第一卷 (满分70分)第一部分 阅读理解(共两节，满分40分)
第一节 (共15小题;每小题2分，满分30分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A, B, C和D)中.选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
I’ve often wondered if I might do more good as a travel agent rather than as a psychologist. It seems that I have been more dramatically affected by certain kinds of travel experiences than I ever have.
My trip to Iceland is a fine example of that. The plan was to spend two days in a remote mountain hut in Iceland. I was working on a photographic book about winter in Iceland and needed to capture images of this amazing region of high mountain peaks, smoky volcanoes, and lakes with floating icebergs.
The moment after we arrived, the weather turned extreme making visibility impossible. It snowed so much and the wind blew so hard that we couldn’t leave the tiny hut. To stay warm, we walked around in circles much of the day inside the tiny hut. We tried to call for help but the radio did not work. Day after day, we watched our supplies of food and fuel grow dangerously short. We got acute cabin fever (幽居病) and started going for walks and ski expeditions outside. Even when the weather finally broke, nobody came to get us even though it was three days beyond our scheduled pickup. By the time the rescue team came to pull us out, we had all given up hope.
From then on, the world looks different to me, as does my life. It would have taken me years of psychotherapy to get to the same point.
Almost everyone has a story to tell, and interestingly, most of these experiences were not altogether pleasant at the time. In fact, it appears that the most constructive life-changing journeys were those that involved some sorts of awful and uncomfortable events that forced the person to develop new resources, increase confidence, and solve problems in new ways.
1. The writer went to Iceland to ______.
A. enjoy the natural beautiful floating icebergs
B. take photos about the region for a book
C. collect materials for psychological research
D. challenge the high mountains there
2. During the trip in Iceland, those travelers faced difficulties EXCEPT that ______.
A. they got lost in the mountain
B. they were short of food and fuel
C. they couldn’t see the surroundings clearly
D. they failed to get in touch with the rescue team
3. From Paragraph 3, we learn that the travelers ______.
A. were in despair before they were rescued
B. stayed in the hut for three days altogether
C. got sick because of going for ski outside
D. got rescued immediately the weather turned fine
4. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. The writer is a travel agent who loves difficult challenges.
B. In Iceland the weather is always extreme and it snows a lot.
C. The travellers were so depressed that they needed psychotherapy.
D. Awful journeys may become life-changing events that inspire people.
B
Well, parents, surprise! Lots of us are using Twitter and Facebook to thumb rides, and not just to school. It’s awkward to be refused when you call a friend and ask for a ride. But with Twitter, you just look for other people heading the same way.
It may sound risky, so many teens stay within their own social circles to find rides, and don’t branch out beyond friends when asking on Twitter just like me, but to some young people, especially those taking longer trips, stranger danger is less of a concern.
“I think the digital connection of young people is really key, because younger generations grew up sharing things on line, sharing files, photos, music, etc, so they’ve been very used to sharing,” said Juliet Schor, a sociology professor at Boston College.
The sharing economy got big during the recession (经济衰退), allowing people to access more goods, services using technology and even to share costs. And that technology, for me, is what the car was for my mom, a gateway to more freedom, like what my friend Earl says, “The symbol of freedom isn’t the car any more because there’s technology out there connecting you to a car.”
According to the researchers at the University of Michigan, 30 years ago, eight in ten American 18-year-olds had a driver’s license compared to six in ten today. So it’s not that surprising that on my 16th birthday I wasn’t rushing to get a license but an iPhone.
“Driving, for young people, does mean they have to disconnect from their technology, and that’s a negative. So if they could sit in the passage side and still be connected, that’s going to be a plus.” Schor continued.
To me, another plus is that ridesharing represents something, something much bigger than trying to save money. I see it as evidence that people still depend on each other. My generation shares their cars and apartments the way neighbors used to share cups of sugar. For the system to work, some of us still need our own cars. But until I get my own version of the silver Super Beetle, you can find me on Twitter.
5. The American teens like the author, prefer to possess an iPhone as a birthday gift because _______.
A. it is most fashionable and cool B. they are bored with driving cars
C. they are fond of being connected D. it is much cheaper than a car
6. We can learn from the text that _______.
A. Twitter is a website for teens to make friends and achieve goals
B. ridesharing can be seen as a sign that people still count on each other
C. driving cars for teens means a plus and connecting with technology
D. having a car and cost-sharing symbolize more freedom for the author’s mother
7. Professor Juliet would agree that _______.
A. young people will sit waiting to be contacted by reading a passage
B. sharing economy is bound to be responsible for the recession
C. young people tend to share a car with strangers by means of Twitter
D. being connected via technology comes first for young people
8. The best title for the passage is probably _______.
A. Twitter, an Awesome Website B. Cars or iPhone
C. Teens Use Twitter to Thumb Rides D. Cool Teens on the Go
