More than a hundred reporters from around the world thronged and bustled in the Stock Exchange Building in Stockholm's Old Town for about an hour before the doors to the Swedish Academy swung open. Notably, there were many Japanese reporters present, hoping to break the news that Haruki Murakami had won the prize. Finally, the Swedish Academy's Permanent Secretary Peter Englund stepped out from the doors and said Canadian short story writer Alice Munro has won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature.
The following is a truncated Q&A with reporters and Englund. (The questions have been simplified and clarified.)
Why did Alice Munro win?
We gave her the Nobel Prize in Literature because she is a master of the contemporary short story.
Which book to begin with?
One of the amazing things about her is that she has no weak works in her writing. She has always worked to the best of her ability; she has always cultivated the short story to perfection. And she has never really written a weak or bad book. So you can take your pick. 'The Moons of Jupiter' was the first book I read by her and you can see both her different themes in that book and also her very special narrative mode, you can find it there. She tells her stories a bit like nobody else. She has a very economical language and sparse style. You can find that in 'The Moons of Jupiter.' You can take your pick. The latest one is obviously very interesting, 'Dear Life,' which contains a number of autobiographical sketches at the end that gives a key to the entire authorship of Alice Munro.
How was she informed?
Well, I left a message on her answering machine. I couldn't reach her and it was of course pretty early in the morning. But she will be notified by courier, by email to her both agents, by standard mail and so on.
What kind of message did you leave?
Basically, congratulations! You've won the Nobel Prize in literature.
What's the Importance of a woman winning?
Don't ask me. We picked her for excellence, nothing else. Of course it matters when you start doing the headcount. But she is no representative. She has received this prize just because of what she has done. Nothing else.
So the sexual balance doesn't count?
We don't have these kinds of quotas; thank god ... We don't have any quotas. We could, if we wanted to, award this prize four times in a row to a children's book writer working in the United States. If we wanted to. We can do as we please. We don't have to fill any quotes in any direction. We just give it to authors who show an extraordinary literary quality. One of these is Mrs. Alice Munro.
【小题1】Why were there so many Japanese reporters in the Stock Exchange Building in Stockholm's Old Town?
| A．They were waiting there to report who would win the 2013 Nobel Prize in 2013. |
| B．They had expected that Haruki Murakami would win the prize. |
| C．They just wanted to be the first to report the 2013 Noble Prize winner. |
| D．They were waiting in the stock market to give the world a big surprise. |
| A．picking up her answering machine | B．email from both of her agents |
| C．standard mail | D．The passage doesn’t clarify it. |
| A．she has an obvious advantage over Haruki Murakami |
| B．it is rare for a woman to have written so many perfect stories |
| C．she is a master of the contemporary short story |
| D．she deserves a prize for her hard work for so many years |
| A．“Dear Life”, which contains a number of autobiographical sketches that gives a key to her entire authorship |
| B．“The Moons of Jupiter”, which represented both her different themes and also her very special narrative mode |
| C．“DanceoftheHappyShades”, which helped her win the first Governor General’s Award |
| D．no specific work, but the uniqueness and perfection reflected in all her works |
【小题1】B
【小题2】D
【小题3】C
【小题4】D
解析试题分析：文章大意：本文是一篇新闻采访。记者采访了瑞典文学院常任秘书恩隆德(Peter Englund)，解释了为什么是艾丽斯?芒罗得了诺贝尔文学奖。
【小题1】细节理解题。根据文章第一段Notably, there were many Japanese reporters present, hoping to break the news that Haruki Murakami had won the prize.可知日本记者都希望能第一时间报道村上春树获得诺贝尔文学奖的消息，故选B。
【小题2】推理判断题。根据文章中Well, I left a message on her answering machine. I couldn't reach her and it was of course pretty early in the morning. But she will be notified by courier, by email to her both agents, by standard mail and so on.可以推测出瑞典文学院常任秘书恩隆德用三种通知联系了她，故她最新收到哪个通知并不清楚，故选D。
【小题3】细节理解题。根据第四段We gave her the Nobel Prize in Literature because she is a master of the contemporary short story.可知她获得2013年诺贝尔文学奖是因为她是当代短篇小说大师。故选C。
【小题4】推理判断题。根据文章第六段One of the amazing things about her is that she has no weak works in her writing. She has always worked to the best of her ability; she has always cultivated the short story to perfection. And she has never really written a weak or bad book.可知她全部作品中没有哪部让人感觉不足。她一直在以她最佳的水平创作，总是能写出完美的短篇小说。她从来没有真正写过一本有不足或糟糕的书。故D正确。
考点：考查新闻报道类阅读
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
The very first capsule hotel to be opened in Shanghai has attracted many budget travelers with its prices, even though it is not fully operational yet.
