San Francisco，unofficially regarded as one of the homeless capitals of the US，counts nearly 6,500 homeless people, with 4,300 living on the street．
Among the many problems that the homeless face is little or no access to showers．San Francisco only has about 16 to 20 shower stations to accommodate them．But Doniece Sandoval has made it her task to change that．
“Homelessness is something you can’t really miss，”the 51-year-old woman said．She started Lava Mae，a sort of showers on wheels, a new project that aims to turn old city buses into shower stations for the homeless．
“One day I passed a woman in the street and she was very dirty and basically crying，and I heard her say that she would never be clean．But I was wondering what her opportunities were to actually get clean,” Sandoval said．
Sandoval was inspired to start Lava Mae. The project has already been welcomed with open arms in the city．The Transportation Agency has donated one bus for the cause and is willing to donate three more if the project succeeds．Sandoval hopes the first bus will be able to hit the road in May this year．The Public Commission has also agreed to let the buses plug into fire hydrants(消防龙头)around the city if Lava Mae pays for the water．
One of Lava Mae’s biggest supporters is Bevan Dufty, the director of Housing Opportunity, Partnerships & Engagement under the mayor of San Francisco．“For people who are unhoused，access to showers is very difficult．Shower buses are something that could potentially be deployed (部署)in response to an emergency，so it is relevant to all San Franciscans," Dufty said．“Doniece has done an incredible job as a citizen who cares about helping the poor．We are very excited to see Lava Mae become real soon．”
Each bus will have two shower stations and Sandoval expects that by 2015，they’ll be able to provide 2000 showers a week．
小题1:What problem does San Francisco face according to the text?
A．The city has the most homeless people in the USA．
B．There are no shower stations for the homeless in the city．
C．It’s hard for homeless people in the city to take showers．
D．Few citizens in the city care about the homeless．
小题2:What does the underlined word ""them” in Paragraph 2 refer to?| A．City problems． | B．Shower stations． | C．Old buses． | D．The homeless． |
小题3:Which of the following best describes Doniece Sandoval?| A．Brave and independent． | B．Caring and responsible． | | C．Honest and determined． | D．Friendly and humorous． |
小题4:What can we learn from Dufty’s words?| A．All San Franciscans are excited to use Lava Mae． | | B．Emergencies in San Francisco will be prevented by Lava Mae． | | C．Dufty thinks highly of Doniece"s way of helping the poor． | | D．The mayor of San Francisco will support Doniece financially． |
小题5:What can be a suitable title for the text?| A．A newly invented way of shower | | B．Showers on Wheels for the Homeless | | C．The health problem of the homeless | | D．Lave Mae-a new name for old city buses |
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小题1:C
小题2:D
小题3:B
小题4:C
小题5:B |
试题分析：本文讲述旧金山有许多的无家可归的人，Doniece听到一个人抱怨到，她不能让自己干净，也就是不能洗澡，因此通过自己的努力提议为无家可归的人增加淋浴设备，得到市长的赞扬，将会采取很多的措施来改善这一情况。
小题1:C细节理解题。根据第二段提到Among the many problems that the homeless face is little or no access to showers．在这些问题中，无家可归的人面对的问题之是，不能洗澡，故选C项。
小题2:D细节理解题。根据第二段提到San Francisco only has about 16 to 20 shower stations to accommodate them 旧金山只有16到20个淋浴站来用来让他们洗澡，them 指的是这此无家可归的人，故选D项。
小题3:B 细节理解题。根据倒数第二段提到Doniece has done an incredible job as a citizen who cares about helping the poor．We are very excited to see Lava Mae become real soon．可知他是很关心人的，有责任心，故选B项。
小题4:C 细节理解题。根据倒数第二段提到“For people who are unhoused，access to showers is very difficult．Shower buses are something that could potentially be deployed (部署)in response to an emergency，so it is relevant to all San Franciscans," Dufty said．“Doniece has done an incredible job as a citizen who cares about helping the poor．We are very excited to see Lava Mae become real soon 可知他高度赞扬Doniece的行为，故选C项。
小题5:B 主旨大意。本文讲述旧金山有许多的无家可归的人，Doniece听到一个人抱怨到，她不能让自己干净，也就是不能洗澡，因此通过自己的努力提议为无家可归的人增加淋浴设备，得到市长的赞扬，故文章主要是关于对于无家可归的人沐浴问题的关注，故选B项。 |
核心考点
试题【San Francisco，unofficially regarded as one of the homeless capitals of the US，co】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
阅读下面短文, 从短文后所给各题的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白的最佳选项。
The Voice of America began during the World WarⅡ. When Germany was broadcasting a radio program to get international , American officials believed they should the German broadcast with words that they thought were the facts of world events. The first VOA news report began with words in . “The may be good or bad, but we shall tell you the truth.” Within a week, other VOA were broadcasting in Italian, French and English.
