2021年四川省綿陽市公共英語五級(筆試)重點匯總（含答案）

2021年四川省綿陽市公共英語五級(筆試)重點匯總（含答案）學(xué)校:________班級:________姓名:________考號:________

一、1.ListeningComprehension(15題)1.PartC

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerthequestionsorcompletethenotesinyourtestbookletforQuestions21-30bywritingNOTMORETHANTHREEwordsinthespaceprovidedontheright.YouwillhearthetalkTWICE.

Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions21-30.

聽力原文：W:Dr.Huber,whendidyoufirstbecomeinterestedinphysicsandmusic?

M:Ican'trememberatimewhenIwasn'tinterestedinphysics.WhenIwasachild,Iwasverycuriousabouttheworldaroundme.Forexample,Ialwayswonderedwhylightbehavesthewayitdoes.Ifounditmorefuntoplaywithaprismthantoplaywiththekidsintheneighborhood.Iwasn'tverysocial,butIwasreallyintofiguringouthowthingsworked.IgotmyowntelescopewhenIwaseightyearsold,andIlovedtotakeitoutatnightandgostargazing.Iwouldlookattheplanetsandstarsandwonderwhatwasoutthere.WhenIwasten,myfatherboughtmeabookontheuniverse,andIjustateitup.Infact,Istillhavethatbookrighthereinmyoffice.Itwasthesamewithmusic.I'vealwayshadanaturalearformusic,perfectpitch.Evenasayoungchild,ifIheardasongontheradio,Icouldgorighttothepianoandplayit.WhenIheardasoundliketheringofatelephone,Icouldidentifyitspitchandplaythenoteonthepiano.However,Ididn'tdevelopaseriousinterestinbecomingapianistuntilIwasincollege.Ialsoseemedtodowellinschoolinthevisualartslikepaintinganddrawing.

W:Whatcommonalitydoyouseebetweenmusicandphysics?

M:Thereisacommonmisconceptionthatartandsciencearecompletelyseparatedfromeachother.Ithinkthedistinctionisartificial.Inreality,artandsciencearenotasmutuallyexclusiveasonemightassume.Solvingacomplicatedmathematicalproblem,forexample,canrequirethesamedegreeofcreativethinkingaspaintingalandscapeorwritingapoem.IfeelanindefinabletinglewhenIplaytheSchumannConcertoordancethepasdedeuxfromRomeoandJuliet.Igetthatthesametinglefromtheoreticalphysics.Thebeautyofartisreadilyapparenttomostpeople.However,inthecaseoftheoreticalphysics,thebeautyisnotnearlyasaccessibletothegeneralpublic,butitiseverybitasexciting.Natureseemstofollowcertainprinciples,verymuchthesameasartdoes.It'snotuncommonforphysiciststobecomeaccomplishedmusicians.Musictheoryisaverymathematicaldiscipline.Relationshipsamongvariousnotesinclassicalharmonyarebasedonsimplemathematicalrelationships.

W:Youhavesaidthatphysicsisbeautiful.Whatmakesitbeautifultoyou?

M:Tome,it'sincrediblethewaynatureseemstoworksoperfectly.Ithinkitisbeautiful.Ialwaystellmystudentsonthefirstdayofclass."IfyoulikereadingSherlockHolmesdetectivestories,you'11likedoingphysicsproblems."Physicsisaboutfiguringthingsout—discoveringhowtheywork,justlikeadetective.Alotofpeoplefearphysicsbecausetheyviewitasabigcomplicatedjumbleoffactsthathavetobememorized.Butthat'snottrue.It'sanunderstandingofhownatureworks,howthevariouspartsinteract.Onecanviewartandliteratureastherelationshipsandinteractionsofideas.Inthesameway,physicsstudiestherelationshipsandinteractionsofconcepts.Inotherwords,tomeartandsciencefundamentallyattempttoachievethesameobjective—understandingoftheworldaroundus.Thewholeuniverseseemstofollowsomeverybasicprinciplesasitevolvesinwithtime,someoftheseprinciplesincludingtheConservationofEnergyandtheConservationofAngularMomentum.Theconservationlawsofphysicsarelikenon-interestbearingcheckingaccounts.Inthecaseofenergyconservation,youcanmakeenergydepositsandenergywithdrawals,butalltheenergyisaccountedfor.TherotationofobjectsisgovernedbyalawcalledtheConservationofAngularM

2.MDistheabsoluteheadofthecompany.