The hotel consists of 68 "capsules", each 1.1-meters high, 1.1-meters wide and 2.2-meters long. The basic rate is 28 Yuan ($4.22) per person, plus an additional 4 Yuan an hour. The hotel also offers a package of 68 Yuan for 10 hours and 88 Yuan for 24 hours.
All of the capsules are imported from Japan where capsule hotels originated，and each is equipped with independent sockets, clocks, lights, TV and wireless Internet service. The hotel also has a public lavatory(洗手间)，shower room, smoking room and shared guest room.
"This is a huge bargain compared with other budget hotels in Shanghai," said Ta Zan, the owner of the hotel. Ta used to stay at capsule hotels in Tokyo during his undergraduate years and worked at a capsule hotel while he was doing his MBA in Japan in 2005, so he knows how they work and how to make guests feel comfortable.
He based the hotel on capsule hotels in Japan but he has made some special changes based on Chinese guests' habits. "In Japan capsule hotels are usually equipped with bathtubs, but in China people are more willing to take a shower, so we have the shower room," he said. He has also separated the capsules into three snoring (打鼾的) zones so that guests who often snore won't disturb others. Like most of capsule hotels in Japan, the one in Shanghai is for men only.
But the idea of staying in such a compact space is not appealing to everyone. "I feel the idea is like putting a person in a coffin (棺材), and the price is also not that appealing. A bed at a youth hostel in Shanghai costs about 60 Yuan per night," said Wang Lei, a student from Beijing.
【小题1】The first capsule hotels in the world appeared in .
| A．Shanghai | B．Japan | C．Beijing | D．America |
| A．28 | B．60 | C．68 | D．88 |
| A．Dear | B．Cheap. | C．Close. | D．Clean. |
| A．it serves men as well as women |
| B．its capsule is much larger |
| C．it has a shower room |
| D．it has no snoring zones |
| A．everybody considers the capsule hotel a nice place to stay |
| B．all the capsules of the hotel were made in China |
| C．each capsule of the hotel has a private lavatory |
| D．no guest has ever stayed in the capsule hotel in Shanghai |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
A serious problem for today's society is who should be responsible for our elderly and how to improve their Lives．It is not only a financial problem but also a question of the system we want for our society．I would like to suggest several possible solutions to this problem．
First, employers should take the responsibility for their retired employees．To make this possible, a percentage of profits should be set aside for this purpose． But when a company must take life-long responsibility for its employees, it may softer from a commercial disadvantage due to higher employee costs．
Another way of solving the problem is to return the responsibility to the individual．This means each person must save during his working years to pay for his years of retirement．This does not seem a very fair model since some people have enough trouble paying for their daily life without trying to earn extra to cover their retirement years．This means the government might have to step in to care for the poor．
In addition, the government could take responsibility for the care of the elderly．This could be financed through government taxes to increase the level of pensions．Furthermore, some institution should be created for senior daises, which can help provide a comfortable life for them．Unfortunately, as the present situation in our country shows, this is not a truly viable answer．The government can seldom afford to care for the elderly, particularly when it is busy trying to care for the young．
One further solution is that the government or social organizations establish some working places especially for the elderly where they are independent.
