六级冲刺：长篇阅读模拟

1、(一)EarthquakesA) An earthquake is one of the most terrifying phenomena that nature can dish up. We generally think of the ground we stand on as “rock-solid” and completely stable. An earthquake can shatter (粉碎）that perception instantly, and often with extreme violence.B) Up until relatively recently

2、, scientists only had unproven guesses as to what actually caused earthquakes. Even today there is still a certain amount of mystery surrounding them, but scientists have a much clearer understanding. There has been enormous progress in the past century. Scientists have identified the forces that ca

3、use earthquakes, and developed technology that can tell us an earthquakes magnitude and origin. The next hurdle is to find a way of predicting earthquakes, so they dont catch people by surprise. In this article, well find out what causes earthquakes, and well also find out why they can have such a d

4、evastating effect on us.C) An earthquake is a vibration(震动)that travels through the earths crust. Technically, a large truck that rumbles down the street is causing a mini-earthquake, if you feel your house shaking as it goes by; but we tend to think of earthquakes as events that affect a fairly lar

5、ge area, such as an entire city. All kinds of things can cause earthquakes: volcanic eruptions, meteor(流星)impacts, underground explosions (an underground nuclear test, for example), collapsing structures (such as a collapsing mine). But the majority of naturally-occurring earthquakes are caused by m

6、ovements of the earths plates.D) We only hear about earthquakes in the news every once in a while, but they are actually an everyday occurrence on our planet. According to the United States Geological Survey, more than 3 million earthquakes occur every year. Thats about 8,000 a day, or one every 11

7、seconds! The vast majority of these 3 million quakes are extremely weak. The law of probability also causes a good number of stronger quakes to happen in uninhabited places where no one feels them. It is the big quakes that occur in highly populated areas that get our attention.E) Earthquakes have c

8、aused a great deal of property damage over the years, and they have claimed many lives. In the last hundred years alone, there have been more than 1.5 million earthquake-related fatalities. Usually, its not the shaking ground itself that claims lives; its the associated destruction of man-made struc

9、tures and other natural disasters it causes, such as tsunamis, avalanches (雪崩)and landslides.F) The biggest scientific breakthrough in the history of seismologythe study of earthquakescame in the middle of the 20th century, with the development of the theory of plate tectonics(筑造学).Scientists propos

10、ed the idea of plate tectonics to explain a number of peculiar phenomena on earth, such as the apparent movement of continents over time, the clustering of volcanic activity in certain areas and the presence of huge ridges at the bottom of the ocean.G) The basic theory is that the surface layer of t

11、he earththe lithosphereis comprised of many plates that slide over the lubricating (润滑的)asthenosphere layer. At the boundaries between these huge plates of soil and rock, three different things can happen.H) Plates can move apart. If two plates are moving apart from each other, hot, molten rock flow

12、s up from the layers of mantle below the lithosphere. This magma (岩浆) comes out on the surface (mostly at the bottom of the ocean), where it is called lava (熔岩).As the lava cools, it hardens to form new lithosphere material, filling in the gap. This is called a divergent plate boundary.I) Plates can

13、 push together. If the two plates are moving toward each other, one plate typically pushes under the other one. This plate below sinks into the lower mantle layers, where it melts. At some boundaries where two plates meet, neither plate is in a position to push under the other, so they both push aga

14、inst each other to form mountains. The lines where plates push toward each other are called convergent plate boundaries.J) Plates slide against each other. At other boundaries, plates simply slide by each otherone moves north and one moves south, for example. While the plates dont drift directly int

15、o each other at these transform boundaries, they are pushed tightly together. A great deal of tension builds at the boundary.K) We understand earthquakes a lot better than we did even 50 years ago, but we still cant do much about them. They are caused by fundamental, powerful geological processes th

16、at are far beyond our control. These processes are also fairly unpredictable, so its not possible at this time to tell people exactly when an earthquake is going to occur. The first detected earthquake waves will tell us that more powerful vibrations are on their way, but this only gives us a few mi

17、nutes warning, at most.L) So what can we do about earthquakes? The major advances over the past 50 years have been in preparedness, particularly in the field of construction engineering. In 1973, the Uniform Building Code, an international set of standards for building construction,7 added7 specific

