巅峰阅读六级快速阅读

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1、Passage 1Customs One of the little rituals all international travelers go through is customs. To most people, this is just another stop in an airport or a minor inconvenience at a countrys borders. But when you go through customs, you are actually taking part in a key component of the global economy

2、. A nations customs service has many responsibilities. At its most basic level, its purpose is to regulate what comes into and goes out of a country. The foremost element of this regulation is controlling international trade. The concept of trade is as old as civilization itself. If my tribe has a h

3、uge supply of bananas, and your tribe has a huge supply of fur, we will trade goods so that both our tribes can eat and both can keep warm. In the modern world, international trade is based on money, but it works in pretty much the same way. My country may produce more televisions than the populatio

4、n needs, but not enough cars. In order to have everything the population needs, businesses in my country will export TVs and import cars. Any nation wants its own businesses to do well, so most of the time they prefer their people buy domestic goods over competing foreign goods. But in many cases, g

5、oods are available cheaper in another country than in your country, and people naturally want to buy them at the lower price. To tilt the balance in favor of domestic businesses, governments impose tariffs, also called duty, on foreign goods coming into the country. In addition to encouraging domest

6、ic trade, duty also gives the nation a piece of the action when somebody buys something produced overseas. Customs agencies are often major sources of revenue for the government. The US Customs Service, for example, brings in more money than any other government office except the Internal Revenue Se

7、rvice. To control specific sorts of trade, a government may impose a higher tariff on certain types of goods (alcohol, for example). Certain countries may join together to work out mutually beneficial trade agreements, enabling businesses in those nations to trade more freely with each other than th

8、ey can with businesses in other nations. This gives an advantage to nations that a country has a good relationship with. Customs agencies also monitor what is being exported from a country. For example, most governments strictly regulate what weapons can be exported to other nations. This is simply

9、a common-sense safety measure: Its not a good idea to arm enemy nations, so the government has to know who is buying any domestically-produced weaponry. As well see later on, customs agencies also pay careful attention to how much money citizens are transporting out of the country. Duty charges have

10、 a huge effect on big businesses, which may import millions of dollars worth of goods every year. To regulate trade on this level, a countrys customs agency must keep track of all shipments that come into the nations ports or cross its borders. They cant check every bit of foreign cargo, of course,

11、so agents pick certain boxes to inspect and certain shipments to scrutinize. In an effort to speed up the process, the US Customs Service is implementing new, computerized systems for processing shipments and charging importers. While large businesses are the main importers in a country, trade restr

12、ictions also apply to the individual traveler. When you bring home souvenirs（纪念品）from another country, you are actually importing goods. In the United States and many other countries, the customs agency grants each traveler a nominal duty exemption（免除）to allow them to bring back a reasonable amount

13、of goods without having to pay tariffs. In most countries, it isnt feasible for the customs agency to check all of the goods that every single traveler is importing, so governments have to depend largely on peoples honesty. When you enter a country, you are asked to truthfully report what goods you

14、are importing and make a good faith estimate of their value. They dont put their entire trust in peoples good character, of course; customs performs a thorough search of some percentage of all travelers. Some customs agencies decide which travelers to search based on random chance. You are asked to

15、press a button on a machine that activates a random number generator. Depending on the number that comes up, either a green light comes on and you can pass through or a red light comes on and the agent searches your bags. Other customs agencies decide who to search based solely on intuition. After m

16、any years on the job, a customs agent develops a keen eye for people who are up to no good. Unlike the police, customs agents are fully authorized to search your luggage, clothes and even your body without any warrant or reason for suspicion. Customs agents often work side-by-side with immigration o

17、fficials, and in some ports of entry, one inspector may represent both agencies. But at its core, a customs agency is concerned with the things that are coming in and out of a country, rather than the travelers themselves. In addition to monitoring legal imports, a nations customs agency also works

18、to keep out illegal or contraband (违禁品) items. Customs agencies must fight the flow of illegal materials across borders. In addition to drugs, customs agencies may watch for weaponry, child pornography (色情资料), counterfeit merchandise and stolen goods. They also watch for people carrying illegally ga

19、ined money across borders. These sorts of illegal materials make up only one category of contraband goods. Customs agents also stop the importation of legal goods that are a threat to the nations security. In most countries, the importation of fruits, meats, animals and plants is heavily regulated d

20、ue to the fear of disease or ecological imbalance. While it may seem strange that a piece of fruit is considered a threat to national security, the risk of biological contamination is very real. In the late 1980s, one traveler with one piece of contaminated fruit caused an infestation (出没,横行) of Med

21、iterranean fruit flies that destroyed millions of dollars worth of crops in California. Some completely harmless items are deemed contraband simply because of the country they come from. If country A is considered to be a national enemy of country B, or has a record of violating international law, c

22、ountry B (and other countries) might institute an embargo（禁运）against that country (a ban on the importation of country As goods). This cuts off potential business for country A, and this may persuade its leaders to change their policies. In the United States, the best known example of this sort of s

23、anction is the embargo against Cuban products. There is a high demand for Cuban cigars in the United States, but they are strictly regulated because of the strained relationship between the United States and Cuba. As with drugs, smugglers are eager to sneak in a supply to meet this demand, and are c