To sum up, all these options have advantages and disadvantages．Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that some combination of these options may be needed to provide the care we hope to give to our elderly generations．
【小题1】What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The problems faced by the old in society． |
| B．Why we should take responsibility for the old． |
| C．How we can improve the lives of the old． |
| D．Where the old can go to get their pensions． |
| A．Set aside some profits to help people with problems after they retire． |
| B．Increase savings levels of people during their working years． |
| C．Increase the discounts for food and transport for the old． |
| D．Make available pensions for those who have retired． |
| A．impossible | B．practical | C．useful | D．successful |
| A．Taking care of the old is mainly an issue of money． |
| B．Employers should allow their workers to retire at a later age． |
| C．Becoming independent should be the goal of most old people． |
| D．There is no single solution to the problems of the old． |
| A．To point out the need for government support for old people． |
| B．To make general readers aware of the problems of retired people． |
| C．To discuss some possible solutions to an important social problem． |
| D．To instruct retired people on how they can have a happier life． |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
In recent years, temperatures in the polar areas are rising faster than anywhere else on Earth. As a result, the ice and the snow are melting at record-setting rates. One result is that sea levels are rising around the world, putting animals and people at risk.
A sheet of ice acts like a huge mirror, reflecting the sun’s energy. But ocean water, which is darker than ice, absorbs a lot of it. This causes the ocean to warm, which in turn speeds up ice melting and which leads to even more open waters. The cycle continues until all the ice is gone.
“As the ice melts, water flows into the oceans, making them less salty. That, along with warmer water temperatures, can harm the creatures that live in, under, and near the ice,” says zoologist Michael Stoddard. “Cold-adapted animals — including polar bears, foxes, hares, and seals — also need ice for travel and survival.”
“Most species of fish, sea spiders, and many other animals and plants that live in the waters of Antarctica don’t live anywhere else,” Stoddard says. “Many of them have special proteins in their bodies keeping them from freezing to death and have other adaptation to the cold that has yet to be explored.”
Therefore, experts are urging us to reconsider the way we live. The fuels that we burn in cars, power stations, and factories are largely to blame for the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that are trapping overmuch heat in our atmosphere. If we can produce fewer of these gases, we can help save the polar ice. “Even small things would make a difference, if everyone did them.” Michael Stoddard says, “That’s what we have to figure out in the near future to help save the polar ice and thus protect the oceans and us.”
【小题1】The passage is mainly written to _____.
| A．introduce the present situation of the polar areas |
| B．warn people against extreme weather |
| C．call on people to protect the oceans and humans |
| D．advertise for volunteers to protect the environment |
| A．the ice’s functions |
| B．ocean’s quick growing |
| C．the cause of sea level rising |
| D．the ways of more waters |
| A．most polar animals prefer to live in less salty water |
| B．some of the cold-adapted animals mainly feed on ice |
| C．many polar creatures have special proteins to keep alive |
| D．scientists still don’t know how polar creatures have adapted to the cold |
| A．Polar bears are expanding at a high speed. |
| B．Experts advise people not to use fuels at all. |
| C．Wildlife worldwide is in the process of dying out. |
| D．Global warm is putting animals and humans at risk. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
You are the collector in the gallery of your life. You collect. You might not mean to but you do. One out of three people collects tangible（有形的）things such as cats, photos and noisy toys.
There are among some 40 collections that are being shown at “The Museum Of”—the first of several new museums which, over the next two years, will exhibit the objects accumulated by unknown collectors. In doing so, they will promote a popular culture of museums, not what museums normally represent.
Some of the collections are fairly common—records, model houses. Others are strangely beautiful—branches that have fallen from tree, for example. But they all reveal （显露）a lot of things: ask someone what they collect and their answers will tell you who they are.
Other on the way include “The museum of Collectors” and “The Museum of Me.”These new ones, it is hoped, will build on the success of “The Museum Of.” The thinkers behind the project want to explore why people collect, and what it means to do so. They hope that visitors who may not have considered themselves collectors will begin to see they, too, collect.
