C
Few laws are so effective that you can see results just days after they take effect. But in the nine days since the federal cigarette tax more than doubled—to $1. 01 per pack—smokers have jammed telephone “quit lines” across the country seeking to kick the habit.
This is not a surprise to public health advocates（拥护者） They’ve studied the effect of state tax increases for years, finding that smokers, especially teens, are price sensitive. Nor is it a shock to the industry, which fiercely fights every tax increase.
The only wonder is that so many states insist on closing their ears to the message. Tobacco taxes improve public health, they raise money and most particularly, they deter people from taking up the habit as teens, which is when nearly all smokers are addicted. Yet the rate of taxation varies widely.
In Manhattan, for instance, which has the highest tax in the nation, a pack of Marlboro Light Kings cost ＄10.06 at one drugstore Wednesday. In Charleston, S. C., where the 7-cent-a-pack tax is the lowest in the nation, the price was $4. 78.
The influence is obvious.
In New York, high school smoking hit a new low in the latest surveys—13.8%, far below the national average. By comparison, 26% of high school students smoke in Kentucky, other low-tax states have similarly depressing teen-smoking records.
Hal Rogers, Representative from Kentucky, like those who are against high tobacco taxes, argues that the burden of the tax falls on low-income Americans “who choose to smoke.”
That’s true. But there is more reason in keeping future generations of low-income workers from getting hooked in the first place. As for today’s adults, if the new tax drives them to quit, they will have more to spend on their families, cut their risk of cancer and heart disease and feel better.
49. The text is mainly about ________.
A. the price of cigarettes                     B. the rate of teen smoking
C. the effect of tobacco tax increase            D. the differences in tobacco tax rate
50. The underlined word "deter” in Paragraph 3 most probably means ________.
A. discourage        B. remove            C. benefit            D. free 
51. Rogers’ attitude towards the low-income smokers might be that of ________.
A. tolerance          B. unconcern          C. doubt             D. sympathy
52. What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. The new tax will be beneficial in the long run.
B. Low-income Americans are more likely to fall ill.
C. Future generations will be hooked on smoking.
D. Adults will depend more on their families.

完形填空(共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分)

阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Many years ago,I owned a service station and roadhouse on the main road between Melbourne and Adelaide.

One very cold,wet night at about 3:30 a.m.,there was a    41    on the front door of our house.A young man,wet from      42      to toe,explained that he had      43      out of petrol about 30 km up the road.He had left his pregnant(怀孕的) wife and his two children    44    at the car and said that he would hitchhike(搭便车) back.

Once I had    45    a can with petrol,I took him back to his car where his two-year-old and four-year-old children were both    46   ,saying that they were cold.Once the car had started,I suggested that he    47    me back.

Before leaving,I had turned the heater    48    in the roadhouse,so that when we went in,it was nice and    49   .While the little ones played and ran    50   ,I prepared bread and butter for the children,and hot chocolate for the    51   .

It was about 5 a.m. before they   52  .The young fellow asked me how much he    53    

me and I told him that the petrol pump(加油泵) had    54    $15.He offered to pay “call-out fee”,but I wouldn’t accept it.

About a month later,I received a    55    from Interstate,a large bus company that we bad been trying to    56    to stop off at our roadhouse for a long time.It    57    out that the young fellow I had helped was its general manager,the most    58    person in the company.

In his letter,he thanked me again and    59    me that,from then on,all their buses would stop at my service station.In this    60   ,a little bit of kindness was rewarded with a huge amount of benefits.

41.A.kick                    B.hit                                   C.beat                          D.knock

42.A.finger                   B.shoulder                    C.head                         D.hand

43.A.driven                  B.used                          C.come                        D.run

44.A.away                    B.behind                      C.over                          D.out

45.A.supplied               B.poured                      C.equipped                   D.filled

46.A.sleeping                B.crying                       C.quarrelling                D.fighting

47.A.allow                   B.ring                          C.lead                          D.follow

48.A.on                        B.off                            C.in                             D.over

49.A.neat                            B.hot                           C.warm                        D.attractive

50.A.around                 B.inside                        C.nearby                      D.along

51.A.drivers                 B.guests                       C.customers                  D.adults

52.A.left                      B.arrived                      C.ate                            D.disappeared

53.A.gave                     B.paid                          C.owed                        D.offered

54.A.appeared               B.exhibited                   C.calculated                  D.shown