A.TrueB.Fasle

3.PartA

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerQuestions1-10bycirclingTRUEorFALSE.YouwillhearthetalkONLYONCE.Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions1-10.

聽力原文：Fromgoodreadingwecanobtainpleasure,companionship,experience,andinstruction.Agoodbookmayabsorbourattentionsocompletelythatforthetimebeingweforgetoursurroundingsandevenouridentity.Readinggoodbooksisoneofthegreatestpleasuresinlife.Itincreasesourcontentmentwhenwearecheerful,andlessensourtroubleswhenwearesad.Whatevermaybeourmainpurposeinreading,ourcontactwithgoodbooksshouldneverfailtogiveusenjoymentandsatisfaction.

Withagoodbookinourhandsweneedneverbelonely.Whetherthecharactersportrayedaretakenfromreallifeoraretotallyimaginarytheymaybecomeourcompanionsandfriends.Inthepagesofbookswecanwalkwiththewiseandthegoodofalllandsandalltimes.Thepeoplewemeetinbooksmaydelightuseitherbecausetheyresemblehumanfriendswhomweholddearorbecausetheypresentunfamiliartypeswhomwearegladtowelcomeasnewacquaintances.Ourhumanfriendssometimesmayboreus,butthefriendswemakeinbooksneedneverwearyuswiththeircompany.Byturningthepageswecandismissthemwithoutanyfearofhurtingtheirfeelings.Whenhumanfriendsdesertus,goodbooksarealwaysreadytogiveusfriendship,sympathy,andencouragement.

Oneofthemostvaluablegiftsbestowedbybooksisexperience.Fewofuscantravelfarfromhomeorhaveawiderangeofexperiences,butallofuscanleadvariedlivesthroughthepagesofbooks.Whetherwewishtoescapefromtheseeminglydullrealitiesofeverydaylifeorwhetherweexpecttovisitsomefar-offplace,abookwillhelpuswhennothingelsecan.Totravelbybookweneednobankaccounttopayourway;noairshiporoceanlinerorstream-linedtraintotransportus;nopassporttoenterthelandofourheart'sdesire.Throughbookswemaygetthethrillofhazardousadventurewithoutdanger.Wecanclimbloftymountains,bravetheperilsofanantarcticwinter,orcrossthescorchingsandsofthedesert,allwithouthardship.InbookswemayvisitthestudiosofHollywood;wemayminglewiththegaythrongsofmeParisboulevards;wemayjointhepicturesquepeasantsinanAlpinevillageorthekindlynativesonaSouthSeaisland.Indeed,throughbooksthewholeworldisoursfortheasking.Thepossibilitiesofourliteraryexperiencesarealmostunlimited.Thebeautiesofnature,theenjoymentofmusic,thetreasuresofart,thetriumphsofarchitecture,themarvelsofengineeringareallopentothewonderandenjoymentofthosewhoread.

Agoodbookmaydrawourattentionsocompletelythatweforgetoursurroundingsandevenouridentityforthetimebeing.

A.TrueB.Fasle

4.Accordingtothespeaker,whywerelogcabinsespeciallypopulartosettlerswhomovedwest?

A.Theycouldeasilybuildtheloghousesthemselves.

B.Theycouldconstructthehousesfromkits.

C.Theylikedthecozyatmosphereoftheloginterior.

D.Theywantedhomesthatcouldbetransported.

5.Goodbookscandecreaseourcontentmentwhenwearehappyandlessenourtroubleswhenwearesad.

A.TrueB.Fasle

6.聽力原文：M：DidyouhearabouttheaircrashthatoccurredinSouthAmericarecently?Itwasquiteatragicaccident!

W：No,Ididn'tseeanythinginthenewsaboutit．Whathappened?

M：AforeignairlinerwasattemptingtolandatnightinamountainousareainArgentinaandflewintoahill!

W：Thatsoundsreallyterrible!Didanyonesurvive?