Some collectors say they started or stopped making collections at important point: the beginning or end of adolescence—“it’s a growing-up thing; you stop when you grow up,”says one. Other painful times are mentioned, such as the end of a relationship. For time and life can seem so uncontrollable that a steady serial（顺序排列的）arrangement is comforting.
【小题1】How will the new museums promote a popular culture of museums?
| A．By collecting more tangible things. |
| B．By showing what ordinary people have collected. |
| C．By correcting what museums normally represent. |
| D．By accumulating 40 collections two years from now. |
| A．Who they are. |
| B．How old they are. |
| C．Where they were born. |
| D．Why they might not mean to collect. |
| A．To help people sell their collections. |
| B．To encourage more people to collect. |
| C．To study the significance of collecting. |
| D．To find out why people visit museums. |
| A．become adults |
| B．feel happy with life |
| C．are ready for a relationship |
| D．feel time to he uncontrollable |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
When Mary Barra took the wheel at General Motors in January she inherited a company in good shape. Five years after bankruptcy(破产), its profits were beyond expectations and its share price was rising. But the new boss's to-do list was long: fixing GM's loss-making European arm, keeping up momentum(势头) in China amid signs of a slowdown and giving new life to the product line. The former CEO, Dan Akerson, warned her that she would also face unexpected challenges. The first has arrived sooner than she might have expected.
What appeared to be a routine recall(召回) of about 800,000 older models, linked to a faulty ignition(点火) switch, has turned out to be anything but. The number of cars recalled has leapt to more than 2.6 million. The company's clumsy handling of a safety problem that first became apparent a decade ago is now linked to the deaths of at least 13 motorists.
Called before Congress to answer for GM's failings Ms Barra said she was “deeply sorry” but insisted that the post-bankruptcy “new GM” was not like the “old GM”, which had failed to deal with the ignition switches for years. Politicians and the public alike want to know how such a problem could have remained unaddressed for so long.
Cars are becoming ever more complex machines, with thousands of mechanical and electronic parts. Last year it happened to 22 million vehicles in America, compared with 18 million in 2012. In fact, GM was one of only three brands that recalled fewer vehicles than it sold. Minor problems, like squeaks(吱吱响) or rattles(卡嗒响), that do not affect safety are more common still. They may be fixed at a routine service; the owner may never know. The growing number of recalls is proof to an improving system for picking up faults.
But it is very complicated. Dealers must record replacements of parts under warranty(保修). The carmaker needs to spot the trend, recognize it as a problem and then determine whether or not it is a design fault that requires an extensive replacement. It relies on accurate recording of every warranty replacement in every region. This system appears to have broken down at “old GM”. Ms Barra needs to find out why.
The core problem is a widely used ignition switch that has a tendency to slip from the “on” position to “off” if a driver uses a heavy key-chain or bounces down a rough road. An improvement was made in 2008 to prevent the problem, which can lead to the engine shutting off, disabling the airbags. But despite a growing list of crashes and deaths, GM failed to order a recall for a component that would have cost a few dollars at most.
This is odd. Most carmakers want to identify and fix problems speedily despite having to bear the cost of buying and fitting a new component. A small part can do great harm, if bad publicity leads to reputational collapse, lost sales and law suits, including heavy penalties. Appearing to put profits before safety is an invitation to battering a firm's shares, as GM has discovered.
So far Ms Barra has handled the situation well. She seems to have acted as soon as she found out something was wrong. GM has appointed a worldwide safety president to cut through the process that may have delayed investigation and action. And in a sweeping housecleaning, GM has recalled another 2 million vehicles in America alone. GM looks set to accept moral, if not legal, responsibility. The terms of its exit from bankruptcy give immunity to lawsuits for injuries arising beforehand. But GM is likely to compensate survivors’ and victims' families anyway.
It is not yet clear how much of a hammering GM will take. But hours before Ms Barra's meeting with Congress, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety issued a greatly desired “Top Safety Pick” for the new Chevrolet Malibu, one of a growing number of well-received cars from GM.
