Urbanization
(2013·高考北京卷)Until relatively recently，the vast majority of human beings lived and died without ever seeing a city.The first city was probably founded no more than 5,500 years ago.__ 【小題1】__In fact，nearly everyone lived on farms or in tiny rural (鄉(xiāng)村的) villages.It was not until the 20^th century that Great Britain became the first urban society in history—a society in which the majority of people live in cities and do not farm for a living.
Britain was only the beginning. 【小題2】__The process of urbanization—the migration (遷徙) of people from the countryside to the city—was the result of modernization，which has rapidly transformed how people live and where they live.
In 1990，fewer than 40% of Americans lived in urban areas.Today，over 82% of Americans live in cities.Only about 2% live on farms.__ 【小題3】__
Large cities were impossible until agriculture became industrialized.Even in advanced agricultural societies，it took about ninety­five people on farms to feed five people in cities._ 【小題4】_Until modern times，those living in cities were mainly the ruling elite(精英) and the servants，laborers and professionals who served them.Cities survived by taxing farmers and were limited in size by the amount of surplus food that the rural population produced and by the ability to move this surplus from farm to city.
Over the past two centuries，the Industrial Revolution has broken this balance between the city and the country. 【小題5】_Today，instead of needing ninety­five farmers to feed five city people，one American farmer is able to feed more than a hundred non­farmers.

A．That kept cities very small.

B．The rest live in small towns.

C．The effects of urban living on people should be considered.

D．Soon many other industrial nations became urban societies.

E．But even 200 years ago，only a few people could live in cities.
F．Modernization drew people to the cities and made farmers more productive.
G．Modern cities have destroyed social relations and the health of human beings.

Angry Birds has become a worldwide gaming mega hit but how did this game come into existence? Rovio is the name of the company that created angry birds, however, it's not the first game they developed. Surprisingly they have been creating games for several years but had just never broken through into the mainstream the way they did with angry birds. The idea for the game came about in 2009 when the company was looking at different ideas for games which they thought could become popular. It was a simple idea spawned from some sketches(素描) of wingless and legless birds which were angry.
The sketches caught on among the staff who in turn created a unique design which became angry birds. The pigs were added into the game later in the development as an enemy. During this period of development, pig flu was being heavily reported in the news which is where the idea for the pigs appeared.
The basis of the game is very simple and is not unique to angry birds but has been seen in many other games previously. It's a simple physics/puzzle game. The player is given a slingshot and a limited supply of angry birds with different characteristics. Some birds are faster than others while others can be split into multiple birds. You control the trajectory(軌跡) of the birds with the slingshot which launches them towards rickety structures containing your main enemy, the pigs. In order to advance to the next level you must eliminate(消滅) all of the pigs before your birds run out.
Rovio has released several different versions of the game at this point. The original, Seasons, and Rio. Seasons is a collection of holiday themed versions of the game while Rio was a movie tie in for the movie Rio. All versions continue to be updated with new levels which are free to those who have previously purchased the game.
【小題1】What's the meaning of the underlined word in the first paragraph?

A．Turned.	B．Played a role.
C．Changed.	D．Came into being.

【小題2】In the game, the birds ________.

A．have different kinds that only include faster birds and slower birds

B．have to be controlled to kill all of the pigs before your birds run out

C．a(chǎn)re the enemy of the pigs which have been infected with pig flu

D．lose their temper for the pig flu so they try to kill the pigs

【小題3】According to the text, the game players ________.

A．must pay for this game—angry birds one level by one level

B．only pay for once and then it will be updated freely

C．should control angry birds to kill all the animals with pig flu

D．will become angry easily for playing the game too much

【小題4】Which one is the best title of the passage?

