Unit 18 Beauty

　　Ⅰ.阅读理解

　　A

　　A year after graduation, I was offered a position teaching a writing class. Teaching was a

　　profession I had never seriously considered, though several of my stories had been published. I

　　accepted the job without hesitation, as it would allow me to wear a tie and go by the name of Mr.

　　Davis. My father went by the same name, and I liked to imagine people getting the two of us

　　confused. “Wait a minute，” someone might say，“are you talking about Mr. Davis the retired man,

　　or Mr. Davis the respectable scholar？”

　　The position was offered at the last minute, and I was given two weeks to prepare, a period

　　I spent searching for briefcase (公文包) and standing before my fulllength mirror, repeating the

　　words，“Hello, class.

　　I'm Mr. Davis.” Sometimes I would give myself an aggressive voice.

　　Sometimes I would sound experienced. But when the day eventually came, my nerves kicked in

　　and the true Mr. Davis was there.

　　I sounded not like a thoughtful professor, but rather a

　　12yearold boy.

　　I arrived in the classroom with paper cards designed in the shape of maple leaves. I had cut

　　them myself out of orange construction paper. I saw nine students along a long table. I handed out the cards, and the students wrote down their names and fastened them to their breast pockets

　　as I required.

　　“All right then，” I said. “Okay, here we go.” Then I opened my briefcase and realized that I

　　had never thought beyond this moment. I had been thinking that the students would be the first to talk, offering their thoughts and opinions on the events of the day. I had imagined that I would sit at the edge of the desk, overlooking a forests of hands. Every student would yell. “Calm down, you'll all get your turn. One at a time, one at a time！”

　　A terrible silence ruled the room, and seeing no other opinions, I inspected the students to pull out their notebooks and write a brief essay related to the theme of deep disappointment.

　　文章大意：本文是一篇记叙文。毕业一年后，作者得到了一份教授写作课程的工作。文章重点介绍了作者教学过程中难忘的第一堂课。

　　1．The author took the job to teach writing because ________.

　　A．he wanted to be respected

　　B．he had written some stories

　　C．he wanted to please his father

　　D．he had dreamed of being a teacher

　　答案：A　细节理解题。根据第一段第三至五句“... as it would allow me to wear a tie and go by the name of Mr. Davis... or Mr. Davis the respectable scholar？”可知，作者接受这份工作是希望得到别人的尊重。故A项正确。

　　2．What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 2?

　　A．He would be aggressive in his first class.

　　B．He was wellprepared for his first class.

　　C．He got nervous upon the arrival of his first class.

　　D．He waited long for the arrival of his first class.

　　答案：C　细节理解题。根据第二段倒数第二句“But when the day eventually came, my nerves kicked in and the true Mr. Davis was there.”可知，等第一节课真正到来时，作者感到十分紧张。故C项正确。

　　3．Before he started his class, the author asked the students to ________.

　　A．write down their suggestions on the paper cards

　　B．cut maple leaves out of the construction paper

　　C．cut some cards out of the construction paper

　　D．write down their names on the paper cards

　　答案：D　细节理解题。根据第三段最后一句“... and the students wrote down their names and fastened them to their breast pockets as I required.”可知，D项正确。

　　B

　　Cool temperatures, golden colors of autumn and dramatic events are just three reasons to visit Oregon's Washington County this fall. The season brings a large number of places to see and things to do. We've collected some of the best reasons why you should plan a trip here in the coming months.

　　It's a Harvest Season

　　Autumn marks the height of the agricultural season, which not only means a variety of autumn fruits and vegetables at the farmers' markets, but also means that the season is heating up with fun, family farm events. Three apple festivals this fall will celebrate the diversity and deliciousness of Oregon grown apples.

　　The Colors Are Changing

　　On a cool, autumn day, the rural, agricultural and forested scenery of Oregon's Washington County comes alive with bright red, orange and yellow leaves —

　　a stark contrast to the deep, dark green of the trees that share these landscapes.

　　Bird Migration Season Is in High Season

　　September and October are busy months for bird watchers. Migratory and native birds call Washington County “home”， whether it's for the winter or they're just visiting on their southern voyage.

　　Wine Harvest Season Brings Signature Tasting Events

　　Celebrate the splendor of Oregon wine at two of the region's biggest wine events, which happen annually in the fall. The North Willamette Harvest Trail and Grand Tasting is a full-day guided bus tour to three wineries featuring hands-on experiences, vineyard exploration, a wine country lunch, and wine tastings.