55.A.call                      B.letter                         C.check                        D.notice

56.A.get                       B.force                         C.require                      D.hope

57.A.pointed                 B.turned                       C.worked                            D.found

58.A.generous               B.successful                  C.serious                      D.powerful

59.A.praised                 B.persuaded                  C.informed                   D.convinced

60.A.lesson                   B.business                    C.aspect                       D.case

Dear Guys,

I’d like to talk to you about the shame you subjected me to last night. Let me first refresh your memory: You, a group of fit, young men, were playing soccer on the field across from my apartment building. I, a better-than-average looking young woman, was walking along the sidewalk with my groceries. That’s when your ball came flying over the fence and landed in front of me.

One of you approached and asked politely if I would throw the ball back to you. Fighting the urge to drop my bags and run screaming down the street, I reluctantly (勉强地) agreed.

Before I continue, let me explain something that I didn’t have a chance to mention last night: I hate sports. More specifically, I hate sports involving balls. This results from my lack of natural ability when it comes to throwing, catching and hitting. I’m bad at aiming too. So you can understand why I’d be nervous at what I’m sure seemed to you like a laughably simple request.

However, wanting to appear agreeable, I put my bags down, picked up the ball and, eyes half-shut, threw it as hard as I could.

It hit the middle of the fence and bounced back to me.

Trying to act casually, I said something about being out of practice, then picked up the ball again. If you’ll remember, at your command, I agreed to try throwing underhand. While outwardly I was smiling, in my head, I was praying, Oh God, oh please oh please oh please. I threw the ball upward with all my strength, terrified by what happened next.

The ball hit slightly higher up on the fence and bounced back to me.

This is the point where I start to take issue with you. Wouldn’t it have been a better use of your time, and mine, if you had just walked around the fence and took the ball then? I was clearly struggling; my smiles were more and more forced. And yet, you all just stood there, motionless.

Seeing that you weren’t going to let me out of the trouble, I became desperate. Memories of middle school softball came flooding back. I tried hard to throw the ball but it only went about eight feet, then I decided to pick it up and dash with ball in hand towards the baseline, while annoyed thirteen-year-old boys screamed at me that I was ruining their lives. Children are cruel.

Being a big girl now, I pushed those memories aside and picked up the soccer ball for the third time. I forced a good-natured laugh while crying inside as you patiently shouted words of support over the fence at me.

“Throw it granny-style!” one of you said.

“Just back up a little and give it all you’ve got!” another offered.

And, most embarrassing of all, “You can do it!”

I know you thought you were being encouraging, but it only served to deepen the shame.

Anyway, I accepted your ball-throwing advice, backed up, rocked back and forth a little, took a deep breath and let it fly.

It hit the edge of the fence and bounced back to me.

I surprised myself-and I’m sure you as well-by letting out a cry, “DAMN IT!!!” I then willed myself to have a heart attack and pass out in front of you just so I’d be put out of my misery.

Alas, the heart attack didn’t happen, and you continued to look at me expectantly, like you were content to do this all night. I had become a sort of exhibition for you. I could feel your collective thoughts drifting through the chain-link: “Can she really not do it? But I mean, really?”

Unfortunately for you, I wasn’t really game to continue your experiment. Three failed attempts at a simple task in front of a group of people in a two-minute period was just enough blow for me for one night. I picked up the ball one last time, approached the fence and grumbled, “Please just come get the damn ball.”

And you did. And thanks to you, I decided at that very moment to never throw anything ever again, except disrespectful glances at people who play sports.

Sincerely, Jen Cordery

1.The writer agreed to throw the ball because ______.

A. she needed to have a relax carrying the heavy groceries

B. she wanted to refresh her childhood memories

C. she could not refuse the polite request from the young man

D. she had fallen in love with the young man at first sight

2.Why did the writer mention her middle school memory?

A. To explain why she failed the attempts to throw the ball back.

B. To complain that she had not mastered the ball throwing skills.

C. To show how cruel those 13-year-old boys were.

D. To express her dislike towards softball.

3. What the boys said before the writer’s third attempt actually made the writer _______.

A. inspired                B. encouraged             C. embarrassed                  D. depressed

4.What happened to the ball at last?