After the World WarⅡended in 1945, some Americans felt VOA’s had to be changed, the Soviet Union became enemy of America．They wanted to Soviet listeners. Then VOA began broadcasting in Russian.
In the early years VOA began adding something new to its broadcast that was “ Music USA”. Another new idea came along in 1959．VOA knew that many listeners did not know English to completely understand its English broadcast. So VOA a simpler kind of English, uses about 1,500 words and is spoken of course, it is special English.
In the of most VOA listeners, the most program is the news report. News from around the world into the VOA news rooms in Washington 24 hours a day. It comes from VOA reporters in cities and also from other like BBC．VOA writers and editors use these materials to news reports, which are being broadcast in 43 languages.
| 小题1: | | A．business | B．culture | C． support | D．information |
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| 小题2: | | A．reply | B．answer | C．join | D．interrupt |
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| 小题3: | | A．same | B．short | C．English | D．German |
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| 小题4: | | A．news | B．problems | C．effects | D．opinions |
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| 小题5: | | A．stations | B．news | C．announcers | D．officials |
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| 小题6: | | A．home | B．position | C．purpose | D．results |
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| 小题7: | | A．if | B．supposing | C．considering | D．in order that |
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| 小题8: | | A．reach | B．satisfy | C．attack | D．support |
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| 小题9: | | A．known | B．reported | C．called | D．printed |
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| 小题10: | | A．American | B．British | C．standard | D．enough |
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| 小题11: | | A．normal | B．fast | C．good | D．exact |
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| 小题12: | | A．invented | B．discovered | C．taught | D．stopped |
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| 小题14: | | A．slowly | B．rapidly | C．normally | D．loudly |
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| 小题15: | | A．pleasure | B．course | C．opinion | D．advice |
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| 小题16: | | A．difficult | B．important | C．various | D．common |
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| 小题17: | | A．flies | B．sends | C．delivers | D．pasts |
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| 小题18: | | A．all | B．major | C．American | D．news |
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| 小题19: | | A．broadcasts | B．forms | C．newspapers | D．countries |
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| 小题20: | | A．broadcast | B．announce | C．translate | D．prepare |
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In the Caucasus region of Russia, nearly 50 out of every 100,000 people live to celebrate their 100th birthday, and many don’t stop at 100! By comparison, in America only 3 people in 100,000 reach 100. But these Russian old people aren’t alone. The Pakistanis, who live high in the Himalaya Mountains, and the Ecuadorans of the Andes Mountains seem to share the secret of long life, too.
These people remain healthy in body and spirit despite the passage of time. While many older persons in industrial societies become weak and ill in their 60s and 70s, some Caucasians aged 100 to 140, work in the fields beside their great-great-grandchildren. Even the idea of aging is foreign to them. When asked “at what age does youth end?”most of these old people had no answer. Several replied, “Well, perhaps at age 80.”
What accounts for this ability to survive to such old age, and to survive so well？First of all, hard physical work is a way of life for all of these long-lived people. They begin their long days of physical labor as children and never seem to stop. For example, Mr . Rustam Mamedov is 142 years of age. His wife is 116 years old. They have been married for 90 years. Mr. Mamedov has no intention of retiring from his life as a farmer. “Why？What else would I do？”he asks. All these people get healthful rewards from the environment in which they work. They all come from mountainous regions. They live and work at elevations of 1,660 to 1,000 meters above sea level. The air has less oxygen and is pollution-free. This reduced-oxygen environment makes the heart and blood vessel(血管) system stronger.