A．The Unknown Game—Angry Birds

B．Facts and Hints About the Game Angry Birds

C．Rovio Created Famous Games

D．Pigs and Angry Birds

Most people buy a lot of gifts just before Christmas. But some people think we buy too much. They have started a special day called Buy Nothing Day. They don’t want anyone to go shopping that day.
Buy Nothing Day is November 29. It’s 25 days before Christmas. It’s after Thanksgiving and often the first day of Christmas shopping. At this time, we see ads in newspapers and on TV telling us to “buy, buy, buy!”
The idea for Buy Nothing Day started in Vancouver, British Columbia. Now people all over the world celebrate Buy Nothing Day. In California, parents and children get together to read stories, sing songs, and paint pictures. The children talk about why they don’t need a lot of toys. This year, in Manchester, England, people dressed up to tell people that we buy too much.
In Albuquerque, New Mexico, high school students wanted to tell other students about Buy Nothing Day. They organized a spaghetti dinner to give people information about Buy Nothing Day. They asked restaurants in the neighborhood to donate the food. They made posters and talked to other students about it. The dinner was a big success, and many students agreed not to buy anything on November 29. The students at high school liked the idea of this new tradition. Next year, they want to have another dinner to tell more people about Buy Nothing Day!
【小題1】Which of the following is NOT the day for people to celebrate Buy Nothing Day?

A．The first day after Christmas.	B．25 days before Christmas.
C．After Thanksgiving.	D．November 29

【小題2】When do people usually do shopping?

A．Before Thanksgiving.	B．On Christmas.
C．Anytime.	D．Before Christmas.

【小題3】How do people celebrate Buy Nothing Day?

A．In California, parents and children get together to play games.

B．In England, people celebrated by performing plays.

C．They bought nothing and made the others decide not to.

D．In Mexico, high school students dressed up.

This year the selfie earned its place as the Oxford English Dictionary’s 2013 Word Of The Year．It has taken over our culture-and our smartphones．The rise of the selfie has become universal-between presidents，celebrities(名人)and citizens alike-and the trend is only continuing to grow.

A recent survey conducted by the Pew Internet＆American Life Project found that 54 percent of Internet have posted original photos online．And of those hundreds of millions of photos， many are of selfie photos．
For example，currently there are nearly 62 million posted selfie
photos on Instagram，the social media tool that has  significantly contributed to the personal photo’s popularity．That figure，which continues to rise every day, does not even begin to include the selfies shared  on Facebook and Twitter.
What makes the selfie so attractive-and why do we feel it a must to take one? According to Dr．Pamela Rutledge，psychologist and director of the Media Psychology Research Center，the desire to take，post and get“l(fā)ikes” on selfies goes back to a biological behavior of all humans．
“ I think it influences our sense of social connection in the same way as it does when you go
to a party and people say‘Oh I love your dress，’” Rutledge told The Huffington Post.“Biological，social recognition is a real need and there is even an area of the brain that contributes to social activity．”
There is a way to adapt to the growing selfie culture．Whether you’re a selfie novice or an advanced poster，there are always things to be mindful of when you’re posting，Rutledge advises.
She offered two main principles to follow when it comes to posting on social media:
1．The Grandmother Rule
“Don't post anything online，whether text or visual，that you don't want grandmother or future
employer to see，” Rutledge said．“Selfies especially．”
2．The Elevator Rule
“You wouldn’t say something in an elevator that you or no one else wants to hear—the whole
world of social media is an elevator，” Rutledge said．“Be aware of the breadth of platform．It's easy to think you’re sharing a photo with a few people，but Instagram is public and people can come across things．”   
【小題1】What's the main idea of the first paragraph?

A．The selfie is taking the lead．

B．Many people are fond of smartphones．

C．The selfie will take over everything．

D．The selfie is an important new word．

【小題2】According to the passage，people like“selfie”so much，because they___________.

A．need to be acknowledged in social life

B．want to show off their new dresses

C．desire to share good things

D．mean to amuse the public

【小題3】The underlined word“novice”in Paragraph 6 probably means“___________”.

A．publisher

B．greenhand

C．novelist

D．celebrity

【小題4】When it comes to posting on social media，Rutledge advises people to___________.