M：No，everyoneaboard，includingthecrew，waskilledinstantly．

W：Whatwerethecircumstances?Weretheybadweather,afire,orenginefailure?

M：Apparently，thereweresomelowcloudsinthearea，butmostlyitwasjustmiscommunicationbetweenthepilotsandtheairtrafficcontrollers．

W：Weren'ttheybothspeakinginEnglish，theofficialinternationalaviationlanguage?

M：Yestheywere，butthetransitionfrompoorqualityradioswasslightlydistortedandtheaccentsoftheSpanishspeakingcontrollerswassostrongthatthepilotsmisunderstoodavitalinstruction．

W：Howcouldamisunderstandinglikethatcausesuchaseriousaccident?

M：Thepilotsweretoldtodescendto22,000feet．Theinstructionactuallymeant22,000feet，buttheythoughttheyhearddescend2,000feet．That'sahugedifference．a(chǎn)nditshouldhavebeenconfirmed．butitwasnot．Unfortunately，theterrainofthemountainsinNorweijaascendto2,000feet．

W：Sothepilotsdiddescendtothewrongaltitudethen，becausetheywerefollowingtheaircontroller'sinstructions．

M：Sadlyenough，yestheydid．Itwasareallybadmistake．Manypeoplediedasaresultofthesimplymisunderstanding．

W：Wow，that'sapowerfullessononhowimportantitcanbetoaccuratelycommunicatewitheachother．

Whatwasthecauseofthetragedy?

A.Badweather.

B.Humanerror.

C.Breakdownoftheengines.

D.Communicationssystemfailure.

7.Accordingtothespeaker,whydopesticidesposeathreattoamphibians?

A.Pesticidescancauseanamphibian'sskintodryout.

B.Pesticideskilltheinsectsthatamphibiansdependonforfood.

C.Dissolvedpesticidescaneasilyenteramphibian'sbodies.

D.Amphibiansmayeatplantsthathavebeentreatedwithpesticides.

8.PartB

Directions:Youwillhear3conversationsortalksandyoumustanswerthequestionsbychoosingA,B,CorD.YouwillheartherecordingONLYONCE.

聽力原文：Asyouallknow,logstructuresaregainingpopularity.Theyarenolongerjustthesimplecountryhomeswhichwethinkofasthetraditionallogcabin.Someupscalehomesnowincorporatenaturalroundlogsinsealingbeamsandwalls.Peopleseemtothinkthattheroundedlogsgivetheirhomesacozywarmatmosphere.Andevenpeoplewhowanttobuildatraditionallogcabinontheirowncanbuyakitwithprecutlogsthatfittogetherlikepiecesofjigsawpuzzle.Beforeshowingyousomeslidesofmodernloghouses,I'dliketointroducealittlehistoricalbackgroundonthesubject.

Logcabinswerefirstbuiltinthelate1600salongtheDelawareRiverValley.TheEuropeanimmigrantswhosettledtherebroughtcenturiesofoldtraditionsofworkingwithlogs.Andinthisheavilywoodedarealogswerethematerialinhand.Logcabinswerethemostpopularintheearly1800swiththesettlerswhoweremovingwest.Theyprovidedtheanswertothepioneer'sneedforasafeandsturdyhomethatanordinaryfamilycouldbuildquickly.Theyhaddirtfloorsandslidingboardsforwindows.ButthelogbuildingsthathaveprobablyhadmostinfluenceonmodemarchitectsarethoseofthemountainretreatsofwealthyNewYorkers.Thesecountryhouseswhichwerepopularintheearly1900stypifywhat'sknownastheAdoroundyxstyle.Nowlet'slookatthoseslides.

Whatisthespeakermainlydiscussing?

A.TraditionalEuropeanarchitecture.

B.Techniquesforbuildinglogcabins.

C.Thehistoryoflogstructures.

D.Howtobuildahomeyourself.

9.PartC

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerthequestionsorcompletethenotesinyourtestbookletforQuestions21-30bywritingNOTMORETHANTHREEwordsinthespaceprovidedontheright.YouwillhearthetalkTWICE.

Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions21-30.

