宁夏银川一中2012年二模拟考试英语试题答案(3)

57. By saying “convenience is not in my vocabulary”, the author means ______.
   A. he is always ready to help his friend.
   B. he hardly spares time to help his friend.
   C. he has no good excuse for refusing his friend.
   D. he is not good at communicating with his friend.
58. From the passage we learn that the author’s friend ________.
   A. had a happy childhood but everything changed later
   B. wanted to share his story but no one listened.
   C. took it for granted that he was made fun of
   D. was always of sad appearance
59. What does the author learn from his experiences?
   A. How to make a big difference to others.
   B. The importance of encouragement.
   C. How to get rid of depression
   D. The necessity of security

B
Disease, poverty, hate, love—Charles Dickens’ stories opened his readers eyes to the most important themes of his age. Two hundred years on, his stories still speak volumes across the world, proving that Dickens’ legacy(遗产) was far greater than just “great literature”
    February 7 marks the 200th anniversary of the writer’s birthday. To mark this date, BBC writer Alex Hudson listed six things Dickens gave the modern world. Let’s take a look at two of them.
A white Christmas
Dickens is described as “the man who invented Christmas”—not the religious festival, but the cultural aspects that we associate with the festive season today. In the early 19th century, Christmas was barely worth mentioning, according to critic and writer Leigh Hunt. The committee which ran the Conservative Party even held ordinary business meetings on Christmas Day – unthinkable in the West nowadays, when everyone but the most necessary workers takes at least three days off.
Many people believe that Dickens’ popular descriptions of the festive period became a blueprint for generations to come. In his classic novel, A Christmas Carol, he not only put forward the idea of snow at Christmas, but also painted a picture of glowing warmth –“ home enjoyments, affections and hopes”.
In his biography of Dickens, Peter Ackroyd wrote: “ Dickens can be said to have almost single-handedly created the modern idea of Christmas.”
“Dickensian” poverty
Dickens was one of the first to take an honest look at the underclass and the poor of Victorian (the period during British Queen Victoria’s reign from 1837 to 1901) London.
He helped popularize the term “red tape” to describe situations where people in power use needless amounts of bureaucracy（官僚作风） in a way that particularly hurts the weaker and poorer members of society.
“Dickensian” has now become a powerful word for describing an unacceptable level of poverty. In 2009, when the president of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers in the UK wanted to talk about deprivation in some areas of Britain, she did not use words like “terrible” or “horrific”, but rather described it as “life mirroring the times of Dickens”. 
60. What is the main idea of the article?
   A. An introduction to Charles Dickens’ classic novels.
   B. Charles dickens’ impact on the world.
C. Charles Dickens’ amazing characters.
D. Why Charles Dickens is popular across the world.
61. Why is Dickens called “the man who invented Christmas”?
A. Because he created the religious festival.
B. Because many of his novels have something to do with Christmas.
C. Because one of his novels helped to shape Christmas celebrations.
D. Because he was the first man to have proposed celebrating Christmas.
62. According to the article, the phrase “red tape” refers to _______.
   A. rules or procedures that are required to accomplish a task
B. a situation in which poor members of society are hurt.
C. conflict between people in power and weaker people
D. pointlessly time-consuming official procedures

C
School Groups:$10.00 per person
One free teacher admission per 10 students.
Group rates apply to groups 15 or more.
Click HERE to make a reservation online today!
The Miami Planetarium(天文馆) opened its doors to the public on November 4, 1966 and has entertained and educated children of all ages about astronomy and the wonders of the night sky ever since. The planetarium houses a 65-foot diameter doomed projection screen with 231 seats.
At the heart of the Planetarium is a SPITZ “Space Transit Planetarium” star projector(放映机), which is capable of accurately reproducing the stars and planets as seen from anywhere on Earth at any time during the year. Shows daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Unlike any other in South Florida, the Planetarium is a unique setting for bringing the stars and planets indoors in animated live star shows and music filled laser light shows.
The Weintraub Observatory（天文台） houses two powerful telescopes. Observatory hours are from 8:00p.m. to 10:00p.m. Look through the telescope to view the planets, the four moons of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn and deep sky objects such as galaxies, nebulas and double stars.
Deposit: A $ 75 deposit must be received 10 days ahead of the visit date to guarantee your visit.
Cancellation Policy：The museum requires 48 hours advance notice prior to any cancellation or other changes to a reservation. Without prior notification the original total will be expected upon arrival.
Payment Policy: The balance of the admission fee is due upon arrival at the museum on your visit day.
Upon arrival: The leading teacher should check in at the box office with payment for the correct head count of students and teachers. Visitors should remain on the bus until a museum interpreter show you around the museum.
Museum Etiquette: We ask that all groups remain together and orderly. Teachers are asked to help maintain order with their groups. We reserve the right to refuse service to any group or individual not obeying the museum policies.
Bus procedures: The museum will provide parking for buses in our parking lot. Upon arrival, bus drivers will be directed by the museum staff to the appropriate places to park. It is recommended that buses remain on the spots throughout the group’s entire museum visit.
For more information & reservations call: (305)646-4222.
63. In the Miami Planetarium, visitors can _________.
A. look through the telescope to view the Mars at 11 p.m.
B. enjoy the roller coaster on the weekend.
C. watch animated live star shows on December 1
D. watch animated live star shows on December 25
64. If twenty students are to visit the Miami Planetarium together with five teachers, how much will they have to pay for the admission fees in total?
A. $230       B. $250         C. $150         D. $200
65. To make sure that you can visit the Miami Planetarium on time, you must_____
   A. pay the total admission fees in advance.
   B. pay some of the admission fees in advance.
   C. rent the bus owned by the planetarium
   D. book the visit five days before the visit date
66. We can infer from the passage that _________.
   A. the Miami Planetarium has a history of over 60 years
   B. the Miami Planetarium is very popular among moviegoers
   C. the Miami planetarium is located in North Florida.