thin women were popular in Brazil.

　　 D. If you want to feel good, you have to lose weight.

B

You can call CJ Senter a lot of things: big brother, little brother, excellent student, and even football, baseball, and basketball player. Besides all that, CJ is also known as the Workout Kid. The 11-year-old from the Atlanta area is one of the youngest fitness (健康) instructors around. He is star of the Workout Kid DVD series. In a two-disc set released in 2011, he leads kids through different kinds of exercises to build muscle and fitness. Another DVD set of even more challenging exercises will be released this year.

“The reason I chose the exercises is that they’re really hard and sometimes they take your breath away,” CJ Senter says. “However, it’s wonderful and I want to challenge.”

CJ has had a lot of practice as a fitness expert. He’s been addicted to the exercise since he was 5, when his football coach told the team to get fit for a big game. Young CJ took that advice seriously. “I just like working out because it’s fun. You get fit and healthy,” he says.

CJ sticks to a routine. After school he first does his homework and then completes his hour-long workout. Only then does he spend time with his family or play outside with friends.

He hopes that the DVD series will grow so much that kids around the world will benefit from it by getting completely attracted by his passion (热情). People around the country have started taking notice of the Workout Kid. And people have started recognizing him while shopping.

What are CJ’s tips for staying healthy? Two suggestions he has are to drink plenty of water, and to go outside and stay active for at least one hour.

39. From the first paragraph we can learn that 　　　.

　 　 A. CJ Senter has great interest in sports

　 　 B. CJ Senter has earned a lot through sports

　 　 C. CJ Senter decides to release more DVDs

　 　 D. CJ Senter is a clever and hard-working boy

40. Why did CJ Senter choose the exercises?

　 　 A. Because he wanted to take his breath away.

　 　 B. Because he wanted to be strong for games.

　 　 C. Because he wanted to challenge himself.

　 　 D. Because he wanted to be a fitness expert.

41. What can we learn about CJ Senter from the text?

　　 A. He has many brothers in his family.

　　 B. He becomes famous around the world.

　　 C. He’s too busy to play outside with friends.

　　 D. He usually does one-hour workout after school.

42. What should we do to keep healthy according to CJ Senter?

　 　 A. We should drink a lot of alcohol each day.

　 　 B. We should drink enough water every day.

　 　 C. We should work out for five hours a day.

　 　 D. We should stay inside as often as possible.

第二节 完形填空 (共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分)

In December 2013, my parents asked me what I wanted for Christmas. At that point, for the first time, I realized how 　16　 　I was to have been born in such a fortunate family.

There was nothing that I could 　17　 　because there was nothing more that I needed. I was truly 　18　 . This made me 　19　 　all the children who did not have homes or food, let alone 　20　 　for Christmas. With these 　21　 　in my mind, I told my parents in January that 　22　 　getting me an expensive gift for the holidays, I’d love to use the 　23　 　to get lots of small gifts for all the children that hadn’t gotten anything for Christmas. At first, they were 　24　 . Then they realized I was 　25　 　and agreed to spend $500 on gifts for young kids from the families 　26　 　at the homeless shelter. It was such a nice 　27　 . I remember going to the homeless shelter to 　28　 　the toys to as many kids as I could give. One of the children looked at me with his innocent eyes. I could see the 　29　 　in them. It was obvious that he had never 　30　 　a Christmas gift before, so when he asked me where I got the gifts from, I told him what I knew he wanted me to say: that I was helping Santa Claus (圣诞老人). I explained that Santa was sorry that he was so 　31　 , but that gift had been made 　32　 　for him! The boy took the gift slowly, smiled and ran to his mother. The last thing I 　33　 　as I moved on to give a gift to the next child was the boy’s voice: “Mommy, Santa really does 　34　 ! And he didn’t 　35　 　us this year!”

16. A. painful　 　　　 B. sad　 　　　　　　 C. annoying　　 　　　 D. lucky

17. A. give up　 　　　 B. ask for　 　　　　 C. look after　 　　　 D. rely on

18. A. tired　 　　　　　 B. satisfied　 　　　　 C. frightened 　　　　 D. worried

19. A. think about 　　 B. come across　 　 C. bring up　　 　　　 D. cheer up　

20. A. cars　　 　　　　 B. gifts　　 　　　　　 C. classes　　　 　　 D. parties

21. A. expressions 　　 B. thoughts　 　　　　 C. scenes 　　　　　 D. reasons

22. A. instead of 　　　 B. apart from　 　　 C. because of　 　　　 D. as though

23. A. excuse　 　　　　 B. opportunity　 　 C. money 　　　　　　 D. method

24. A shocked　 　　　　 B. moved　　 　　 C. amused 　　　　　 D. disappointed

25. A. proud　 　　　　　 B. crazy　 　　　　　　 C. serious 　　　　　 D. cautious

26. A. living　 　　　　　 B. arriving　 　　　　 C. waiting 　　　　　 D. working

27. A. accident　 　　　 B. trick　 　　　　　　 C. experience　　 　　 D. honor

28. A. make up　 　　　 B. hand out　 　　　 C. deal with　　 　　 D. pack up

29. A. calmness　 　　　 B. astonishment　 C. sorrow　 　　　　　 D. anger

30. A. made　 　　　　　 B. sent　 　　　　　　　 C. received 　　　　　 D. exchanged

31. A. poor　 　　　　　　 B. busy　 　　　　　　 C. upset 　　　　　　 D. late

32. A. simply　 　　　　 B. specially　 　　　 C. likely　 　　　　　　 D. friendly

33. A. said　 　　　　　　 B. saw　 　　　　　　　 C. heard　 　　　　　　 D. remembered

34. A. wonder　 　　　　 B. exist　 　　　　　　 C. believe 　　　　　 D. promise

35. A. punish　 　　　　 B. award　 　　　　 C. defend　 　　　　　 D. forget

15. — What we need to do now is just work harder than before. Success does not come easily.

　　 — 　　　　. There are no pies dropping from the sky.

A. Come on　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. It all depends　　　　　　　　　

C. Not at all　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. You are right there

14. A new study suggests that blue 　　　　　people to lose their appetite; experts suggest that a person who wants to eat less 　　　　　from blue plates.

A. should cause; should eat　　　　　　　　　 B. causes; should eat

C. should cause; eats　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. causes; eats

13. Tom 　　　　　the gap carefully and it 　　　　　20 yards from side to side.

A. measured; measures　 　 　 　　　　　　　 B. measured; was measured

C. measures; measured　 　　 　　　 　　　 D. measures; is measured