第4部分：閱讀理解(第31-45題，每題3分，共45分)下面有3篇短文，每篇短文后有5道題。請根據短文內容，為每題確定1個最佳選項。

A Letter from Alan

I have learnt of a plan to build three hundred houses on the land called Parson's Place by the football ground. Few people know about this new plan to increase the size of our town. For me, Parson's Place is special because it is a beautiful natural area where local people can relax — the small wood has many unusual trees and the stream is popular with fishermen and bird-watchers. It's very quiet because there are few houses or roads nearby. I think that losing this area will be terrible because we have no other similar facilities in the neighborhood.

I am also against this plan because it will cause traffic problems. How will the people from the new houses travel to work? The motorway and the railway station are on the other side of town. Therefore, these people will have to drive through the town centre every time they go anywhere. The roads will always be full of traffic, there will be nowhere to park and the tourists who come to see our lovely old buildings will leave. Shops and hotels will lose business. If the town really needs more homes, the empty ground beside the railway station is a more suitable place.

To doubt the builders will make a lot of money by selling these houses. But, in my opinion, the average person will quickly be made poorer by this plan. As well as this, we will lose a very special place and our town will be much less pleaisant.

I am going to the local government offices on Monday morning to protest about this plan and I hope that your readers will join me there. We must make them stop this plan before it is too late.

Why has Alan written this letter?

A.To persuade the government to build new houses.

B.To protest about a new motorway near the town.

C.To encourage more people in the town to use Parson's Place.

D.To inform other people about the builders' plans.

32、 Why is Parson's Place particularly important, in Alan's opinion?

A.Because it is near the football ground.

B.Because lots of people live near it.

C.Because it is a place near the town where people can enjoy nature.

D.Because local people can get there easily by car from the town.

33、 What will cause traffic jams?

A.A building on Parson's Place.

B.Building near the railway station.

C.Tourists in the narrow streets.

D.People going to the shops and hotels.

34、 Alan says that ordinary people who live in the town will probably soon__________

A.open new shops and hotels

B.choose to live near the station

C.be able to buy new homes

D.have less money

35、 Which of these posters has Alan made?

A.SAVE OUR SPORTS GROUND

B.SAY NO TO HOUSES ON PARSON'S PLACE

C.WE NEED HOMES NOT HOTELS

D.USE THE TRAIN NOT THE ROAD

Gendergap

The girls in this sixth grade class in East Palo Alto , California , all have the same access to computers as boys. But researchers say, by the time they get to high school, they are victims of what the researchers call a major new gender ( 性別 ) gap in technology. Janice Weinman of the American Association of University Women says, "Girls tend to be less comfortable than boys with the computer. They use it more for word processing rather than for problem solving,rather than to discover new ways in which to understand information. "

After re-examining a thousand studies, the American Association of University Women researchers found that girls make up only a small percentage of students in computer science classes. Girls consistently rate themselves significantly lower than boys in their ability and confidence in using computers. And they use computers less often than boys outside the classroom.

An instructor of a computer lab says he's already noticed some differences. Charles Cheadle of Cesar Chavez School says, "Boys are not so afraid they might do something that will harm the computer, whereas girls are afraid they might break it somehow. "

Six years ago, the software company Purple Moon noticed that girls' computer usage was falling behind boys. Karen Gould says, "The number one reason girls told us they don't like computer games is not that they're too violent, or too competitive. Girls just said they're incredibly boring. "

Purple Moon says it found what girls want, characters they can relate to and story lines relative to what's going on in their own lives. Karen Gould of Purple Moon Software says," What we definitely found from girls is that there is no intrinsic ( 固有的 ) reason why they wouldn't want to play on a computer; it was just a content thing. "

The sponsor of the study says it all boils down to this: the technology gender gap that separates the girls from the boys must be closed if women are to compete effectively with men in the 21st century.

According to the passage, girls are victims of the gender gap in technology because __________

A.they can not discover new ways to use computers

B.they have the same access to computers as boys

C.they are likely to be less comfortable with computers

D.they can only use computers for word processing

37、 The research on girls and computers is __________

A.based on a few recent articles

B.presented by one person

C.based on thousands of studies

D.not considered well grounded

38、 Girls often feel __________

A.bored with computer games

B.comfortable using computers

C.it hard to use computers in word processing

D.worried about using computers

39、 The software company seems to think girls would be more interested if __________

A.girls had an equal chance of playing games

B.the software was more violent

C.the software content was changed

D.the character were funny

40、 The gender gap needs to be closed because __________

A.it isn't fair that boys are allowed to use computers all the time

B.there isn't enough money for upgrading computers

C.most of the causes may boil down to a question of money

D.the ability to use computers is important in today's world

Something about Vocation

If you like to take lots of vacation, the United States is not the place to work. Besides a handful of national holidays, the typical American worker gets two or three precious weeks off out of a whole year to relax and see the world--much less than what people in many other countries receive. And even that amount of vacation often comes with strings attached.

So what's going on here?

A big reason for the difference is that paid time off is demanded by law in many parts of the world. Germany is among more than two dozen industrialized countries -- from Australia to Japan -- that require employers to offer four weeks or more of paid vacation to their workers, according to a 2009 study by the human resources consulting company Mercer. Finland , Brazil and France are the champions, guaranteeing six weeks of time off. But employers in the United States are not obliged under federal law to offer any paid vacation, so about a quarter of all American workers don't have access to it, government figures show. That makes the U. S. the 0nly advanced nation in the world that doesn't guarantee its workers annual leave.

Most U. S. companies, of course, do provide vacation as a way to attract and retain workers. But the fear of layoffs and the ever-faster pace of work mean many Americans are reluctant to be absent from the office-anxious that they might look like they're not committed to their job. Or they worry they won't be able to cope with a pile of work waiting for them after a vacation.

Then, there's the way we work.

Working more makes Americans happier than Europeans, according to a study published recently in the Journal of Happiness Studies. That may be because Americans believe more than Europeans do that hard work is associated with success.

So despite research documenting the health and productivity benefits of taking time off, a long vacation can be undesirable, scary, unrealistic or just plain impossible for many U. S. workers.

According to the passage, the United States is a nation __________

A.that prefers relatively longer vacations

B.that has fewer national holidays

C.where workers do not have paid time off

D.where employers are not required to offer paid vacation

42、 The phrase "with strings attached" (Para. 1 ) probably means “ __________ ”

A.with specified conditions

B.with full freedom

C.with many options

D.with work in mind

43、 Which of the following countries offers the longest annual leave to its workers?

A.Germany.

B.Japan.

C.France.

D.Australia .

44、 Many Americans are hesitant to take a vacation because they __________

A.are afraid of losing their jobs

B.enjoy the fast pace of work

C.are devoted to their jobs

D.like the challenges in work

45、 According to the author, Americans' chance of taking a long vacation is __________

A.uncertain

B.slim

C.good

D.promising

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