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题型:阅读理解 题类:常考题 难易度:普通

2017届江西赣州十三县市十四校高三上期中联考英语卷

阅读理解

    Is pricing a plane ticket based on the passenger's weight fair? If you're taking an international flight on Samoa Air today, your fare will be based on your weight, along with that of your luggage. The cost is 93 cents to $1.06 for each kilogram.

    The average American woman weighs 75.5 kilograms, far from the ideal weight for her average height. Her ticket on Samoa Air, at the $1 a kilogram rate, would cost $75.50. But let's be honest here. Since the average American woman is overweight, the ticket will cost her more.

    Samoa Air Chief Executive Chris Langton said, “Planes are run by weight and not by seat. The plane can only carry a certain amount of weight and that weight needs to be paid.”He believes other airlines should adopt the policy.

    It' s not a new idea. I remember a newspaper columnist years ago who put forth the idea that the heavier among us should pay more for their seats on planes, trains and buses. Who hasn' t been squeezed into a middle seat between two plus-sized folks on a flight? It's happened to me; one time my married seatmates had purposefully chosen their seats to have more space until a sold-out flight put me between them. Not one of my better flying experiences.

What if such a policy is adopted by some airlines in the United States? Could such pricing provide a much-needed motivation for Americans to reduce body weight? I hope so. But, as we know, more than one-third of us are obese and another third are overweight. The high probability is that the heavy customers will not suddenly lose weight or stop flying, but will instead choose a different airline, simply moving the supposed problem elsewhere.

    There's no doubt that the heavier will suffer more discrimination (歧视). Discrimination against the overweight in the United States has increased by 66 percent over the last decade —“and is comparable to rates of racial discrimination, especially among women,”wrote Yale University researcher Rebecca M. Puhl. Your weight can affect your salary, your chances for employment, how others view you and even, now, your air fares.

     “If the policy succeeds it may encourage the spread of body discrimination across different industries and the wider culture,” said one British editorial writer. He holds that it is companies' duty to provide equipment that meet the needs of their customers.

And we'll see how effective it is as a business model.

(1)、In Paragraph 3, Chris Langton _____.

A、explained the reasons for the ticket policy   B、showed the difficulties of the ticket policy C、expressed his doubt about the ticket policy  D、discussed the advantages of the ticket policy
(2)、If some American airlines adopt the ticket policy_____.

A、they will possibly lose a lot of customers B、there will be less overweight people C、people will use other forms of transportation D、the problem of overweight planes will be partly solved
(3)、The author mentions Puhl's study to show_____.

A、women are less likely to suffer discrimination B、racial discrimination is getting worse nowadays C、the ticket policy will have little influence on the obese D、the ticket policy will make body discrimination more serious
(4)、Which best describes the British editorial writer's attitude to Samoa Air's policy?

A、Optimistic. B、Defensive. C、Disapproving. D、Casual.
举一反三
阅读理解
Book 1 : Brack Obama
Grades: 3-5
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    His mother came from Kansas. His father came from Kenya. He grew up in Hawaii and Indonesia, far from the center of American politics. Few people had even heard of Brack Obama before 2004. But one powerful speech in Boston changed all that for the Illinois senator(参议员). In 2008, this inspiring leader ran for the country's top job, President.
Book 2: Danica Patrick
Grades:  3-5
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    Growing up, Danica Patrick dreamed of racing in the Indianapolis 500. In 2005, her dream came true. Danica finished the race in fourth place, the best ever result by a woman. Three years later, she became the first female to win an IndyCar race. As a woman competing in a sport dominated by men, Danica faced many obstacles. But she never stopped believing in herself, no matter what the difficulties.
Book 3: Ellen Ochoa
Grades: 3-5
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    Some people dream of becoming stars. Ellen Ochoa dreamed of living among them! She worked hard to make her dream of becoming an astronaut come true. On April 8, 1993, she strapped (用带子系好)herself in for the ride of her life aboard the space shuttle Discovery. Ochoa aimed high and boldly went where no Hispanic woman had gone before. Find out about Ochoa's amazing journey in her own words and photos from her personal collection!
Book 4: LeBron James
Grades:  3-5
Our Price: $ 8.95
    Fans, teammates, and opponents know him as King James. Many people consider LeBron James to be the most talented basketball Player of his generation. But there is much more to his story. He overcame hard times as a kid and rose to national fame as a teenager. He then jumped right from high school to the pros.  Along the way, LeBron never lost sight of where he came from or who he is.
阅读理解

    Last week, we talked about the conflict(冲突) between sleepy teenagers and early morning classes. Many people commented(评论) on our website.

For example, Damla Ece in Turkey wrote: I agree with the idea of starting lessons later so teenagers can feel better in the morning. But sleeping more than seven hours can be wasting time for students.

    Tran in Vietnam disagreed: I think teenagers, on average, need eight to ten hours of sleep every day. It's useless to try to force them to concentrate while they can't concentrate.

    Afshin Heydari from Iran wrote: schools should start early to avoid heavy traffic later in the morning.

    And Suze from Jordan wrote: When I was a teenager, I enjoyed taking my courses as early as possible. That way I could find a long time in the day to do my own activities.

    But Azra from Kyrgyzstan said: the reason why schools start early here is a lack of classrooms.

    And Joruji in Japan wrote: When I was a teenager, I used to get up before six to go to school, which was far from home, and I don't remember having problems. I think nowadays the Internet, TV games and cell phones make teens go to sleep later.

    Thirty-year-old Kika in Spain said: In my opinion, young people are very lazy.