　　Experience Tree-to-Tree Adventures at Sunset

　　Enjoy the crisp temperatures and rich colors of the season at

　　Tree Adventure Park, an aerial ropes course with six challenging courses and zip-line park, all rolled into one. These are the final months to enjoy this fun and exciting attraction until it closes for the season in November.

　　Plan your own Oregon's Washington County autumn getaway. Read this great digital visitor guide for ideas and inspiration.

　　1.When you go to the farmers' markets you can

　　________.

　　A.get kinds of apples for free

　　B.make friends with farmers

　　C.join in the celebrations

　　D.feel satisfied with fun

　　2.The bird watchers go to Washington County because

　　________.

　　A.they are attracted by colorful leaves

　　B.the native birds leave their home

　　C.they can see different kinds of birds

　　D.the birds start their southern voyage

　　3.It can be inferred from the fifth paragraph that ________.

　　A.the wine event is to be held in the coming winter

　　B.farmers are good at growing grape in Oregon

　　C.the three wineries are most famous in America

　　D.few tourists like tasting the wine in wineries

　　4.Which is the best title for the passage?

　　A.Reasons to Visit Oregon's Washington County

　　B.Washington County Welcomes its Best Season

　　C.Charm of the Colorful Season

　　D.Take Adventures in the Coming Autumn

　　1．解析：选C　细节理解题根据第二段“Three apple festivals this fall will celebrate the diversity and deliciousness of Oregon grown apples.”可知当我们来到农夫市场时我们可以参加苹果节的庆祝典礼故选C解析：选C　推理判断题根据第四段“Migratory and native birds call Washington County ‘home’ whether it's for the winter or they're just visiting on their southern voyage. ”可判断鸟类观察者会来到华盛顿县因为这里有种类繁多的鸟类故选C解析：选B　推理判断题根据第五段“three wineries featuring hands-on experiences, vineyard exploration, a

　　wine country lunch, and wine tastings ”可知俄勒冈州有三大酿酒厂农夫们善于种植葡萄故选B解析：选A　标题归纳题根据第一段“We've collected some of the best reasons why you should plan a trip here in the coming months.”可知这篇文章主要讲述的是去俄勒冈州游玩的原因故选ANearly two million drivers in the UK have had accidents due to “Baby on Board” signs and children’s toys that affect their view，according to alarming new research.One in 20 motorists says stickers and playtime paraphernalia (装备) are to blame for a collision—equivalent to 1.85 million of Britain’s 37 million drivers.The discovery triggered a warning by a road safety charity—Brake to cut down on clutter (杂乱的东西) in the car.

　　Deputy chief executive Julie Townsend said “Baby on Board” signs are very useful in alerting the emergency services that a child may be involved in case of a crash.“This help can become negative if drivers display signs when their child isn’t in the car，” she said.“Worse still is the danger that can be caused by drivers influencing their view by cluttering up (塞满) windows with lots of signs.Drivers’ priority should always be getting there safely without putting themselves，young passengers or other road users at risk.”

　　A survey arranged by price comparison website Confused.com found that 37 percent of parents have displayed signs and four out of five of them believe they improve safety.But 46 percent admit doing so at all times—regardless of whether or not their child is in the car—and 15 percent admit they only have them for their novelty (新奇) value.The poll of 2,000 drivers also found that 46 percent of drivers regard them as a risk and 33 percent say they are lacking in taste.

　　“There are benefits and dangers to ‘Baby on Board’ signs.They can offer useful information for medical aid in case of a crash but having too many novelty items displayed could be a safety issue，” said a Confused.com spokesman.

　　1．What do we learn about the signs on the car from Paragraph 1?

　　A．They can be dangerous.

　　B．They are useful to avoid accidents.

　　C．They are welcomed by passengers.

　　D．They are forbidden to be used.

　　2．What is Julie Townsend’s attitude towards the signs?

　　A．Positive. B．Negative.

　　C．Uninteresting.D．Objective.

　　3．According to the survey，most of the drivers who use the signs think that the signs________.

　　A．can improve safety

　　B．are unnecessary

　　C．can make drivers clear D．can kill time

　　4．What is the purpose of this text?

　　A．To solve a problem.

　　B．To describe a threat to traffic safety.

