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第二部分：阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）
第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
I used to think of myself as a fairly open person, but my bookshelves told a different story. Apart from a few Indian novels and the Australian and South African book, my literature collection consisted of British and American titles. Worse still, I hardly ever read anything in translation. My reading was limited to stories by English-speaking authors.
So, at the start of 2012, I set myself the challenge of trying to read a book from every country in a year to find out what I was missing. As I was unlikely to find publications from nearly 200 nations on the shelves of my local bookshop, I decided to ask the planet’s readers for help. I created a blog called A Year of Reading the World and put out an appeal for suggestions of titles that I could read in English.
The response was amazing. Before I knew it, people all over the planet were getting in touch with ideas and offers of help. Some posted me books from their home countries. Others did hours of research on my behalf. In addition, several writers sent me unpublished translations of their novels, giving me a rare opportunity to read works otherwise unavailable to the 62% of the British who only speak English. Even so, selecting books was no easy task. With translations making up only around 4.5 percent of literary works published in the UK and Ireland, getting English versions (版本)of stories was difficult.
But the effort was worth it. I found I was visiting the mental space of the storytellers. These stories not only opened my mind to the real life in other places, but opened my heart to the way people there might feel.
And that in turn changed my thinking. Through reading the stories shared with me by bookish strangers around the globe, I realised I was not alone, but part of a network that spread all over the planet.
21. Which of the following might be found on the blog A Year of Reading the World?
A. Lists of English version books. B. Research on English literature.
C. Unfinished novels by British writers. D. Comments on English literature.
22. Why was it hard for the author to select the right books to read?
A. The author had a busy schedule.
B. The author was only interested in a few topics.
C. The author could only read books written in English.
D. Most books recommended are not available in local bookshops.
23. The author is probably from_________.
A. America B. the UK C. Australia D. Canada
24. Which of the following words can best describe the author’s experience?
A. fast and effortless B. challenging but rewarding
C. hopeless but beneficial D. meaningful but fruitless
B
My oldest child, Emma, just returned to campus after a long holiday break to finish up her last period of college. These days, friends and family have begun flooding me with one question: What is she going to do after graduation?
The job market is, after all, awfully tough. Just this month the Federal Reserve Bank published a study showing that “recent graduates are increasingly working in low-paid jobs or working part-time.” The bright spot, according to the study, is for students who majored(主修) in STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — areas in which recent graduates “have tended to do relatively well”.
But Emma is a student of the humanities(人文) at a small college. She’s an American Studies major with a focus on the politics and culture of food. For quite a while, I think her field of study is so fashionable right now that I’m not the least bit worried she will find a good job. Yet the more I’ve thought about it, the more I’ve decided to be honest. “I’m not sure what Emma is going to do,” I now say. “But she’s gotten a great education and has really found her interest. — and I know those things will serve her well over the course of her life.”
Nowadays, more and more universities and colleges are being measured by the salaries of their recent graduates. In this climate, encouraging your kid to study the humanities, seems, at best, unwise or, at worst, unconcerned with earning a living. But a college is not a vocational(职业) school. And promoting STEM subjects should not be society’s only answer to helping the next generation grow in a competitive world.
From the beginning, we never urged Emma to pick a college or a major with an eye on its expected return on money, as more and more families are doing. To Emma, what really matters will be something that we may not be able to measure for quite a long time: Emma’s contribution to the world and how happy she is in it.
25. The author’s friends and family_________.
A. are worried about Emma’s safety
B. have been worrying about the flood
C. are concerned about Emma’s future
D. are worried about the job market
26. What can we learn from Paragraph 2?
A. The number of the graduates is increasing.
B. STEM graduates can be better employees.
C. STEM graduates are in relatively greater demand.
D. More and more graduates like to do a part-time job.
27. Why did Emma choose a major in the humanities?
A. Because she is interested in it.
B. Because her mother told her to.
C. Because it is increasingly popular.
D. Because she wants further education.
28. According to the author, what matters most in choosing a major is that_________.
A. it should be among the STEM
B. it should be fashionable and interesting
C. it should allow a good job and a high salary
D. it should bring achievements and happiness