聽力原文：ForthoseofyouwhoareeitheralreadystudyingintheUnitedStatesorplanningtooneday,itmightbeinterestingtoknowsomethingabouttheforeignstudentpopulationintheUnitedStates.Fortheacademicyear1995/96therewasasumofapproximately344,000foreignstudentsstudyingintheUnitedStates.Thisfigureof344000mayseemlikeaverylargenumberuntilyoucompareitwiththetotalpopulationof241,000,000.Theforeignstudentpopulationhasbeengrowingforanumberofyearsandisstillgrowing,buttherateofincreasehasdroppedsharplyduringthe1990s.Duringthe1980s,thepopulationgrewquiterapidly.Forexample,between1985and1990.theaverageyearlyincreasewas12.5%.However,thepictureinthe1990sisquitedifferent.Therateofincreasehasdeclinedquitenoticeably.Infact,therateofincreasebetween1994/95and1995/96wasonly0.5%,orone-halfofonepercent.Althoughtheoverallrateofincreasehasdroppedtoonly0.5%.thenumberofstudentsfromsomepartsoftheworldisincreasingwhilethenumberofstudentsfromotherareasisdecreasing.Forexample,duringthissameperiod,thatisbetweentheacademicyears1994/95and1995/96,therewasadecreaseinthenumberofstudentsfromtheMiddleEast,whilethenumberofstudentsfromSouthandEastAsiaincreased.Thesechangesinthenumberofstudentscomingfromdifferentpartsoftheworldnodoubtreflectedchangingeconomicandpoliticalsituations.I'msureyouareawareofmanyofthesechanges,andperhapswecandiscussthematournextmeeting.Fortodaylet'sconfineourtalktofirst,adiscussionoftheoriginofthesestudents,or,inotherwords,wheretheycamefrom;second,thekindsofstudiestheypursue;and,finally,theacademiclevelstheyarefoundin.Ifwehavealittletimeleft,wemightquicklytalkaboutinwhichgeographicareasmostofthemgotoschool.

Let'sdiscusstheoriginsoftheforeignstudentpopulationintheUnitedStatesfortheacademicyear1995/96.Let'sdiscussitinorderfromthoseareassendingthemoststudentstothoseareassendingthefeweststudents.IfwelookatthefiguresprovidedbytheannualcensusofforeignstudentsintheUnitedStatesfortheyear1995/96,weseethatmostoftheforeignstudentsstudyingintheUnitedStatesduringthisyearwerefromSouthandEastAsia.ThisisaratherlargegeographicalareawhichincludessuchconutriesasChina,Korea,Pakistan,India,Malaysia,andIndonesia.Thetotalnumberofstudentsfromthisarea,SouthandEastAsiawas156,830.Inotherwords,roughly2outofevery5foreignstudentscomefromSouthandEastAsia.Almost24000ofthistotalwerefromChina.Malaysiawasclosebehindwithjustalittleover23000students.ThenextlargestnumberofstudentscamefromtheMiddleEast.ThenumberofstudentsfromtheMiddleEastcametoaboutone-thirdthenumberfromSouthandEastAsia.ThefourthlargestnumbercamefromSouthAmerica.NextcanleEurope,Africa,NorthAmerica,andOceania.Let'srecapitulatewhatwe'vesaid.ThelargestnumberofstudentsstudyingintheUnitedStatesduringtheacademicyear1995/96werefromSouthandEastAsia,followedbytheMiddleEast,SouthAmerica,Europe,Africa,NorthAmerica,andOceania.

Whatfieldsaretheselargenumbersofforeignstudentsstudyingin?Itprobablywon'tsurpriseyouthatthelargestnumberareinthefieldofengineering.Infact,21.7%ofthetotalnumberarestudyingengineering.Businessandmanagementisclosebehind,however,withatotalof18.9%.Thethirdmostpopularfieldwasmathematicsand

10.Whatdothestudyofscienceandthestudyofartrequire?

11.PartA

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerQuestions1-10bycirclingTRUEorFALSE.YouwillhearthetalkONLYONCE.Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions1-10.