Another factor that may contribute to the good health of these people is their isolation. To a great extent, they are separated from the pressures and worries of industrial society. Inherited factors also play some role. Most of the longest-lived people had parents and grandparents who also reached very old ages. Good family genes may, therefore, be one factor in living longer.
小题1:The example of Mr. and Mrs. Mamedov implies that some Caucasians aged 100 to 140 ____.| A．become weak and hopeless | | B．are too old to work in the fields | | C．benefit from physical work | | D．are still working in the fields |
小题2:What is the main way of life for all of these long-lived people?| A．Retiring from their lives as farmers. | | B．Having been married for 90 years. | | C．Hard physical work. | | D．Having no intentions. |
小题3:Which of the following factors isn’t helpful to people’s health and long life?| A．Clean mountain air. | B．Daily hard work. | | C．Good genes | D．Stress and pressure. |
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Recently, professor of philosophy（哲学）in the United States has written a book called Money and the Meaning of Life. He has discovered that how we deal with money in our daily life has more meaning than we usually think. One of the exercises he asked his students to do is to keep a record of every penny they spend for a week. From the way they spend their money, they can see what they really value in life.
He says our relations with others often become clearly defined（清晰的）when money enters the picture. You might have wonderful relationship with somebody and you think that you are very good friends. But you will know him only when you ask him to lend some money. If he does, it brings something to the relationship that seems stronger than ever before or it can suddenly weaken the relationship if he doesn’t. This person may say that he has a certain feeling, but if it is not carried out in the money world, there is something less real about it.
Since money is so important to us, we consider those who possess a lot of it to be very important. The author interviewed some millionaires in researching his book.
Question: What is the most surprising thing you have discovered about being rich, because you are a self-made man?
Answer: The most surprising thing is how people give me so much respect. I am nothing. I don’t know much. All I am is rich.
People just have an idea of making more and more money, but what is it for? How much do I need for any given purposes in my life? In his book, the professor uncovered an important need in modern society: to bring back the idea that money is an instrument rather than the end. Money plays an important role in the material world, but expecting money to give happiness may be missing the meaning of life.
小题1:According to the first paragraph, people have not realized ______.| A．how important money is in their daily life | | B．how one spends money shows what is important to him | | C．that money is more important than their philosophy of life | | D．that their understanding of life is more important than money |
小题2:The author seems to believe that asking your friend to lend you some money ________.| A．is a good way to test your friendship | | B．will do harm to your friendship | | C．will strengthen your friendship | | D．is a good way to break off your friendship |
小题3:What does the American professor of philosophy want to explain in his book?| A．Money is an end． | B．Money is a means． | | C．Money is everything． | D．Money is unimportant |
小题4:The underlined phrase “enter the picture” in the second paragraph can be replaced by “_________”.| A．is used up | B．is spent on pictures | | C．is paid in the right way | D．is paid attention to |
小题5:What can we learn about the millionaire from his answer in the interview?| A．He doesn’t feel that he is well educated. | | B．He doesn’t think he is a very important person. | | C．He doesn’t consider himself to be very successful. | | D．He doesn’t think that being rich deserves so much attention. |
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When a magazine for high school students asked its readers what life would be like in twenty years, they said: Machines would be run by solar power. Buildings would rotate（旋转）so they could follow the sun to take maximum advantage of its light and heat. Walls would “give light” and “change color with the push of a button.” Food would be replaced by pills. School would be taught by electrical impulse（电脉冲）while we sleep. Cars would have radar（雷达）. Does this sound like the year 2000? Actually, this article was written in 1958 and the question was, “what will life be like in 1978?
The future is much too important to simply guess about, the way the high school students did, so experts are regularly asked to predict accuately. By carefully studying the present, skilled businessmen, scientists, and politicians are supposedly able to figure out in advance what will happen. But can they? One expert on Cities wrote: Cities of the future would not be crowded, but would have space for farms and fields. People would travel to work in “airbuses”, large all-weather helicopters carrying up to 200 passengers. When a person left the airbus station he could drive a coin-operated car equipped with radar. The radar equipment of cars would make traffic accidents “almost unheard of”. Does that sound familiar? If the expert had been accurate it would, because he was writing in 1957. His subject was “The city of 1982”.
