Ⅱ.阅读理解
A
The 2012 preview of the new cars provides an excellent variety of cars. And it gives a look at the new models of trucks.
The new 2012 Volkswagen Jetta is being redesigned to stay “America’s favorite people car”. The redesign will include a more reliable and economical vehicle to purchase. There is rumor that VW plans to bring the manufacturing of the 2012 Volkswagen Jetta to the United States. It is unclear when the official preview of the new Jetta will occur but it is expected that they should appear in the market place sometime during the fall of 2011. Sticker price will range between ＄18 200 and ＄27 500.
The Euro-designed 2012 Kia Cadenza is replacing the Kia Amanti. Kia is promising better gas mileage and features for the money. A preview of the car can be seen now since it is currently being sold in the South Korea-market as the Kia K7. The car is said to be reliable, durable, keenly priced and will be advertised as the“smart choice” to purchase in the present economy. Sticker price will be somewhere between ＄30 000 and＄40 000.
The 2012 Chevrolet Caprice PPV will be sporting the big V8 engine but will only be available for the police departments. The space, driving characteristics and stamina are all included in this traditionally American vehicle. The interior is being increased to 112 cubit feet to help with leg room．The V8 will cost approximately ＄32 000. There will also be a V6 that will cost approximately ＄29 000.
The 2012 Coda EV will be offered to individuals only in the State of California. This all-electric midsize sedan will run on battery power only. The Coda is a cooperative product of an American start-up company who joined with two Chinese manufacturers．The vehicle is expected to be the first car sold in the USA that will be built in China. Sticker price will be ＄40 000 but the ＄7 500 tax credit for an electric-vehicle purchase will be the cost down to ＄32 500.
【语篇解读】 本文是一篇应用文。文章介绍了2012款的几种车型。很明显，根据文章的介绍和预测可知，各种车型各有优点，有的还属于环保车型，有的价格低廉。
21. Which of the following is TRUE of the new 2012 Volkswagen Jetta?
A. It will be very popular to American people.
B. It will be the most expensive one this year.
C. It will surely be produced in the United States.
D. It will enter the market in the first half of 2012.
答案 A [推理判断题。根据第一段中的“The new 2012 Volkswagen Jetta is being redesigned to stay‘America’s favorite people car’.”可以推知，这款车将很受美国人的欢迎。]
22. The most expensive one mentioned in this passage probably is ______.
A. the 2012 Chevrolet Caprice
B. the 2012 Volkswagen Jetta
C. the 2012 Coda EV
D. the 2012 Kia Cadenza
答案 D [细节理解题。对比文中涉及的各款车的价格，可知the 2012 Kia Cadenza应该是最贵的一款，故为正确答案。]
23. All the following are the advantages of the 2012 Coda EV probably except that ______.
A. it can save a large amount of money
B. it will be designed in an American style
C. it will be an environmentally friendly vehicle
D. it will be made by the Chinese company
答案 B [细节理解题。文章第五段介绍了2012 Coda EV这款车型的诸多优点，其中B 项的意思和文意不符，为正确答案。]
24. This passage is mainly to introduce ______.
A. all kinds of modern vehicles
B. 2012 exhibitions of the new cars
C. the latest models of trucks
D. 2012 car preview of new vehicles
答案 D [主旨大意题。根据文章第一段，及其下文的价格可知，本文主要是涉及2012年将要上市的几款新车型。故D项为****标题。]
B
BOLSE，Idaho—Among traditional houses on Boise Avenue，MarkLung，a former ecology professor，is working hard at bales(大捆)of straw(稻草)and mixing mud.
He is building a new home using local，recycled agricultural waste to build walls.The mud，sand，straw and water will be used both inside and outside of the house instead of bricks and paint.
“ Similar in appearance to Southwestern adobes，strawbale structures are earthfriendly and energyefficient，” Lung said.
Unlike the wall in a typical home，which is about 6 inches thick，a strawbale wall is 18 to 23 inches thick，providing greater protection for the house against winter cold，summer heat and sound.Fire and pests are not a problem，either.
“Straw makes sense.It might be the building material of the future，” Lung said.“It is a cheap and easily renewable(可再生的)building material.”
Lung lived in a strawbale house in Gunnison，Colo.，before moving to Boise.While there，he carefully set down the temperatures over a period of time.The outside temperature changed from 20 to 80 degrees.Inside，the temperature stayed between 68 and 72—there is no need to use heating or cooling equipment.
The cost of building a strawbale home is lower than a traditional home.The materials—straw，sand and clay—are cheaper.
To build his home，Lung bought 250 bales at $2 a bale from a Meridian farmer.Lung is providing much of the labor himself and is using recycled materials，which brought the costs down to about $86 a square foot—he's spending about $165,000，not including land.
Building the 1,900squarefoot home with traditional materials would have cost Lung about MYM103 per square foot.
Lung is sharing his building experience with other builders，experts and students.He said that almost every day，curious visitors “come and ask about the house.” Lung gives them a tour and explains what he is building and why.
“However，strawbale homes still haven't caught on with the mainstream，maybe because city codes have not been updated to allow them，” he said.
【语篇解读】 曾经的生态学教授用稻草建造了环保节能的房屋。
25．The advantage of Mark Lung's home is that________.
A．it has thin walls to save space
B．it can keep much fresh air in the house
C．it benefits the earth and costs less money
D．it is able to change temperatures more easily
答案 C [细节理解题。根据文章第三段的strawbale structures are earthfriendly and energyefficient可知该房子的****优点就是环保节能。故选C项。]
26．Mark Lung set down the temperatures to show that________.
A．his houses saves energy
B．his house is of great value
C．he is an expert in building houses
D．he is interested in climate change
答案 A [细节理解题。根据文章第六段最后一句话可知，这样的房子内温度变化小，不需要再使用增温或降温设备，因而更加节能，故选A项。]
27．What do we know about Mark Lung from the passage?
A．He builds his house all by himself.
B．He thinks highly of straw as a building material.
C．He hasn't lived in a strawbale house before yet.
D．He studied Southwestern adobes to build his house.
答案 B [推理判断题。根据文章第五段中他所说的话及全文的描述可知，他对将稻草作建筑材料的做法是极其赞赏的，故选B项。]
28．It can be learned from the last two paragraphs that________.
A．Lung's idea has been widely accepted
B．Lung builds the strawbale house for saving money
C．it is impossible to build a strawbale house in the city
D．many people show a great interest in Lung's house exhibition
答案 D [细节理解题。根据文章倒数第二段的He said that almost every day，curious visitors “come and ask about the house”可知，很多人对他的房子感兴趣，故选D项。]
写作素材集锦
单词
1．preserve保存，保留
2．enthusiast爱好者
短语
1．be busy doing sth.忙于做某事
2．appeal to吸引，使感兴趣
3．thread one's way through穿过
句子
What better way to see all these treasures than from the water?
还有比从水上观看这些美景更好的方法吗？