    But Dennis Jin disagreed: For high school students in China, we must reach the classroom at 6:20 in the morning and be back home usually at 10:00 in the evening. Then we'll have some extra schoolwork to do. Can you imagine how long we could sleep every day?

    Teenagers are not the only ones who suffer. Kathy in Canada wrote: My daughter likes complaining about everything in the morning, and I know that this is from lack of sleep. I wish schools should change their start time to 8:30 or 9:00 in the morning.

    And Naima Star in Libya wrote: Getting up so early in the morning and leaving the warm bed is so difficult, especially in the cold weather. It reminds me of that old song: "It's nice to get up in the morning, but it's nicer to stay in bed."

阅读理解

    You may have heard of the American Dream, an ideal that has powered the hopes of Americans for generations.

    It began as a belief that the US was a land of opportunity, and that anyone could achieve success through hard work. The dream has referred to home ownership, a good job, retirement security or each generation doing better than the last for a long time.

    Yet today, this concept seems to have greatly changed. As Tune magazine pointed out, quite different from the older generation, many Millennials (the generation born after 1980) redefine the American Dream as “day-to-day control of your life”. They “prize job mobility, flexible schedules, any work that is more interesting than typing, and the ability to travel”, said the magazine.

    Home ownership, once the cornerstone of the American Dream, is becoming a smaller priority for this generation. Meanwhile, nearly 40% of them choose travel as part of their dream. And running their own business is a rising favorite, as nearly 26% of Millennials consider self-employment as part of their dream.

    So what has led to this huge change?

    Many point fingers at the poor economy. “Modern young Americans seem bound to face a world stamped by ever narrowing opportunity,” noted The Daily Beast.

    “The rate of 16-to-24-year-olds out of school and out of work is unusually high at 15%. Many college graduates have taken jobs that don't require a degree,” Time reported.

    The magazine worries that these difficulties may lead to a lost generation who are “unable to ever truly find their feet on the corporation's ladder”.

    Dan Kadlec, a reporter of Time, sees Millennials as resetting their expectations. “This situation is different for young adults today,” he wrote. “A true American dream has to feel attainable, and many Millennials are feeling they can only attain a day-to-day lifestyle that suits them.”

阅读理解

    Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival

    Where: Becket, Massachusetts

    When: June 15-Aug. 24

    Each summer, this influential dance center presents a number of classes and performances by more than 50 companies from around the world. Highlights(精彩的部分) this season include the Dance Theater of Harlem's production of Alvin Ailey's “The Lark Ascending”, which opens the festival.

    Many events are free. Ticketed performances start at $22.

    Moab Music Festival

    Where: Moab, Utah

    When: Aug. 29-Sep. 9

    This area is better known for mountain biking than for music. But since 1992, it has hosted a private festival that brings classical, jazz, Latin and other types of music to the land. This year there will be 16 concerts, including three “Grotto Concerts”, where guests take a 45-minute boat ride down the Colorado River to performances.

    Events start at $25.

    Cheyenne Frontier Days

    Where: Cheyenne, Wyoming

    When: July 19-28

    There's something for everyone at this 117-year-old festival, from an “Indian village” and Old West museum to country concerts. But the competition is still the main attraction, with cowboys(牛仔) and cowgirls competing for major money in the world's largest outdoor stage.

    Competition tickets start at $18, and concert tickets at $23.

    The Glimmerglass Festival

    Where: Cooperstown, New York

    When: July 6-Aug. 24

    Each summer, opera lovers from around the country (and the world) travel to upstate New York to watch productions that include stars like Nathan Gunn and Ginger Costa-Jackson. This year's performances include Wagner's “The Flying Dutchman” and Verdi's “King for a Day”, in honor of the 200th birthdays of both composers.

    Tickets start at $26.

阅读短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。

    Moscow city authorities have begun using comics (漫画) with characters from Russian fairy tales to explain to migrants (移民) how they should behave. They say a 100-page guide is needed to "keep a positive image" of the city and could help reduce "tensions" between natives and migrants. But critics have pointed out that foreign migrants and natives may be regarded as antagonists in the manual (手册).

    Russians and migrants have repeatedly flooded in Moscow recently. Many migrants from ex-Soviet republics in Central Asia, the Caucasus (高加索) and North Caucasus, arrive in Moscow every year, attracted by the capital's job opportunities and relatively high salaries. A significant number of them work in the Russian capital illegally.

    The new guide in Russian seeks to explain the "dos" and "don'ts" to migrants. They are urged not to cause trouble, by staring at women, or eating or talking loudly on the streets. They are also warned that the police may routinely (例行公事) stop them to check their documents.

    In the manual, Russia's famous "three warriors" are meant to represent the city's law enforcement agencies (执法机关), while Prince Yuri Dolgoruky (a historical character) is used for tours around Moscow. Meanwhile, Vasilisa the Wise and The Snow Maiden test the reader on Russia's language and history. A special section of the book explains the importance of following Moscow's strict residency and employment rules, stressing that migrants could otherwise be deported (驱逐出境) or banned from entry.

    The manual was written primarily for illegal migrants, Alexander Kalinin, who heads the group Support for Working Migrants in Moscow, told BBC Russian.

    "We want to raise their level of law awareness," he added.

    Migrant characters had initially (最初) been identified as representatives of different nationalities, but the book's authors later decided to drop this idea so as "not to offend anyone", said Mr. Kalinin.

    "The old conflict between Russian heroes and non-Slavic invaders is being revived," Yevgeny Varshaver, a migration expert told BBC Russian. He also suggested that the language used in the book would be "difficult" to understand for some migrants who were not native Russian speakers.

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