高三英语星级阶梯阅读练习三星级54.doc

高三英语星级阶梯阅读练习三星级54ASTOCKHOLM, Oct11 （Xinhua） - Chinese writer Mo Yan has won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature, announced Peter Englund, Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy in Stockholm on ThursdayThe Nobel Prize in Literature 2012 is awarded to Chinese writer Mo Yan who with hallucinatory realism merges folk tales, history and the contemporary, said Englund at a press conferenceMo Yan, a pseudonym for Guan Moye, was born in 1955 and grew up in Gaomi in Shandong province in eastern ChinaHis parents were farmersAs a 12-year-old during the Cultural Revolution he left school to work, first in agriculture, later in a factoryIn 1976 he joined the Peoples Liberation Army and during this time began to study literature and writeHis first short story was published in a literary journal in 1981In his writing, Mo Yan draws on his youthful experiences and on settings in the province of his birthThis is apparent in his novel Hong gaoliang jiazu （1987, in English Red Sorghum 1993）, said the academy in a statement of Mos biographyThe book consists of five stories that unfold and interweave in Gaomi in several turbulent decades in the 20th century, with depictions of bandit culture, the Japanese occupation and the harsh conditions endured by poor farm workers, according to the biographyRed Sorghum was successfully filmed in 1987, directed by famous Chinese director Zhang YimouThrough a mixture of fantasy and reality, historical and social perspectives, Mo Yan has created a world reminiscent in its complexity of those in the writings of William Faulkner and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, at the same time finding a departure point in old Chinese literature and in oral tradition, the academy commented in the biographical statementIn addition to his novels, Mo Yan has published many short stories and essays on various topicsIn spite of his social criticism, he is seen in his homeland as one of the foremost contemporary authors, the statement addedDozens of his works have been translated into English, French and Japanese and many other languagesLast years literature prize went to Swedish poet Tomas TranstromerAlfred Nobel, a Swedish industrialist who invented dynamite, established the Nobel Prizes in his will in 1895The first awards were handed out six years later26Where can you possibly read tins article?AIn a magazine BAt the front of a novelCIn a Business brochure Don the newspaper27Which of the following Is closest in meaning to the underlined word pseudonym in paragraph 3?Aeldest son Bgovernment leader Cpen name Dauthor28Mo Yan started to earn his life Ain 1967 Bin 1976 Cin 1981 Din 198729Which of the following statements is true?AMo Yan started to write stories when he turned 20BThe stories in Red Sorghum describes both country and city lifeCMo Yans works are widely read at home and abroadDBesides writing novels, Mo Yan produced a film30The Nobel Prize was set up .Aby a SwedeBby the Swedish Academy is StockholmCin the 18th centuryDto award greast literary figuresBThe day began with clear sunlight and blue skiesIt soon turned into years of war, economic breakdown and political division. Ten years after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon（五角大楼）on September 11,2001, America has come out of the smoke a very different countryNearly 3,000 people died on September 11Suddenly America had to wake up to the fact that not everyone loves the USSAMembers of al-Qaeda, the militant group that earned out the attacks, were angry about US support for the Israelisagainst Palestinians in the Middle East, about US troops in Saudi Arabia, and about sanctions （制裁）against IraqSeptember 11 and the years that followed were a shock to our national consciousness, said Nicholas Bums, American ambassador to NATO （北约） at the timeThe terrorists struck not only the buildings, but also Americans- faith in their powerThe fear that America had lost control of events as widespreadIn the name of fighting terrorism, the US launched wars in Iraq and AfghanistanMore than 6,000 Americans have diedTens of thousands of ordinary people in those countries have also lost their livesBut deaths are only part of the storyThe world was shocked by photographs of Americans torturing （折磨） Iraqis in Abu Ghraib prison in BaghdadDavid Goldstein, a reporter with The Kansas City Star, questioned American behavior: Has torturing so-called terrorists saved American lives or made the values we advocate around the world weaker? Is that what weve become?However, a brief moment of national unity did occur straight after 9/11Americans were coming together in an unusually powerful way in the ashesWe live in a bittersweet memory of that collective tragedy and collective possibility, said filmmaker Ken BurnsSeptember 11 was that kind of common momentWhen it was over, the Harth still turned in its usual way and the stars in the sky shone as beforeBut the universe had shifted somehowThough the world felt the consequence of September 11, more is to comeTen years on, it still might be too soon to tell31What is al-Qaeda in Paragraph 2?AIt is the name of the leader of a militant groupBIt is the name of a city in tie Middle EastCIt is the name of an armed organizationDIt is the name of a terrorist that carried out the 9/11 attacks32Which statement is NOT true?AThe US government gives supports to Israel but not to Palestine or IraqBThere are American troops stationed in Satidi ArabiaCThe 9/11 event brought die US people into unity for some timeDMore than 6000 Americans have died since the 9/11 attacks33What is robably the authors attitude towards Americas military actions abroad?AIt is necessary to sweep out all the terrorists around the worldBIt is not very reasonable to launch wars in Iraq and AfghanistanCIt is quite right to apply military forces upon other nationsDThe days of an eye for an eye should never be gone34What can be inferred from the passage?ASome Americans are skeptical about Americas armed behavior overseasBTens of thousands of common people were killed in the wars besides American soldiersCThe 9/11 attacks damaged Americans faith in their military and economical powerDMore attacks will happen to the US ten years later35What is the best title for this passage?AResult of Military OperationsBAmericas Victory over TerroristsCShadows of 9/11DNever Say YesCAnger is good for