18、ations7 to7 strengthen7 buildings7 against7 the7 force7 of7 earthquake7 waves.7 This7 includes7 strengthening7 support7 material7 as7 well7 as7 designing buildings so they are flexible enough to absorb vibrations without falling or deteriorating. Its very important to design structures that can unde

19、rgo this sort of attack, particularly in earthquake -prone areas.M) Another component of preparedness is educating the public. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) and other government agencies have produced several brochures explaining the processes involved in an earthquake and giving instru

20、ctions on how to prepare your house for a possible earthquake, as well as what to do when a quake hits.N) In the future, improvements in prediction and preparedness should further minimize the loss of life and property associated with earthquakes. But it will be a long time, if ever, before well be

21、ready for every substantial earthquake that might occur. Just like severe weather and disease, earthquakes are an unavoidable force generated by the powerful natural processes that shape our planet. All we can do is increase our understanding of the phenomenon and develop better ways to deal with it

22、.1. Earthquake-related fatalities are usually caused by buildings，collapse and other ensuing natural disasters, not by the shaking ground itself.2. Besides movements of the earths plates, other forces such as volcanic eruptions, meteor impacts and so on, can also cause earthquakes.3. Earthquakes act

23、ually occur every day; most of them are not big enough to get our attention.4. People generally think the ground beneath their feet is completely stable, but earthquakes shatter that idea in no time.5. We cannot prevent earthquakes but we can actively find better ways to face them.6. Earthquakes are

24、 hardly predictable, and people cannot be told when an earthquake is going to occur.7. Scientists have found out forces that cause earthquakes through years of efforts.8. Architects now have designed flexible buildings to minimize the damages of earthquakes.9. Scientists use the theory of plate tect

25、onics to explain the apparent movement of continents over time.10. The convergent plate boundaries refer to the lines where plates push toward each other.文章精要地震危害巨大，了解地震对减少其带来的损失有着重要意义。本文讲解了引 发地震的因素、与地震有关的地壳板块运动和地震的危害，并指出尽管人类还无 法准确预测地震，但一些必要的防御措施能够减少地震带来的损失。答案解析1. E 本题是对E段最后一句话的同义转述。定位关键词是Earthquake

26、-related fatalities。原文用its not.that claims lives; its.结构指出“通常不是地壳晃 动引起的死亡，而是伴随而来的房屋倒塌或其他自然灾害导致的死亡”， 题目用.be caused by.not by.结构表达了同样的意思。2. C 本题是对C段最后两句的归纳，题目将两句话的含义概括为一句话。定位关键词是 movements of the earth$s plates, volcanic eruptions, meteor impacts3. D 本题是对D段的总结。定位关键词是get our attention。D段首句就提到每天都会发生地震，最

27、后一句提到只有大地震才能引起人们的注意，本题就是 对这两句话的概括。4. A 本题是对A段最后两句的同义转述。定位关键词是shatter。题目中的the ground beneath their feet同义转述了原文中的the ground we stand on。5. N 本题是对N段最后两句的概括。定位关键词是better ways。文章最后一句提到，我们能做的就是增加我们对地震的认识，寻找更好的方法来应对它， 与题干表达一致。6. K 本题是对K段第三句的同义转述。定位关键词是hardly predictable。原文提到：虽然我们对地震有了更深的了解，但地震仍然不受我们的控制，地震

28、是无法预测的，人们不可能得知地震什么时候会发生，表达与题干一致。7. B 本题是对B段第三、四句的同义转述。定位关键词是cause earthquakes。题目中的found out同义转述了原文中的identified。8. L 本题是对L段最后两句的概括。定位关键词是designed。原文提到：过去50年我们在应对地震方面取得了进步，尤其是在建筑工程领域。我们用特殊 材料加固房屋以应对地震的破坏，我们设计足够灵活的房屋，确保地震不 会导致房屋倒塌，这与题干表达的完全一致。9. F 本题是F段中举例的一部分。定位关键词是the theory of plate tectonics。原文提到科学