A. The writer managed to throw the ball back.

B. The boy got the ball back by himself.

C. The writer threw the ball away out of anger.

D. The boys got angry and left without the ball.

Scientists are worried that an asteroid(小行星) will possibly hit the earth in 2036. If scientists are right, planet earth is 24 years away from a major disaster.

Scientists have been monitoring the progress of a 390-metre-wide asteroid ever since it was discovered last June. They have announced that it could hit the earth, causing huge damage, in 2036.

NASA estimates that the impact from the asteroid named after Apophis and ancient Egyptian demon(魔鬼) would release more than 100,000 times the energy released in the nuclear explosion over Hiroshima. Thousands of square kilometers would be directly affected by the explosion. The whole planet would see the effects of the dust released into the atmosphere.

This is the worst possible scenario(情景) of any asteroid in recorded history.

Having more than 20 years’ warning of possible impact might seem plenty of time. But scientists insist that there is actually very little time left to decide.

Luckily, however, they aren’t short on ideas for deflecting the asteroid. The favored method is also probably the easiest—throwing a spacecraft at the asteroid to change its direction. The European Space Agency plans to test this in the next decade.

One idea that seems to have no support from astronomers is the use of explosive, although this sounds more likely to the public or Hollywood producer.

At present, scientists are trying to make a better estimate of how much time we have, through more observations.

In spring of next year, there will be another chance for radar observation of Apophis. This will help astronomers calculate the orbits of the asteroid more accurately.

If, at that stage, they can’t rule out an impact with the earth in 2036, the next chance to make better observations will not be until 2016, then 2029.

“If we wait until 2029 and the worst—case scenario turns out to be true, it would seem unlikely that we’d be able to do anything about 2036,” warns Prof Fitzsimmons.

1.What does the underlined word “deflecting” most probably mean?

2.According to the scientists’ observation, _______.

3.What is the impact from Apophis if it hits the earth?

4.It can be inferred from the text that _____.

第二节完型填空（共20小题；每小题1．5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
There is an old proverb,   36 _ that the tongue has the power of life and death
and   37  _ loves it will eat its fruit.
It is true. What we say has the ability to   38   emotions, and thoughts in others. A kind word helps people, and   39   words hurt people—— sometimes for a very long time.
Most of the time we   40   this concept in relation to how we treat others and that is good.  41__ here I want to talk about this concept in relation to ourselves. How does   42 we say affect us greatly? There is a simple principle here. Only say things that will create in your   43   emotions, thoughts, feelings, and finally, actions. Let me give you a good   44  . We should not allow the words “I can’t” in our   45 . Why? Because we CAN! The very minimum is “I’ll try”.
Have you ever been about to   46   the soccer ball towards the goal and said to yourself, “I am going to fail this one?” What happens? You fail it. This actually   47   to me. So what do I do? I pause for a(n)   48  , reset myself, and tell myself I am going to kick it straight down. What happens? About half the time I kick it straightly, and the other half, I   49  it. But at the very least I increase my   50   of performing better. Bad thoughts almost guarantee failure,    _ 51__ good thoughts increase success.
Some of us aren’t even   52   that we talk negatively to ourselves. Take   53   today to think about what you say to yourself. If you find yourself saying negative things, it is a time to change! Find some simple phrases that will help you   54  the day with more success. Whatever your situation or work is, I am sure there are specific things you can say that will build you up and put you on the road   55   success!
36．A．speaking      B．saying       C．talking     D．telling
37．A．what         B．who       C．whoever       D．whatever
38．A．create         B．build       C．invent      D．discover
39．A．kind         B．happy        C．active       D．negative
40．A．think about      B．think over   C．think of     D．think out
41．A．So           B．And       C．But          D．Or
42．A．that          B．what       C．which      D．where
43．A．positive       B．negative     C．excellent      D．wonderful
44．A．case         B．example     C．situation       D．condition
45．A．thoughts      B．ideas       C．minds      D．feelings
46．A．play         B．beat        C．hit         D．kick
47．A．happens       B．occurs       C．strikes      D．turns
48．A．hour         B．minute       C．day          D．month
49．A．fail          B．try         C．manage     D．win
50．A．opinions      B．changes     C．chances     D．practices
51．A．as            B．while       C．because     D．but
52．A．aware          B．sure        C．certain     D．clear
53．A．sometime     B．sometimes   C．some times   D．some time
54．A．get on         B．get through  C．get off     D．get back
55．A．on            B．above        C．to         D．In