聽力原文：Thereareseveralplacesintheworldthatarefamousforpeoplewholiveforaverylongtime.Thesesplacesareusuallymountainousareas,farawayfrommoderncities.Doctors,scientistsandpublichealthexpertsoftentraveltotheseregionstosolveamysteriouslonghealthylife;theexpertshopetobringtothemodernworldthesecretsoflongevity.

HunzaishighintheHymalayanMountainsofAsia.There,manypeopleoveronehundredyearsofagearestillinphysicalhealth.Menofninetyarenewfathers,andwomenoffiftystillhavebabies.Whatarethereasonsforthisgoodhealth?ScientistsbelievethatthepeopleofHunzahavethesethreebenefits:first,physicalwork,usuallyinthefieldsorwithanimals;second,ahealthenvironmentwithcleanairandwater;andwhat'smore,asimplediethighinvitaminsandnutritionbutlowinfat,cholesterol,sugarandchemicals.

PeopleintheCaucasusMountaininRussiaarealsofamousfortheirlongevity.Inthisarea,thereareamazingexamplesofverylong-livedpeople.Birthrecordsarenotusuallyavailable,butawomancalledTsurbaprobablyliveduntilage160;amancalledShiraliprobablyliveduntil168.Hiswidowwas120yearsold.Ingeneral,peoplenotonlylivealongtime,buttheyalsolivewell.Theyarealmostneversick,andwhentheydie,theyhavenotonlytheirownteethbutalsoafullheadofhairandgoodeyesight.

Vilcabamba,Ecuador,isanotherareafamousforthelongevityofitshabit-ants.Thisregion—likeHunzaandtheCaucasus—isalsoinhighmountains,farawayfromcities.InVilcabamba,too,thereisverylittledisease.Onereasonforthegoodhealthofthepeoplemightbetheclean,beautifulenvironment:thetemperatureisabout70Fahrenheitallyearlong;thewindalwayscomesfromthesamedirection;andtheregionisrichinflowers,fruits,vegetablesandwildlife.

Insomeways,thedietsofthehabitantsinthethreeregionsarequitedifferent.Hunzukutseatmainlyrawvegetables,fruit(especiallyapricots),andchapattis—akindofpancake;theyeatmeatonlyafewtimesayear.TheCaucasiandietconsistsmainlyofmilk,cheese,vegetables,fruitandmeat;mostpeopletheredrinkthelocalredwinedaily.InVilcabamba,peopleeatasmallamountofmeateachweek,butthedietconsistslargelyofgrain,coins,beans,potatoesandfruit.

ExpertsfindonesurprisingfactinthemountainsofEcuador.Mostpeoplethere,eventheveryold,consumealotofcoffee,drinkalargeamountofalcohol,andsmokefortytosixtycigarettesdaily.

However,thedietsaresimilarintwogeneralways:first,thefruitsandvegetablesthattheinhabitantsofthethreeareaseatareallnatural;thatis,theycontainnochemicalsandsecond,thepeopleconsumefewercaloriesthanpeopledointheotherpartsoftheworld.AtypicalNorthAmericantakesinanaverageof3,300calorieseveryday;atypicalinhabitantofthesemountainousareasbetween1,700and2,000calories.

Inhabitantsinthethreeregionshavemoreincommoncalories,naturalfood,theirmountainsandtheirdistancefrommoderncities,becausethesepeopleliveincountrysideandaremostlyfarmers,theirlivesarephysicallyhard.Thus,theydonotneedtogotohealthclubsbecausetheygetalotofexerciseintheirdailywork.Inaddition,although,theirlivesarehard,thepeopledonotseemtohavetheworriesofcitypeople.Theirlivesarequiet.Consequently,someexpertsbelievethatphysicalexerciseandfreedomfromworrymightbethetwomostimportantsecretsoflongevity.

Somemoderncitiesareusuallyfamousforpeoplewholiveave

A.TrueB.Fasle

12.WhatdoesDr.Hubercomparetheuniverseto?

13.Howmuchtimedothemanandthewomanhavebeforetheyaddresstheclass?

A.Lessthantenminutes.

B.Abouttwentyminutes.

C.Forty-fiveminutes.

D.Overanhour.

14.HowmanypoemsdidDickinsonwrite?