29、家用the idea of plate tectonics解释很多现象，其中之一就是the apparent movement of continents over time。10. I 本题是对I段最后一句的同义转述。定位关键词是convergent plate boundaries。题干中的refer to与原文中的are called属于同义转述。（二）A: Pizza Hut was started in 1958, by two brothers in Wichita, Kansas. Frank and Dan Carney had the idea to open a pizza

30、 parlor. They borrowed $600 from their mother, and opened the very first Pizza Hut. In 1959, the first franchise unit opened in Topeka, Kansas. Almost a decade later, Pizza Hut would be serving one million customers a week in their 310 locations. In 1970, Pizza Hut was put on the New York Stock Exch

31、ange under the ticker symbol PIZ.B: In 1986, Pizza Hut introduced delivery service, something no other restaurant was doing. By the 1990s Pizza Hut sales had reached $4 billion worldwide. In 1998, Pizza Hut celebrated their 40th anniversary, and launched their famous campaign The Best Pizzas Under O

32、ne Roof. In 1996, Pizza Hut sales in the United States were over $5 million. Out of all the existing pizza chains, Pizza Hut had the largest market share, 46.4%. However, Pizza Huts market share has slowly eroded because of intense competition from their rivals Dominos, Little Caesars and newcomer P

33、apa Johns. Home delivery was a driving force for success, especially for Pizza Hut and Dominos.C: However, this forced competitors to look for new methods of increasing their customer bases. Many pizza chains decided to diversify and offer new non-pizza items such as buffalo wings, and Italian chees

34、e bread. The current trend in pizza chains today is the same. They all try to come up with some newer, bigger, better, pizza for a low price. Offering special promotions and new pizza variations are popular today as well. For example, chicken is now a common topping found on pizzas.D: In the past, P

35、izza Hut has always had the first mover advantage. Their marketing strategy in the past has always been to be first. One of their main strategies that they still follow today is the diversification of the products they offer. Pizza Hut is always adding something new to their menu, trying to reach ne

36、w markets. For example, in 1992 the famous buffet was launched in Pizza Hut restaurants worldwide. They were trying to offer many different food items for customers who didnt necessarily want pizza.E: Another strategy they used in the past and are still using is the diversification of their pizzas.

37、Pizza Hut is always trying to come up with some innovative way to make a pizza into something slightly different - different enough that customers will think its a whole new product. For example, lets look at some of the pizzas Pizza Hut has marketed in the past. In 1983, Pizza Hut introduced their

38、Pan Pizza, which had a guarantee of being ready to eat in 5 minutes when dining at Pizza Hut restaurants. In 1993, they introduced the BigFoot, which was two square feet of pizza cut into 21 slices. In 1995, they introduced Stuffed Crust Pizza, where the crust would be filled with cheese. In 1997, t

39、hey marketed The Edge, which had cheese and toppings all the way to the edge of the pizza. Currently, they are marketing The Big NewYorker, trying to bring the famous New York style pizza to the whole country.F: Another opportunity that Pizza Hut has is their new ordering online system. Anyone with

40、Internet access can order whatever they wish and get it delivered to their house without even speaking to someone. This program has just been started, so we do not have any numbers to support whether or not it will be a success.G: Lastly, Pizza Hut has always valued customer service and satisfaction

41、. In 1995, Pizza Hut began two customer satisfaction programs: a 1-800 number customer hotline, and a customer call-back program. These were implemented to make sure their customers were happy, and always wanted to return. In our plan, we will first give a situation analysis of current and relevant

42、environmental conditions that affect our plan. Next, we will give a brief analysis of the current fast food industry, and any trends or changes that might occur in the future.H: However, the fact that Pizza Hut does have a restaurant to run is also a weakness. Pizza Hut has higher overhead costs, du

43、e to the restaurant that other competitors dont have to deal with. Another result of higher overhead costs is higher prices Pizza Hut must charge. Obviously, Pizza Hut is not the low cost producer. They rely on their quality pizza and good service to account for their higher prices.I: An indirect we

44、akness that Pizza Hut has is that they have lost a lot of their customers and market share due to such intense competition with competitors. Pizza Huts opportunities are almost endless. They can increase revenue with their new innovative pizzas, and increase brand loyalty with good customer service.