【小题1】When Mary Barra took office, there was plenty more room for GM's improvement in that ________.
a. the development of Chinese market appears to be slowing down
b. former bosses have failed to fix GM's loss-making European arm
c. some car models lack appeal in the market
d. Mr. Akerson has left some challenges for her to handle
e. GM’s management teams are made up mainly of men
| A． a, b, and e | B． b, c, and d | C． a, b, and c | D．a, c and d |
| A．Problems like squeaks or rattles are frequent reasons for recalls. |
| B．Recalls are not uncommon in the auto industry. |
| C．Car companies welcome recalls to demonstrate improved products and services. |
| D．Minor problems may be fixed at a routine service without the owners’ knowledge. |
| A．as soon as she learned about the problem, she acted without hesitation |
| B．she faced facts and apologized sincerely |
| C．she took the legal responsibilities for their previous mistakes |
| D．she appointed a new president for global safety for GM |
| A．Benefiting. | B．Regulating. | C．Purchasing. | D．Damaging. |
| A．GM's new model Malibu is specially designed to solve ignition problems. |
| B．GM products are gaining more and more popularity around the world. |
| C．GM seems to be on the road to saving itself from mistakes. |
| D．GM has worked out a solution to the broken-down recall system. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
PERTH—Search crews will send a submarine(潜航器)deep into the Indian Ocean on Monday for the first time to try to determine whether signals detected by sound-locating equipment are from the missing Malaysian plane's black boxes, the Australian head of the search said.
Angus Houst on said the crew on board the Ocean Shield will send the underwater vehicle sometime Monday evening. The Bluefin 21 submarine can create a sonar(声呐)map of the area to chartany wreckage(残骸)on the seafloor.
The move comes after crews picked up a series of underwater sounds over the past two weeks that were consistent with an aircraft's black boxes.
“We haven’t had a single detection in six days, and l guess it’s time to go under water,” said Houston.
“Analysis of the four signals has reduced the search area on the ocean floor. The experts have therefore determined that the Australian Defense Vessel Ocean Shield will stop searching with the Towed Pinger Locator(拖曳声波定位仪)later today and use the underwater vehicle Bluefin 21 as soon as possible," he said at a news conference in Perth.
But Houston warned the switch to the submarine will not automatically "result in the detection of the aircraft wreckage. It may not.”
He said the submarine will take 24 hours to do each task, including two hours to dive, 16 hours to search the bottom, then two more hours hack up and four hours to download data.
Recovering the plane's flight data and cockpit(飞行员座舱)voice recorders is necessary For investigators to try to figure out what happened to Flight 370, which disappeared on March 8.
Houston said the search using the submarine will be a slaw and painstaking process.
The submarine takes six times longer to cover the same area as the pinger locator,and will need about six weeks to two months to examine the present underwater zone. The signals are also coming from 4,500 meters (15,000 feet) below the surface, which is the deepest the submarine can dive.
【小题1】The submarine will be sent deep into the Indian Ocean on Monday to _____ .
| A．create a sonar trap of the area |
| B．pick up underwater sounds |
| C．see if the signals detected are from the target black boxes |
| D．reduce the search area on the ocean floor |
| A．will download data of the black boxes |
| B．can find the aircraft wreckage within 24 hours |
| C．will recover the plane's flight data and voice recorder |
| D．can dive to a depth of no more than 4,500 meters |
| A．the switch of the submarine may not function properly |
| B．the Ocean Shield will switch to submarine when it is necessary |
| C．the submarine will detect the wreckage of the plane automatically |
| D．the detection of the wreckage can't be guaranteed by using the submarine |
| A．the underwater sounds were consistent with an aircraft's black boxes |
| B．the submarine travels slowly and the ocean is deep |
| C．they haven't had a single detection in six days |
| D．Ocean Shield stops searching wine the towed pinger locator |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
The world’s oldest person, Ms. Baines, died. She celebrated her 115th birthday with congratulations from Barack Obama, President of the United States. Over her life she lived through the terms of 21 US presidents.