A．share photos only on Instagram

B．talk about their photos in an elevator

C．be cautious in posting things online

D．follow rules set by their grandmothers

The kindly“Chinese Fortune Grandpa”wearing  Han Chineseclothing and holding a fortune bag debuted (亮相) at the Imperial Ancestral Shrine in Beijing on the day after Christmas．The final imageof the Chinese gift-giver was selected through a global design competitionagainst“Santa Claus”，according to a report by Guangming Daily．

Many Chinese cities have been filled with Christmas neon lights，Christmas songs，Christmas trees，and the images of“Santa Claus”in recent days．As a matter of fact，foreign festivals are becoming more popular than certain traditional Chinese festivals among the Chinese people，particularly the youth.“Certain traditional festivals have died out because people have forgotten their spiritual meanings，”said noted writer Feng Jicai．More and more Chinese people are beginning to exchange gifts on Valentine's Day and Christmas．However，many of them know nothing about Chinese New Year pictures or sugarcoated figurines(小糖人)，and have never heard suona music．Certain folk customs on the Dragon Boat Festival，Tomb Sweeping Day，and other traditional festivals have gradually disappeared．Under such circum-stances，even the“Chinese Fortune Grandpa”is unlikely to defeat“Santa Claus”．
However，it is not a bad thing to some extent．It constantly reminds people to restore the“true
face”of traditional festivals．China has listed traditional Tomb Sweeping Day，Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival as legal holidays，which brings more paid leaves to the public，and helps to awake the public awareness of traditional festivals．
In modern society，festival is a carrier of culture and its meaning largelydepends on their understandings and usages by people．Compared with foreign festivals，traditional Chinese festivals are not inferior (次于) in cultural meanings，but lack of fashion sought by modern people．If people do not appreciate the historical culture contained by traditional festivals，and only take pleasure-seeking as the most important，the significance of traditional festivals will fade away and the inheritance (繼承) of fine traditional culture will be cut off．
【小題1】The second paragraph implies that______________________.

A．traditional festivals should co-exist with foreign festivals

B．a(chǎn)ll the Chinese festivals are disappearing in the near future

C．western festivals are constantly impacting on our festivals

D．the Chinese people have the public awareness of traditional festivals

【小題2】We can learn from the passage that______________.

A．a(chǎn)n image designed by the Chinese people will be displayed

B．many foreigners know nothing about Chinese festivals

C．the Chinese gift-giver was intended to symbolize traditional culture

D．the Chinese are beginning to exchange gifts on the Mid-Autumn Festival

【小題3】Many Chinese youth dislike traditional festivals because they think______________.

A．traditional festivals are out of fashion now

B．the historical culture is more difficult to understand

C．western festivals contain more cultural meanings

D．the inheritance will cut off their contact with western festivals

【小題4】What would be the best title of the passage?

A．Gone are Chinese Traditional Festivals

B．True Face of Chinese Traditional Culture

C．Foreign Festivals Popular with Chinese

D．Chinese Fortune Grandpa VS．Santa Claus

We are not who we think we are.
The American self-image is spread with the golden glow of opportunity. We think of the United States as a land of unlimited possibility, not so much a classless society but as a place where class is mutable—a place where brains, energy and ambition are what counts, not the circumstances of one's birth.
The Economic Mobility Project, an ambitious research led by Pew Charitable Trusts, looked at the economic fortunes of a large group of families over time, comparing the income of parents in the late 1960s with the income of their children in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Here is the finding: "The 'rags to riches' story is much more common in Hollywood than on Main Street. Only 6 percent of children born to parents with family income at the very bottom move to the top.
That is right, just 6 percent of children born to parents who ranked in the bottom of the study sample, in terms of income, were able to bootstrap their way into the top . Meanwhile, an incredible 42 percent of children born into that lowest are still stuck at the bottom, having been unable to climb a single rung of the income ladder.
It is noted that even in Britain---a nation we think of as burdened with a hidebound class system-children who are born poor have a better chance of moving up. When the studies were released, most reporters focused on the finding that African-Americans born to middle-class or upper middle-class families are earning slightly less, in inflation-adjusted dollars, than did their parents.
One of the studies indicates, in fact, that most of the financial gains white families have made in the past three decades can be attributed to the entry of white women into the labor force. This is much less true for African-Americans.
The picture that emerges from all the quintiles, correlations and percentages is of a nation in which, overall, "the current generation of adults is better off than the previous one", as one of the studies notes.
The median income of the families in the sample group was $55,600 in the late 1960s; their children's median family income was measured at $71,900. However, this rising tide has not lifted all boats equally. The rich have seen far greater income gains than have the poor.
Even more troubling is that our nation of America as the land of opportunity gets little support from the data. Americans move fairly easily up and down the middle rungs of the ladder, but there is "stickiness at the ends" —four out of ten children who are born poor will remain poor, and four out often who are born rich will stay rich.
【小題1】What did the Economic Mobility Project find in its research?