A.Almost2,000.B.Nearly1,000.C.800D.1,200.00

15.Shiraliprobablyliveduntil168;Tsurbaprobablyliveduntilage1

A.RightB.Wrong

二、2.UseofEnglish(10題)16.(38)

17.

【C9】

18.

【C12】

19.(49)

20.

【C17】

21.RecentsurveysshowthatJapaneseyouthhavebecomea"MeGeneration"thatrejectstraditionalvalues.

"Around1980manyJapanese,【C1】______youngpeopleabandonedthevaluesofeconomicsuccessandbegan【C2】______fornewsetsofvaluesto【C3】______themhappiness,"writessociologistYasuhiroinComparativeCivilizationsReview.Japaneseyouthareplacingmoreimportanceontheindividual'spursuitof【C4】______andlessonthevaluesofwork,family,andsociety.

Japanesestudentsseemtobelosingpatiencewithwork,【C5】______theircounterpartsintheUnitedStatesandKorea.Ina1993【C6】______ofcollegestudentsinthethreecountries,only10%oftheJapaneseregarded【C7】______asaprimaryvaluecomparedwith47%ofKoreanstudentsand27%ofAmericanstudents.Agreater【C8】______ofJapaneseaged18—24alsopreferredeasyjobs【C9】______heavyresponsibility.

TheyoungerJapaneseareshowinglessconcernforfamilyvaluesastheypursueaninnerworldofprivatesatisfaction.Datacollected【C10】______theJapanesegovernmentin1993showsthatonly23%ofJapaneseyoutharethinkingaboutsupportingtheiragedparents,incontrast【C11】______63%ofyoungAmericans.Itappearsthatmanyyounger-generationJapaneseare【C12】______bothrespectfortheirparents【C13】______asenseofresponsibilitytothefamily.AuthorYoshizakiattributesthechange【C14】______Japaneseparents!over-indulgenceoftheirchildren,materialaffluence,andgrowing【C15】______forprivatematters.

Theshift【C16】______individualismamongJapaneseismostpronouncedamong【C17】______veryyoung.Accordingto1991data【C18】______theBunkaCenterofJapan,50%ofJapaneseyouthaged16—19canbelabeled"self-centered"comparedwith33%among【C19】______aged25-29.Toearntheself-centeredlabel,theyoungpeoplerespondedpositivelyto【C20】______ideasas"Iwouldliketomakedecisionswithoutconsideringtraditionalvalues"and"Idon'twanttodoanythingIcan'tenjoydoing."

【C1】

22.

【C3】

23.

【C16】

24.

【C11】

25.

【C15】

三、3.ReadingComprehension(15題)26.PartA

Directions:ReadthefollowingtextsandanswerthequestionswhichaccompanythembychoosingA,B,CorD.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.

Notlongago,amysteriousChristmascarddroppedthroughourmailslot.TheenvelopewasaddressedtoamannamedRaoul,who,Iwasrelativelycertain,didnotlivewithus.Theenvelopewasn'tsealed,soIopenedit.Theinsideofthecardwasblank.Ed,myhusband,explainedthatthecardwasbothfromandtothenewspaperdeliveryman.HisnamewasapparentlyRaoul,andRaoulwantedaholidaytip.Weweremeanttoputacheckinsidethecardandthendroptheenvelopeinthemail.Whenyourservicesarerenderedat4a.m.,youcan'tsimplyhangaround,likeahotelbellboyexpectingatip.Youhavetobedirect.

SoIwroteaniceholidaygreetingtothismanwho,inmyimagination,firesTheNewYorkTimesfromhishikeaimedatourfrontdoor,causingmorenoisewithmerenewsprintthanmostpeoplemanagewithsophisticatedblackmarketfireworks.