Gertrude Baines passed away(去世) peacefully in her sleep at the Western Convalescent Hospital in Los Angeles, where she had lived for her last ten years. Emma Camanag , the hospital’s leader ，said she was a respectable lady. "It is really an honor for the hospital to take care of her over the last 10 years and we will greatly miss her. It is just like we have lost a relative（亲戚）," said Emma.
Ms. Baines, who was born in Shellman, Georgia, in 1894, had no living relatives. She grew up in the southern US during difficult times. During that time, African American people were required to use separate, often poor, public services. She married young and later divorced (离婚). Her only child, a daughter, was born in 1909 and died of a terrible disease at the age of 18. Ms. Baines worked as a maid (女佣) in Ohio before moving to Los Angeles where she lived on her own until she was well over 100.
She once told an interviewer（记者）, "As for the secrets of long life, I do not have any disappointments（失望） in my own life."
She gained some fame when she voted for Mr. Obama in the US presidential election（总统大选）, saying she supported him "because he’s for the colored people". It was only the second time in her life she had voted, the first time being for John F. Kennedy.
Ms. Baines became the world’s oldest person in January. Japanese woman, Kama Chien, 114, has now taken over the title.
【小题1】It was an honor for the hospital to take care of Ms. Baines because ________.
| A．she was a respectable lady |
| B．she was a relative of the hospital’s leader |
| C．she lived in the hospital for years |
| D．she voted for Mr. Obama in the election |
| A．was very popular in the hospital |
| B．did even better than John F. Kennedy |
| C．did good things for African Americans |
| D．congratulated her on her birthday |
| A．Ms. Baines used to serve others in Ohio. |
| B．Ms. Baines died in a hospital in Los Angeles. |
| C．Ms. Baines and her husband had only one child. |
| D．Ms. Baines liked to live alone. |
| A．the world’s oldest person, Ms. Baines |
| B．why Ms. Baines voted for Mr. Obama |
| C．how Ms. Baines lived for so long |
| D．Ms. Baines and President Obama |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Somali pirates(海盗) robbed three Thai fishing ships with 77 sailors on board nearly l，200 Miles off the Somali coast，the farthest-off-shore attack to date，an officer said Tuesday.
Pirates have gone farther south and east in answer to increased patrols(巡逻)by warships off the Somali shore. The robbing of the three ships Sunday was about 600 miles outside the normal operation area for the international force，said a spokesman．
The spokesman said the attack so far out at sea was a clear sign that the international patrols against pirates were having a “marked effect on pirate activity in the area”.
“Once they start attacking that far out，you’re not even really talking about the Somali basin or areas of water that have any connection with Somalia,” said an officer，Roger Middleton. “Once you’re that far out，it's just the Indian Ocean，and it means you’re looking at trade going from the Gulf to Asia，from Asia to South Africa.”
"This is the farthest robbing to date. They are now operating near the Maldives and India,” said another officer.
The three ships--the MV Prantalay 11，12，and l 4—had 77 members on board in total．All of them are Thai, the spokesman said. Before the Sunday robbing，pirates held l l ships and 228 sailors.
Pirates have increased attacks over the past year in hopes。f catching more dollar payments. Because of increased patrols and defenses on board ships，the success rate(率)has gone down，though the number of successful attacks has stayed the same year over year.
【小题1】 The pirate attack reported in the text happened .
| A．far out in the Indian Ocean |
| B．in the normal patrol area |
| C．near the Somali, coast |
| D．in the south of Africa |
| A．More goods on board are lost. |
| B．Pirate attacks happen in a larger area now. |
| C．The number of attacks has stayed the same these years. |
| D．Pirate attacks are as serious as before along the Somali coast. |
| A．The patrols are of little effect. |
| B．The patrols are more difficult. |
| C．More patrols are quite necessary even in Asia. |
| D．The patrols only drive the pirates to other areas. |
| A．228. | B．77. | C．383. | D．305. |
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