If the professionals sometimes sound like high school students, it’s probably because future study is still a new field. But economic forecasting, or predicting what the economy will do, has been around for a long time. It should be accuate, and generally it is. But there have been some big mistakes in the field, too. In early 1929, most forecasters saw an excellent future for the stock market. In October of that year, the stock market had its worst losses ever, ruining thousands of investors who had put their faith in financial foreseers.
One forecaster knew that predictions about the future would always be subject to significant error. In 1957, H.J. Rand of the Rad corporation was asked about the year 2000, “Only one thing is certain,” he answered. “Children born today will have reached the age of 43.”
小题1:How many examples does the author offer to describe the future life?小题2:The high school students’ answers to “What would life be like in 1978?” sound __________.| A．accurate | B．imaginative | C．correct | D．foolish |
小题3:In the second paragraph, the writer gives examples to show _________.| A．predicting about the future can be done in a humorous way | | B．no predictions are based on careful research | | C．experts are always better than others in figuring out what the future will be like | | D．forecasting the future is not an easy job even for experts in this field |
小题4:From the third paragraph we can learn that _________.| A．economy forecasting is rather a new field | | B．experts began economy forecasting in 1929 | | C．the predictions about economic situation caused the investors to lose lots of money | | D．good, accurate forecasting helped the stock market overcome the difficulties |
小题5:H.J.Rand’s prediction about the year 2000 shows that ________.| A．it is easy to figure out in advance what will happen | | B．it is difficult to figure out in advance what will happen | | C．only professionals can figure out in advance what will happen | | D．very few professionals figure out in advance what will happen |
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About six years ago I was eating lunch in a restaurant in New York City when a woman and a young boy sat down at the next table，I couldn’t help overhearing parts of their conversation．At one point the woman asked，“So，how have you been?" And the boy -who could not have been more than seven or eight years old-replied．“Frankly, I"ve been feeling a little depressed lately．"
This incident stuck in my mind because it confirmed my growing belief that children are changing．As far as I can remember, my friends and I didn’t find out we were “depressed”，that is，in low spirits，until we were in high school．
Undoubtedly a change in children has increased steadily in recent years．Children don"t seem childlike anymore．Children speak more like adults，dress more like adults and behave more like adults than they used to．
Whether this is good or bad is difficult to say, but it certainly is different．Childhood as it once was no longer exists．Why?
Human development is depended not only on born biological states，but also on patterns of gaining social knowledge．Movement from one social role to another usually involves learning the secrets of the new social posifions．Children have always been taught adult secrets，but slowly and in stages；traditionally,we tell sixth graders things we keep hidden from fifth graders．
In the last 30 years，however, a secret-revelation(揭示)machine has been equipped in 98 percent of American homes．It is called television．Television passes information to all viewers allke，whether they are children or adults．Unable to resist the temptation(诱惑)，many children turn their attention from printed texts to the less challenging，more attractive moving pictures．
Communication through print，as a matter of fact, allows for a great deal of control over the social information which children will gain．Children must read simple books before they can read complex materials．
小题1:According to the author, feeling depressed is ．| A．a sure sign of a mental problem in a child | | B．a mental state present in all humans, including children | | C．something that cannot be avoided in children’s mental development | | D．something hardly to be expected in a young child |
小题2:Traditionally, a child is supposed to learn about the adult world ．| A．through connection with society | | B．gradually and under guidance | | C．naturally without being taught | | D．through watching television |
小题3:According to the author’that today’s children seem adultlike results from ．| A．the widespread influence of television | | B．the poor arrangement of teaching content | | C．the fast pace of human scientific development | | D．the rising standard of living |
小题4:What does the anthor think of communication through print for children?| A．It enables children to gain more social information． | | B．It develops children’s interest in reading and writing． | | C．It helps chlldren to read and write well | | D．It can control what children are to learn． |
小题5:What does the author think of the change in today’s children?| A．He feels their adultlike behavior is so funny． | | B．He thinks the change worthy of note． | | C．He considers it a rapid development． | | D．He seems to be upset about it． |
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