A．Children from low-income families are unable to bootstrap their way to the top.

B．Hollywood actors and actresses are upwardly mobile from rags to riches.

C．The rags to riches story is more fiction than reality.

D．The rags to riches story is only true for a small minority of whites.

【小題2】It can be inferred from the undertone of the writer that America, as a classless society, should ________.

A．perfect its self-image as a land of opportunity

B．have a higher level of upward mobility than Britain

C．enable African-Americans to have exclusive access to well-paid employment

D．encourage the current generation to work as hard as the previous generation

【小題3】Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The US is a land where brains, energy and ambition are what counts.

B．Inequality persists between whites and blacks in financial gains.

C．Middle-class families earn slightly less with inflation considered.

D．Children in lowest-income families manage to climb a single rung of the ladder.

【小題4】What might be the best title for this passage?

A．Social Upward Mobility.

B．Incredible Income Gains.

C．Inequality in Wealth.

D．America Not Land of Opportunity.

7 ways a government shutdown will affect your daily life
(CNN) -- Democrats and Republicans were unable to resolve (解決) their differences over Obamacare (奧巴馬醫(yī)改計劃）and now the government is shut down. The two previous shutdowns — 1995 and early 1996 — cost the country $1.4 billion. But what will the shutdown mean for you? Here are 7 ways the government shutdown will affect you.
7. Vacation all I ever wanted: Need to get away? Well, you can’t. At least not to national parks. Or to national zoos. Or to national museums. They'll be closed. Were you thinking more along the lines of a trip to France? If you don’t already have a passport, you might not get your blue book in time. The last time the government shut down, 200,000 applications for passports went unprocessed.
6. If you drive a car, I'll tax the street: You may be thinking, “No functioning government, no need to pay taxes.” Think again. The Man would continue to collect taxes. U.S. bonds would still be issued. And other essential banking functions will go on.
5. Wait a minute, Mr. Postman: You know that whole “Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night” thing? Apparently, the U.S. Postal Service works through shutdowns as well. Sorry, you won’t catch a break from the junk mail.
4. I want a new drug: Oh, the irony (諷刺的). Republicans still want to defund, delay or otherwise withdraw gradually at Obamacare in exchange for funding the government. But the health care act at the center of this storm would continue its process during a shutdown. That is because its funds aren’t dependent on the congressional budget (預(yù)算) process.
3. Pass the ammunition (軍火): Not so fast. A shutdown would affect the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Translation: That gun permit you wanted processed won’t happen anytime soon if this goes on for a while.
2. Money (that's what I want): Well, if you owned a small business and needed a loan from the government, you would have to wait, depending on how long this lasts. If you were planning to buy a house and needed a federal loan, you would have to wait.
1. I'm proud to be an American: Perhaps the biggest hit would be to the collective psyche (下意識心理). America is the largest economy in the world and a beacon for how democracy ought to work. A recent CNN Research Corporation found that 51% would blame Republicans for the shutdown. The United States has operated without a budget since 2009 and has avoided a government shutdown with last-minute deals. Not only did the government run out of money on Tuesday, but the nation is set to hit its borrowing limit and potentially default on its debt in mid-October. Together, they serve as a double whammy (打擊）.
【小題1】Which is the most probably meaning of the underlined word?

A．Raise some money.	B．Take the money back.
C．Borrow some money.	D．went on a strike.