you as long as you control it properly，according to new psychology researchA new study from Carnegie Mellon University shows anger may help people reduce the negative impacts of stress and help you become healthier“Here getting emotional is not bad for you if you look at the case of anger，”said Jennifer Lerner of Carnegie Mellon“The more people display anger，the lower their stress responsesLerner studied 92 UCLA students by asking them to count back from 6，200They must say out loud every thirteenth numberResearchers disturbed them by asking them to count faster or ask them other questionsIf they made any mistakes，they had to restart from the very beginningMany students felt depressed about making so many mistakes or got angry because the researchers were interrupting them.Lerner used a hidden video camera and recorded all their facial expressions during the testThe researchers describe their reactions as fear，anger and disgustOther researchers recorded the students blood pressure，pulse and production of a highstress hormone（荷尔蒙）called cortis01People whose faces showed more fear during the experiment had higher blood pressure and higher levels of the hormoneBoth can have lasting effects such as diabetes（糖尿病），heart disease，depression and extra weight gainWhen people feel fear，negative impacts increase, but when they get angry，those negatives go down，according to the study “Having that sense of anger leads people to actually feel some power in what otherwise is a maddening situation，”Lerner saidLerner previously studied Americans emotional response to the 911 terrorist attacks two months after the incidentShe found people who reacted with anger were more optimisticThese people are healthier compared with those who were frightened during the eventSo in maddening situations，anger is not a bad thing to haveIts a healthier response than fear36Which statement will Jennifer Lerner agree with?AIts better to be angry than to be frightened in maddening situationsBDifferent reactions reflect different outlooks on lifeCDont control your anger and it makes you powerfulDPessimistic people are generally healthier than optimistic people37What does the underlined word “both” in the fifth paragraph refer to according to the passage?AFear and angerBBlood pressure and pulseCBlood pressure and cortisoneDHigher blood pressure and higher levels of the hormone38The researchers made the experimented students angry by _Arecording their performance secretlyBasking them to count to 6,200 again and againCdisturbing them and making them start ail over againDcriticizing them when they made mistakes39In what ways can anger be beneficial to people?ABy showing their optimistic sideBBy reducing their stressCBy reducing high blood pressureDBy taking the place of fear40 What is this passage Mainly about?AThe findings of new psychology researchBWhat you can do with anger in certain casesCDifferent effects produced by anger and fearDHealthier responses in maddening situations（D）Once again, rumors are spreadingJudgement Day, this time, is set to happen on December 21st, 2012The date originated from the Mayan calendar, but actually gained popularity through the hit movie, 2012How will the world end? And how do we know the exact date? There are many theories: A meteoroid from outer space; a solar storm; a shift in the earths poles; bla bla blaThey all supposedly pointed to the date of December 21st, 2012Unfortunately, none of it is trueZhu Jin, director of Beijing Planetarium, said, For earth itself, the end will be billions of years away from nowAnd for us humans, there is a very small chance that we may be affected by some astronomical factorsHowever, we dont have the ability to foresee such events so farSo when someone tells you the world is going to end on an exact date, it must be fakeBut the truth hasnt stopped people from believingIn the sci-fi movie 2012, the director imagined the end of the world based on the Mayan calendarThe film earned nearly 770 million US dollars worldwide. Ning Hong, Hebei Province, saidThe movie 2012 did get one thing rightThere are arks eing made in China, But theyre not being built secretly inside the mountainsThey are constructed here inthe courtyard of a factoryIn April, Liu Qiyuan quit his furniture business and devoted himself to developing these huge round ballsHe doesnt believe the end is near, but he wants to be prepared just in caseLiu Qiyuan, the Ark builder, said, The concept originated twenty years agoThe Tangshan earthquake had flattened our house, so I wanted to build a shelter that wouldnt fallThen in 2004, I saw the tsunami in Indonesia that killed so many peopleThen I realized it should be something that could withstand the earthquake and float on waterLiu is hoping to use his invention as a life boat on the seaHes planning to test his product on the water next year It turns out that rumour, though false, is good for businessDoomsday discounts and products are hot on many online storesWhile its surely attracted attention, many complain that it misleads consumersTheir purpose is to promote productsIf they believe the world is going to endwho would buy things? Money would be useless, too41The purpose of the movie 2012 was .Ato popularize scientific knowledge for the viewersBto make a profit from the viewersC to tell the viewers an interesting factual storyDto warn the viewers of a disastrous event42The word fake in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to Aa joke Ba lie Cuntrue Dterrifying43Liu Qiyuan quit his job and built his ark because _Ahe believed that the world was going to end on Dec21,2012Bhe was tired of making money from his furniture businessChe was almost killed in Indonesia in 2004Dhe wanted to make preparations for destructive natural disasters44Which statement is NOT true according to the passage?ARuinous were created by businessmen to promote their productsBThe movie 2012 was very popular and a great many people watched itCOne theory said that the earth was to shift its two poles on Dec21,2012DLiu Qiyuans ark was intended to survive earthquakes and terrible floods45We can infer from the passage that _ATune and time again people spread rumours about the worlds end for one reason or anotherBThe Mayas prediction about the worlds end has failedCIn the movie 2012 big arks were built secretly inside the mountainsDLiu Qiyuan was bom before 1976 and is at least 36 years old