　　C．To tell an interesting story.

　　D．To persuade drivers to drive safely.

　　【参考答案】阅读理解

　　语篇解读：　本文主要介绍了英国最新的调查发现汽车车贴成为“马路杀手”的事实。

　　1．解析：　推理判断题。从文章第一段介绍的英国有将近200万名司机曾因车贴和儿童玩具发生过交通事故，到车贴和玩具会模糊司机的视线并且在每20位驾驶人员中就有一位表示车贴和娱乐设备会导致发生交通事故以及Brake提醒大家清理车里杂乱的物品可推知，它们可能是危险的。

　　答案：　A

　　2．解析：　态度判断题。根据第二段中的“‘Baby on Board’ signs are...isn’t in the car”以及“Worse...or other road users at risk.”可知，Julie Townsend对车贴积极的一面以及消极的一面都做了客观的描述，由此可推知她的态度是客观的。

　　答案：　D

　　3．解析：　细节理解题。根据第三段中的“four out of five of them believe they improve safety”可知，大多数司机认为这能使行驶更安全。

　　答案：　A

　　4．解析：　写作意图题。本文介绍了英国最新的调查发现汽车车贴成为“马路杀手”的事实，其目的就是告诉人们当前存在的一个交通安全隐患。

　　答案：　BⅡ.任务型阅读

　　Different Cultures

　　The cultures of the East and the West really distinguish each other a lot. 1.________

　　The origin of the eastern cultures is mainly from two countries: China and India. Both of the two cultures are developed by rivers — the Yellow River in China and the Hindu River in India.

　　2.________

　　When the two mother rivers gave birth to the Eastern culture, another famous culture was brought up on the Mesopotamian Plain — the Mesopotamian Civilization. This civilization later on developed into the cultures of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. 3.________ Like the Chinese culture, the European culture also crossed waters. When the British settled down in America,

　　their culture went with them over the Atlantic Ocean.

　　So the American culture doesn't distinguish from the European culture a lot.

　　4.________ Take the language system

　　for example. In the East, most languages belong to the pictographic language while the Western languages are mostly based on the Latin system.

　　Other causes like human race difference counts as well.

　　But what's more, due to the far distance and the steep areas between the East and West, the two cultures seldom communicate until recent centuries.

　　So they grew up totally in their own ways with almost no interference (干扰) from the other.

　　The differences are everywhere. 5.________ But different cultures make the world of 21st century more colorful.

　　The cultural gap should not be the obstacle (障碍)

　　to the civilization of human being.

　　It ought to be the motivation of our going farther.

　　A.Let us work together to keep a variety of culture.

　　B.One important thing is to learn about other cultures.

　　C.And these two are well known as the base of the European culture.

　　D.At the same time, some other differences add to the cultural differences.

　　E.This is because the culture systems are two separate systems on the whole.

　　F.They helped the two cultures develop for centuries and form their own styles.

　　G.They are obvious and affect people's ways of thinking and their views of the world.

　　Ⅲ.完形填空

　　(2024·郑州市毕业预测)Do you know that body language accounts for over 90% of a conversation? That's why communicating face to face is always better than a telephone conversation — __1__ if you are trying to sell something!

　　Your body language will give others a general __2__ of you and it will also show your emotions. It's very difficult to make your body __3__. It's easy to tell the difference between a __4__ smile of pleasure and a false smile. So if you understand body language codes (密码), it is usually possible to know what someone really __5__， whatever they may be saying with __6__.

　　Although much of our body language is universal, a lot is also __7__. Culture codes vary from one country to another and they can __8__ misunderstandings. Even simple gestures may have a completely different meaning in other parts of the world. For example, the circle __9__ made with three raised fingers means “OK” in the United States. But it is not universal. In Brazil, Greece and Germany it is a __10__ gesture showing disrespect and in Japan it means “money”！

　　In many Asian cultures, it is not appropriate for men and women to touch in public. Therefore, displays of affection such as __11__ hands or kissing are not __12__. In some parts of Asia, __13__， it is common for people of the same sex to hold hands as a sign of __14__.

　　Greetings vary according to the country and the sex of the people involved. In the west, it is appropriate to shake hands when you __15__ someone for the first time and both men and women can __16__ a handshake. In Indonesia, for example, a man will not offer a handshake to an Indonesian woman __17__ they are in a business situation.