【小題2】When the government’s shut down, what can the Americans do?

A．Apply for a gun permit.	B．Apply for a new passport.
C．Apply for a loan.	D．Pay taxes.

【小題3】How many times has the American government ever shut down so far?

A．Once.

B．Twice.

C．Three times.

D．Not mentioned.

【小題4】 According to the essay, what led to the shutdown of the American government?

A．The government of America ran out of money.

B．The government of America is on debts.

C．America is set to hit the borrowing limit of its debts.

D．The American government ran out of money and may fail in repaying its debts.

Everybody cheats. Whether it’s the taxi driver who tricks a visitor and takes them the long way round, or the shop assistant who doesn’t give the correct change, or the police officer who accepts a bribe (賄賂) – everybody’s at it. Cheats in the nest include the scientist whose research was based on fake data, the game show competitors who worked with a friend in the audience or win a million pounds, and the doctor who made up his qualifications and wasn’t really a doctor at all. Everybody cheats; nobody’s playing the game.
Is cheating acceptable, a natural way of surviving and being successful? Or is it something that should be frowned on, and young people discouraged from doing? If it’s the latter how can we explain to children why so many bend the rules?
Take sport for example. The Word Cup was filled with cheating. Whether diving, pretending to be hurt or denying a handball, footballers will do anything for a free – kick or a penalty shot. France striker Henry denied cheating to win the free – kick which led to his side’s second goal in their 3 – 1 victory over Spain. Many footballers, however, are often putting it on. Whatever the nationality there’s one common plot: the player rolls over holding their leg, ankle or head seeming to be in great pain. As a result a yellow card and / or free – kick is given for the foul and then, a few seconds later, the player is up and about as if nothing had happened ! The ref (裁判) may be taken in by it but youngsters watching the game aren’t. They also see their heroes getting away with it.
Of course it’s not just football. In 1998 the Tour de France, the world’s greatest cycling event, was hit by a drug – taking scandal (丑聞). The 40 bottles of forbidden drugs found with the Fustian team caused a massive investigation that almost caused the Tour to be abandoned. One rider, Veronique, was banned for 9 months. He claimed: “You have cheats in sport, just as you do in business – there will always be people trying to take a short cut. At least we’re not turning a blind eye to the problem, which other sports are.”
Is it all unavoidable? There’s huge pressure on all athletes to perform for their fans and for their sponsors. It’s success, money and power that rule professional sport rather than an honest attempt to do the best one can.
Meanwhile companies around the world are losing billions of dollars to fake products. From cut price CDs and DVDs to sportswear, cheap fake products are everywhere. It has become socially acceptable to buy fake Gucci bags and illegal copies of films. If parents are doing this, their children will follow.
So perhaps it’s not surprising that around the world more pupils than ever are caught cheating during exams. In one case missing exam papers were put up for sale on the Internet. In another, widespread cheating took place by pupils using their mobile phones to receive tested answers. They blame the pressure put on them to do well in exams. It doesn’t help that their role models are also cheats. Surely we can’t complain when we’re setting such a bad example.
【小題1】According to the passage, in which way can a game show player cheat?

A．By taking an indirect way.

B．By gaining aid from a friend.

C．By taking forbidden drugs.

D．By selling fake products.

【小題2】The underlined phrase “be frowned on”(Paragraph 2) most probably means  .

A．to be disapproved of	B．to be pushed forward
C．to be taken the place of	D．to be stuck with

【小題3】The writer mentions the example of the World Cup in Paragraph 3 in order to ____

A．show cheating is a common phenomenon nowadays

B．discuss the relationship between sport and cheating

C．explore the nature of cheating in important events

D．warn coaches and athletes of the danger of cheating

【小題4】The writer’s purpose for writing this passage is to        .

