第三篇　　 Who Came First， the Chicken or the Egg？

　　I just mailed the chicken and the egg, each in its own separate packaging, and kept careful track of when each shipment was sent from a post office in Cambridge,
　　Massachusetts, and when it later arrived at its intended destination in New York City.
In mailing the chicken, I was careful to adhere to the restrictions described in the American Postal Service's Domestic Mail Manual 57, as updated on April 3, 2003. This, the most recent, version of the Manual states that: "Adult chickens must be sent by Express Mail. The containers used must pass the standards in International Safe Transit Association Test Procedure IA; be strong enough to endure normal handling; and ensure enough air for the chickens in transit. The number of birds must not be more than the container's limit."
　　I mailed the chicken in a wooden box got from a colleague who does research with birds.
Then, I mailed the egg in standard packaging obtained through an industrial supplier. It's quite simple.
I posted both the chicken and the egg at 9:40 am, on a Monday morning, from the Harvard Square post office, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The staff there told me that this was the first chicken anyone had mailed from there in recent memory, and perhaps ever. They handled both the chicken and the egg skillfully and politely.
The intended destination for both packages was the James A. Farley General Post Office, which is located in Manhattan right next to the Penn Station train terminal.
　　I took the subway from the Harvard Square to the Boston train station, and from there boarded a train to New York City, a distance of about 320 kilometers, arriving that afternoon at Penn Station. I immediately went to the post office, to await the arrivals of the chicken and the egg.
　　The James A. Farley General Post Office is open 24 hours a day, so I was able to wait there until both items arrived. I inquired once per hour for both the chicken and the egg.
That day, Monday, neither the chicken nor the egg arrived. The next day, Tuesday, neither the chicken nor the egg arrived.
　　The chicken arrived at 10:31 am, Wednesday. The staff at the post office told me that this was the first chicken anyone had mailed to the post office in recent memory, and perhaps ever. The egg arrived that same day, at 9:37pm, 11 hours after the chicken.
Based on experiment data, it's now quite clear that the chicken came first, the egg second.
　　41 Which of the following is NOT required of a container?

　　A　It should be ventilated.

　　B　It should be made of steel.

　　C　It should be sufficiently large.

　　D　It should be strong.

　　42 Why did the author go to New York City?

　　A　Because he had never been there before.

　　B　Because he wanted to show that he could arrive before both the chicken and the egg.

　　C　Because he had sent the chicken and the egg to himself.

　　D　Because he wanted to check which of the two items would arrive first.

　　43 How did he go to New York City?

　　A　By boat.

　　B　By bus.

　　C　By tube and rail.

　　D　By air.

　　44 When did the chicken arrive?

　　A　On Monday.

　　B　At 9：37 pm， Wednesday.

　　C　On Tuesday.

　　D　Eleven hours before the egg

　　45 What did he do all this for?

　　A　To amuse the reader with an unlikely answer to the chicken-or-egg puzzle.

　　B　To know if animals like chickens could be posted.

　　D　To know if eggs would break on the way to their destination.

　　D　To show that he was highly intelligent.

　　第5部分：补全短文（第46～50题，每题2分，共10分）

　　下面的短文有5处空白，短文后有6个句子，其中5个取自短文，请根据短文内容将其分别放回原有位置，以恢复文章原貌。

How Did She Conquer the Americans?

     African-American talk show queen Oprah Winfrey is the world's most powerful celebrity, according to Forbes magazine. 　　　　　(46)

     Winfrey, 51, draws 30 million viewers weekly in the United States. Her talk show reaches 112 countries. She earned US$225 million over the past 12 months to rank second in celebrity riches.

The annual Forbes list gives most weight to annual earnings. 　　　　　(47)

     "After 21 years, her exciting chat show still rules the airwaves. It created new celebrities and hundreds of millions of dollars in profits," the magazine said.

     Winfrey is most popular with her popular talk show "The Oprah Winfrey Show". She can always attract the superstars and let them open up to her intimate interviewing style.

Last month, American actor Tom Cruise, 42, surprised fans when he celebrated his new romance with 26-year-old actress Katie Holmes. He jumped up and down, shouting "I'm in love." Only a few years ago, Cruise and his ex-wife Nicole Kidman appeared separately on the same show telling the news of their divorce.           (48)

     Winfrey's approach appears to be simple. She is in pursuit of self-improvement and self-empowerment (自强). This has proved to be just what people, especially women, want.

     Winfrey often talks about her personal secrets on her show. That pulls in viewers. For example, she revealed that she had been sexually abused as a child, and has spoken freely of her struggle with her weight.

Winfrey was born to a poor family in Mississippi in 1954 　　　　　(49) At the age of 19, she became the youngest person and the first African-American woman to anchor (主持) a news programme.

    Her success has not just been on the screen. Her media group includes a women's TV network and websites for women.

    Winfrey's work has extended to social change. 　　　　　(50)

    She testified before the US Senate to establish a national database of dangerous child abusers. President Bill Clinton later signed "Oprah Bill" into law

　　A　In 1991, she did a lot of work for the National Child Protection Act

　　B　She was not a very successful woman

　　C　She began broadcasting while still at high school

　　D　it placed Winfrey at the top of its annual ranking of the 100 people last week.

　　E　The couple had been tight-lipped about their break-up

　　F　But it also looks at the celebrity's presence on the Internet and in the media

上一页  [1] [2] [3] [4] 下一页