Withastart,Irealizedthatperhapsthereasonforthe4a.m.—wake-upnoisewasnotordinaryrudenessbutcarefullyexecutedspite:IhadnottippedRaoulinChristmasespast.Ihonestlyhadn'trealizedIwassupposedto.Thiswasthefirsttimehe'dusedthecardtactic.SoIgotoutmycheckbook.Somewherealongtheline,holidaytippingwentfromanoptionalthank-youforayearofservicestoaMtectionracket(收取保護(hù)費的黑社會組織)

Severaldayslater,IwasbringingourgarbagebinsbackfromthecurbwhenInoticedanenvelopetapedtooneofthelids.TheoutsideoftheenvelopesaidMICKEY.Ithadtobeanothertiprequest,thistimefromourgarbagecollector.UnlikeRaoul,Mickeyhadn'tenclosedhisownChristmascardfromme.Inaway,Iappreciatedthedirectness."Iknowyoudon'tcarehowmerrymyChristmasis,andthat'sfine,"thegesturesaid."Iwant$30,orI'll'forget'toemptyyourgarbagebinsomehotsummerday."

Iputacheckintheenvelopeandtapeditbacktothebin.Thenextmorning,Ednoticedthattheenvelopewasgone,thoughthetrashhadn'tyetbeenpickedup:"SomeonestoleMickey'stip!"Edwasquitecertain.Hemademecallthebankandcancelthecheck.

ButEdhadbeenwrong.Twoweekslater,Mickeyleftaletterfromthebankonoursteps.TheletterinformedMickeythatthecheck,whichhehadtriedtocash,hadbeencancelled.ThefollowingTuesdaymorning,whenEdsawatruckoutside,heranoutwithhiswallet."AreyouMickey?"

Themanlookedathimwithscorn."Mickeyisthegarbageman.Iamtherecycling."NotonlyhadEdinsultedthismanbyhintingthathewasagarbageman,buthehadobviouslyneglectedtotiphim.Edranbackinsideformorefunds.Thenhenoticedthatthedriverofthetruckhadbeenwatchingthewholetransaction.Hepeeledoffanothertwentyandlookedaround,wavingbillsintheair."Anyoneelse?"

HadweconsultedthewebsiteoftheEmilyPostInstitute,thisembarrassingbreachofetiquette(禮節(jié))couldhavebeenavoided.Under"trash/recyclingcollectors"intheinstitute'sHolidayTippingGuidelines,itsays,"$10to$30each."Youmayormaynotwishtoknowthatyourpetgroomer,hairdresser,mailmanandUPSguyallexpectaholidaytip.

Thenewspaperdeliverymanputablankcardinsidetheenvelopebecause______.

A.heforgottowriteafewwordsonit

B.hewantedthecoupletosenditback

C.heusedittoaskforaChristmastip

D.hewasafraidofaskingforatipinperson

27.(80)

28.Theideaofafishbeingabletoproduceelectricitystrongenoughtolightlampbulbs-oreventorunasmallelectricmotor—isalmostunbelievable,butseveralkindsoffishareabletodothis.Evenmorestrangely,thiscuriouspowerhasbeenacquiredindifferentwaysbyfishbelongingtoverydifferentfamilies.

Perhapsthemostknownaretheelectricrays,ortorpedoes,ofwhichseveralkindsliveinwarmseas.Theypossessoneachsideofthehead,behindtheeyes,alargeorganconsistingofanumberofhexagonal-shapedcellsratherlikeahoneycomb.Theceilsarefilledwithajelly-likesubstance,andcontainaseriesofflatelectricplates.Oneside,thenegativeside,ofeachplate,issuppliedwithveryfinenerves,connectedwithamainnervecomingfromaspecialpartofthebrain.Currentgetsthroughfromtheupper,positivesideoftheorgandownwardtothenegative,lowerside.Generallyitisnecessarytotouchthefishintwoplaces,completingthecircuit,inordertoreceiveashock.

Thestrengthofthisshockdependsonthesizeoffish,butnewly-bornonesonlyabout5centimetersacrosscanbemadetolightthebulbofapocketflashlightforafewmoments,whileafullygrowntorpedogivesashockcapableofknockingamandown,and,ifsuitablewiresareconnected,willoperateasmallelectricmotorforseveralminutes.

Anotherfamousexampleistheelectriceel.Thisfishgivesanevenmorepowerfulshock.Thesystemisdifferentfromthatofthetorpedointhattheelectricplatesrunlongitudinallyandaresuppliedwithnervesfromthespinalcord.Consequently,thecurrentpassesalongthefishfromheadtotail.Theelectricorgansofthesefisharereallyalter