A．explain why people in almost every field cheat

B．complain about cheats in school education

C．persuade young people not to cheat in exams

D．blame the society for tolerating cheats

For decades, families settled on the sofa to share the latest news and TV series, until additional bedroom TV, computer games and the Internet almost put an end to family rows over who held the remote control. Now, however, the traditional living room scene is making a comeback. A study by the communications watchdog Ofcom has found families are once again gathering around the main television set, but they are bringing their pads and smartphones with them.
“The 1950s living room is making a comeback as a family entertainment centre,” said Jane Rumble, head of media research at Ofcom. “We are watching on much better, bigger, and more delicate television sets, but we are coming into the living room holding our connected devices.” While the family are coming together once more, comparisons with the past end there. With a range of smaller screens on hand, not everyone sitting on the sofa shares the same viewing experience.
The coronation (加冕禮) may have drawn the undivided attention of 20 million viewers in 1953, but those watching the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations 50 years later were as likely to be commenting online about BBC’s broadcast as watching it. “Just a few years ago, we would be talking about last night’s TV at work or at school,” said a viewer, “Now, we’re having those conversations live while watching TV, using social media, text and instant messaging.”
It is a behaviour of media meshing（聯(lián)網(wǎng)）, whose influence was underlined during this year’s Wimbledon men’s tennis final. As Andy Murray pushed towards his victory, 1.1 million people worldwide sent an average of over two microblogs about the match.
People use the Internet to enhance their television experience, for example, by reading a newspaper live blog about a football match while watching the action on the main screen. For a huge number of younger viewers, the portable screen offers a chance to do something unrelated, such as online shopping, listening to music or watching another television programme.
Some 70% of 16-to-24-year-olds claim to be absorbed in what Ofcom calls “media stacking” at least once a week. For TV viewers, the Internet scanning is the most popular activity, but they are also calling friends on the phone or sending emails and texts. Surprisingly, 12% claim to have listened to the radio with the television on, and 6% say they have watched another video in the meanwhile.
【小題1】 According to the study by Ofcom, family members nowadays _______.

A．care more about who holds the remote control

B．share the same programmes in the living room

C．watch better and more delicate television programmes

D．enjoy TV together with various smaller screens on hand

【小題2】 This year’s Wimbledon men’s tennis final is mentioned to indicate _______.

A．so many people worldwide are watching TV

B．people like watching live matches on TV

C．the great influence of media meshing

D．the average amount of microblogs

【小題3】Which shows the phenomenon of “media stacking” in the last paragraph?

A．People are watching TV while shopping online.

B．People are watching a broadcast of a coronation.

C．The Internet makes people spend less time on TV.

D．The Internet enriches people’s television experience.

【小題4】The passage is written to      .

A．describe the changes connected devices(設(shè)備，儀器) bring to TV watching

B．report the comeback of the traditional living room scene

C．show the influence of connected devices on people

D．present the different roles TV plays in people’s life

"The Chinese Dream" is a hot topic of this year. Many Chinese young people are inspired by the Chinese Dream. Everyone has their own dreams. They give us courage and confidence to keep us going through difficulties. Here are some advice on how to realize our beautiful dreams.
Never giving up is the key to make our dreams come true. We may fail from time to time, but we can learn from failure, correct our mistakes and try again until we achieve our goals. Our life is like a long journey which is not all roses. It sometimes has wind and rain. We believe rainbows will appear after storms.
Cooperation is also necessary. Everyone likes a person who is good at cooperating with others. Besides, in our society most problems can't be solved by one person alone. Cooperation is becoming one of the most important ways for people living in the developing society.
At the same time, we should learn to examine our abilities because it helps us know our advantages and disadvantages as well as get a full control of ourselves. Then we may be confident enough to face challenges.
Follow the suggestions above, and our dreams are sure to come true.
【小題1】How many suggestions of making dreams come true are mentioned in this passage?

A．One.

B．Two.

C．Three.

D．Four.

【小題2】The underlined word "It" in the second paragraph refers to

A．never giving up our dreams	B．our life
C．a(chǎn) long journey	D．learning from failure

【小題3】Which is the best title for this passage?

A．The Chinese Dream

B．Cooperation is Necessary

C．Examine Our Abilities

D．Advice on How to Realize Our Beautiful Dreams.