independence on January 1, 1962.

Samoans are notable in rugby. Despite its small population, the island of American Samoa produces disproportionately a large number of world-class American football players. Samoan Mosi Tatupu was a member of NFL team(全国橄榄球联盟）the New England Patriots. Samoan Troy Polamalu was a member of the NFL team the Pittsburgh Steelers until he retired after the 2014 football season.

Traditional Samoan tattoo(纹身)proves the strong ties many Samoans feel for their culture. Samoans have practiced the art of tattooing for over 2,000 years. To this day, a man's tattoo widely covers from mid-back, down the sides, to the knees. A woman's tattoo is not quite as wide or heavy. The geometric patterns are based on ancient designs, and often indicate rank and status.

Here is the process of tattooing. The tattoo master dips his cutting tools into black ink made from burnt shells, and then punctures designs into the skin. The cutting tool consists of a short piece of bamboo or light wood with a piece of tortoiseshell bound at right angles at one end. A little bone comb is bound to the lower broad end of the tortoiseshell. The larger the comb, the greater the area on the skin is covered with fewer strokes. The process takes days, and is sometimes partially accomplished over longer periods, with recovery in between.

58.From Paragraph 2 we can learn that_____________.

A.Missionaries firstly introduced Christianity into Samoa in August of 1830 B.Tutuila and Aunu'u islands have ever been claimed by Great Britain in 1920 C.Eastern and western Samoa regained its independence in January of 1962 D.Samoa has a history of being occupied by at least four developed countries 59.The author introduced the sport item \

A. dignity B. doubt C. respect D. sadness

60.When talking about their culture, Samoan natives most probably agree that ________

A.a woman's tattoo is quite heavy and not wide B.a man's tattoo covers from mid-chest to knees C.Tattoo-receiving recovers slowly but necessarily D.Tattoo patterns always indicate rank and gender

C

NEW cars that can control and brake themselves risk quieting people in the driver's seat into a false sense of security 一 and even to sleep.

That was one surprising finding when researchers put Stanford University students in a simulated(模拟的）self-driving car to study how they reacted when their robo-chauffer needed help. The experiment was one in a growing number that assesses how cars can safely hand control back to a person when their self-driving software is at a loss.

With some models already able to stay in their lane or keep a safe distance from other traffic, and automakers pushing for more automation, the car-to-driver handoff is a big open question. The elimination(消除）of distracted driving is a major selling point for the technology. But in the Stanford experiment, reading or watching a movie helped keep participants awake. The Stanford research suggests engaging people with media could help, while some automakers are marketing vehicles with limited self-driving features that will slow the car if they detect a person has stopped paving attention to the road. Though research is ongoing, it appears that people need at least 5 seconds to take over.

Meanwhile, traditional automakers are advancing with the technology. Mercedes and Toyota sell cars that can hit the brakes and stay in their lane. By adding new features each year, they might produce a truly self-driving car in about a decade. One potential risk of this gradualist approach became clear this

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fall, when Tesla Motors had to explain that its \pilot\feature did not mean drivers could stop paying attention. Starting late next year, the Cadillac CTS will get a Super Cruise system, which will allow semi-autonomous highway driving. If the driver's eyes are off the road, and they don't respond to repeated urging, the car slows.

\a technology where the driver can check out,\spokesman Dan Flores said, \know the technology's not safe.\

One riddle automakers must solve: How to get owners to trust the technology so they'll use it ― but not trust it so much that they'll fall into a false sense of security. Trust was on the mind of researchers who in August published an extensive report on self-driving cars. \widespread adoption, participants were also observed prioritizing non-driving activities over the operation of the vehicle,\driver's seat of the need to take over. It appears that the car should appeal to several senses. Visual warnings alone may not be enough.

61. In the experiment, one disadvantage of the self-driving car is that in the drivers' seats people

______________

A.have a sense of security because of new technology B.can't react immediately when they need help C.are often distracted while driving the car

D.like to read and watch a movie to keep awake

62.What does the underlined word \

A. change B. control C. pull D. push 63.From the passage, we can conclude that____________

A.the automakers are proud of the new cars for their technology

B.there are problems to solve in getting owners to trust the technology

C.automakers have already marketed cars with limited self-driving technology

D.traditional automakers rather than present ones are advancing with the technology 64.The author's purpose of writing the passage is to____________

A.remind the readers of risks in the self-driving car B.advertise and market the new self-driving car

C.get more participants to experiment in the self-driving car D.introduce the advanced technology in the self-driving car

D

Gone with the Wind is a novel written by Margaret Mitchell, first published in 1936. It was popular with American readers from the onset and was the top American fiction bestseller in the year it was published and in 1937 on the row. As of 2014, a Harris poll found it to be the second favorite book of American readers, just behind the Bible. More than 30 million copies have been printed worldwide. The sales of Margaret Mitchell's novel in the summer of 1936, at the virtually unprecedented price of three dollars, reached about one million by the end of December. Because it was released in the era of the Great Depression and Mitchell worried the high $3.00 price would ruin its chance for success. Actually the book was a bestseller by the time reviews began to appear in national magazines.