45、J: Pizza Huts number one threats are from their competitors. Currently, their closest competitor is Dominos Pizza. Dominos main competitive advantage over Pizza Hut is their price. It is generally lower than Pizza Hut. Also, Dominos was very profitable when they ran the promotional deal of deliverin

46、g a pizza within 30 minutes. However, many lawsuits have been filed against Dominos in the past for reckless driving by their drivers, so Dominos withdrew the promotion. Little Caesars is another one of Pizza Huts competitors, right behind Dominos in market share. Little Caesars is famous for offeri

47、ng large quantities of pizza for less money. Other competitors include Papa Johns, Sbarro, and Pizza Inn.K: A problem facing all of the pizza chains is that each of their individual competitive advantages are pretty much everyones competitive advantages. Most if not all the top pizza chains offer fr

48、ee delivery, and always have some sort of promotional deal offering large pizzas at reduced prices. Other competitors to take into consideration are frozen pizzas and make-it-yourself pizzas that are purchased in grocery stores. Some examples of these are Tombstone Pizzas, Boboli, and DiGornio pizza

49、s.1. Pizza Hut expanded its business into many parts of the country by the time of 1969.2. Pizza Hut has not always dominated the market.3. buffalo wings, and Italian cheese bread are now commonly served at pizza restaurants.4. The diversification strategy is not to be the first mover.5. In Pizza Hu

50、t, a Pan Pizza was guaranteed to serve in 5 minutes.6. If you want a pizza from Pizza Hut delivered directly to your house, you have to have Internet access in the first place.7. In order to make sure their customers were happy, Pizza Hut introduced two customer satisfaction programs.8. The higher o

51、verhead costs of Pizza Hut obviously accounted for higher prices of their pizzas.9. The reason why Dominos withdrew their promotion was that they suffered legally from reckless driving by their drivers.10. Major pizza makers have to face the problem that their competitive advantages are the same.答案1

52、. A 2. B 3. C 4. D 5. E 6. F 7. G 8. H 9. J 10. K（三）How to Make Attractive and Effective PowerPoint PresentationsA) Microsoft PowerPoint has dramatically changed the way in which academic and business presentations are made. This article outlines few tips on making more effective and attractive Powe

53、rPoint presentations.The TextB) Keep the wording clear and simple. Use active, visual language. Cut unnecessary wordsa good rule of thumb is to cut paragraphs down to sentences, sentences into phrases, and phrases into key words.Limit the number of words and lines per slide. Try the Rule of Five-fiv

54、e words per line, five lines per slide. If too much text appears on one slide, use the AutoFit feature to split it between two slides. Click within the placeholder to display the AutoFit Options button (its symbol is two horizontal lines with arrows above and below), then click on the button and cho

55、ose Split Text between Two Slides from the submenu.C) Font size for titles should be at least 36 to 40, while the text body should not be smaller than 24.Use only two font styles per slideone for the title and the other for the text. Choose two fonts that visually contrast with each other. Garamond

56、Medium Condensed and Impact are good for titles, while Garamond or Tempus Sans can be used for the text body.D) Embed the fonts in your presentation, if you are not sure whether the fonts used in the presentation are present in the computer that will be used for the presentation. To embed the fonts:

57、 (1) On the File menu, click Save As. (2) On the toolbar, click Tools, click Save Options, select the Embed TrueType Fonts check box, and then select Embed characters in use only.E) Use colors sparingly; two to three at most. You may use one color for all the titles and another for the text body. Be

58、 consistent from slide to slide. Choose a font color that contrasts well with the background.F) Capitalizing the first letter of each word is good for the title of slides and suggests a more formal situation than having just the first letter of the first word capitalized. In bullet point lines, capi

59、talize the first word and no other words unless they normally appear capped. Upper and lower case lettering is more readable than all capital letters. Moreover, current styles indicate that using all capital letters means you are shouting. If you have text that is in the wrong case, select the text, and then click Shift+F3 until it changes to the case style that you like. Clicking Shift+F3 t