Herschel Brickell, a critic for the New York Evening Post, praised Mitchell for the way she \out the window all the thousands of technical tricks our novelists have been playing with for the past twenty years.\

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One criticism by literary scholar Patricia Yaeger, leveled at Gone with the Wind, is for its portrayal of African Americans in the 19th century South. Former field hands during the early days of Reconstruction are described behaving \do. Like monkeys or small children turned loose among treasured objects whose value is beyond their comprehension, they ran wild~either from wrong pleasure in destruction or simply because of their ignorance.\Gone with the Wind Mitchell is blind to racial oppression and 'the inseparability of race and gender\

Yet there are complexities in the way that Mitchell dealt with racial issues. Scarlett was asked by a Yankee woman for advice on who to appoint as a nurse for her children; Scarlett suggested a \much to the disgust of the Yankee woman who was seeking an Irish maid, a \African Americans and Irish Americans are treated \Gone with the Wind, writes David O'Connell in his 1996 book, The Irish Roots of Margaret Mitchells Gone with the Wind. Ethnic slurs(种族蔑称)on the Irish and Irish stereotypes spread in every part of the novel, O'Connell claims, and Scarlett is not an exception to the insults. And apparently in the novel, the Irish American O'Haras were slaveholders whereas African Americans were held as slaves.

Speaking on the subject of whether Gone with the Wind should be taught in schools, James Loewen, author of Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, says the novel should be taught in schools. Students should be told that Gone with the Wind presents the wrong view of slavery, Loewen states. Besides, the main complaint was that the racial slur \repeatedly in the novel. In the same complaint were several other books: The Nigger of the 'Narcissus', Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Another criticism of the novel is that it promotes plantation values. Mitchell biographer Marianne Walker, author of Margaret Mitchell & John Marsh: The Love Story Behind Gone with the Wind, is of the opinion that those who believe Gone with the Wind promotes plantation values have not read the book. Walker states it is the popular 1939 film that \on to add that Mitchell had no involvement in the production of the film. Perhaps the most enduring legacy(遗产)of Gone with the Wind is that people worldwide would incorrectly think it was the true story of the Old South and how it was changed by the American Civil War and Reconstruction. The film version of the novel \negative effects the novel has had on race relations.

65. When Gone with the Wind was published, _______________.

A.it became the top bestseller all of the time

B.reading was more popular than anything else then C.the price of the book was too high for people then D.American people were suffering financial problems

66.in Paragraph 3, the underlined part \A.peasants in the early time B.African-American people C.creatures of small intelligence D.people in Reconstruction

67.David O'Connell's view is different from Patricia Yaeger's in ______________

A.Mitchell's Ethnic slurs in the novel B.Mitchell's description of slave laborers C.Mitchell's attitude towards the Irish people

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D.Mitchell's ways of dealing with racial problems

68.According to Paragraph 5, which of the following statements is True?

A.James Loewen sings high praise for American history textbooks. B.Uncle Tom ’s Cabin also shows some racial discrimination.

C.The repeated appearance of the racial slur \

D.Gone with the Wind should be taught because it shows slavery is wrong. 69.What can we infer as to the film Gone with the Wind?

A.It has nothing to do with the novel.

B.It promotes a false concept of plantation. C.It reflects the true story of the Old South. D.It is not so faithful to the novel.

70.Among the four persons, who doesn't give positive comments on Gone with the Wind?

A. Herschel Brickell. B. David O'Connell. C. Patricia Yaeger. D. Marianne Walker.

第四部分：任务型阅读(共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）

请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意：请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。每个空格只填1个单词。

Is E-mail Dead?

With the rise of rapid-fire messaging, the digital letter seems to be crawling toward the fate of snail mail. If your in-box is currently reporting unread messages in the hundreds or thousands, you might have a hard time believing the news: e-mail is on the decline. The total volume of e-mail has dropped about 10 percent since 2010.

The word \lot of e-mail begins with a salutation. Maybe it's \instead of \Casey,\but it's there. And because there was so much overhead involved with sending a letter~folding, enveloping, addressing, stamping, mailing—few bothered to send only a few words. The effort seemed to justify a longer message. Once viewed as the death of the personal human touch, e-mail has now taken over the letter's place as a form of new communication—both business and personal. But is its day in the digital sun coming to a close?

Today's instant electronic memos~such as texting and Facebook and Twitter messages—are more direct, more concentrated, more efficient. They get rid of the salutation; we already know the \\noise. And less time.

This trend is further evidence that store-and-forward systems such as e-mail and voicemail are outdated. Instead of my leaving you a lengthy message that you pick up later, I can now send you an easily consumed message that you can read—and respond to—on the go.

The decline of e-mail corresponds neatly to the dawn of the mobile era.

Does this mean e-mail is on its way to the dustbin of digital history? Was it just a transitional technology~~from postal mail to the new, rapid-fire communication channels?

Not necessarily. E-mail still has certain advantages. Whereas tweets and texts feel transient―you read them, then they're gone, into an endless string~e-mail still feels like something you have, that you can file, search and return to later. It's easy to imagine that it will continue to feel more appropriate for formal communications: agreements, important news, longer explanations.

So in a word, no, e-mail won't go away completely. Remember, we've been through a transition like

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