24、onstantly trying to get around customs. In many countries, the customs agency closely monitors the importing and exporting of cultural artifacts. While a traveler may have purchased the item in good faith, it might have been stolen at an earlier point. Customs agencies have helped to restore many pr

25、iceless artifacts to their rightful owners. A countrys government might also ban importation of items based on ethics and morality. For example, in many countries, you cannot import ivory or other products that come from endangered animals. In 2000, the United States enacted the Dog and Cat Protecti

26、on Act, banning the importation of any products made from dog and cat fur that was acquired inhumanely. The US Customs Service confiscates all such goods so that US citizens do not inadvertently support this practice. Without customs agencies, nations would have no control over what comes in and goe

27、s out of their country. In order to protect its citizens and businesses, a government has to be vigilant in protecting its borders, not only against armed attack, but also against unwanted imports. As any customs agent will tell you, this is crucial to maintaining order in modern society. 1. What is

28、 said to be the most fundamental goal of a nations customs?A) Inspecting the touristsB) Inverstigating smuggling.C) Regulating international trade.D) Coutrolling imports and exports.2. What action has been taken by nations to encourage their people to favor domestic goods?A) Imposing tariffs on fore

29、ign goods.B) Lowering the price of domestic goods.C) Reducing the number of imported goods.D) Improving the quality of domestic goods.3. Some countries are able to do business more freely with each other, if they _.A) contribute more to international tradeB) establish a good relation with each other

30、C) make trade agreements in favor of both sidesD) keep the balance between imports and exports4. How much does the customs agency check if the goods imported or exported are huge in volume?A) Almost a halfB) Certain percetageC)About 80 percentD) All shipments5. Some countries allow individual travel

31、ers to bring home a reasonable amount of goods by _.A) imposing some tariffsB) restricting the varietyC) controlling the valueD) exempting the tariffs6. After many years of experience, some customs agencies base their selection and inspection of travelers only on _.A) their intuitionB) random chance

32、C) careful examinationD)computerized systems7. Most customs agencies try to stop importing plants and animals mainly because they _.A) may threate national securityB) cat adapt to new environmentC) are far from satisfactory in qualityD) are more constly than domestic ones8. Some items are considered

33、 illegal because they come from a enemy country or one that is imposed on_.9. By paying close attention to the cultural artifacts coming in or out of a country, customs agencies can help the artifacts going back to _.10. In some countries, such goods as ivory and dog or cat furs are forbidden to imp

34、ort because of _.文章梗概：本文主要介绍了国家设立海关的目的和海关重点检查的一些物品。文章首先指出了海关的基本职责是对进出该国的物品施行管制，然后指出关税对国家的重要意义。此后，本文分别介绍了海关对于大宗货物和个体旅行者的检查方法。接下来文章依次介绍了被海关列为违禁品的商品。答案解析：1. 由题干关键词the most fundamental goal of a nations customs定位至第二段第二句At its most basic level, its purpose is to regulate what comes into and goes out of a

35、 country. 该句指出：从最基本的层面讲，一个国家设立海关的目的应该是管制进出该国的物品。因此D）控制进出口货物为答案。这里的regulate意为控制，管理。2. 由题干关键词favor domestic goods定位至第三段末句To tilt the balance in favor domestic business, governments impose tariffs, also called duty, on foreign goods coming into the country. 该句指出：为了向国内贸易倾斜，政府采取了对进口货物征收关税的政策。故A）为正确答案。这里的

36、tilt意为倾斜，倾倒。3. 由题干关键词do business more freely定位至第四段倒数第二句Certain countries may join together to work out mutually beneficial trade agreements, enabling business in those nations to trade more freely . 这句的主要意思是：有些国家联合起来制定互利贸易协定，这就使他们之间的贸易往来更为顺畅。因此答案为C）。4. 由题干关键词huge in volume定位至第六段第三句They cant check ev

37、ery bit of foreign cargo, of course, so agents pick certain boxes to inspect and certain shipments to scrutinize. 当然，他们不可能对每一件货物都进行检查，所以海关工作人员只选出某些集装箱或者某艘货轮进行仔细检查。由此可知答案为B）。5. 由题干关键词individual travelers和bring home定位至第七段第三句In the United States and many other countries, the customs agency grants each

38、traveler a nominal duty exemption to allow them to bring back a reasonable amount of goods without having to pay tariffs. 在美国和其他许多国家，海关准许个人旅游者携带符合规定数量的货物过关，并免除他们的关税。因此D）与文中表述相符。6. 由题干关键词many years of experience定位至第九段第四句Other customs agencies decide who to search based solely on intuition.而紧接下来的一句就是对

39、intuition的进一步说明:After many years on the job, a customs agent develops a keen eye for people who are up to no good. 多年的工作经验使海关工作人员仅凭直觉就可决定搜查对象。因此A）为正确答案。7. 由题干关键词plants and animals定位至第十一段第三、四句In most countries, the importation of fruitsis heavily regulated due to the fear of disease or ecological imb

40、alance. While it may seem strange that a piece of fruit is considered a threat to national security.大多数国家都严格控制肉类、水果和动植物的进口，因为它们可能携带病毒或破坏生态平衡，进而威胁国家安全。故答案为A）。8. 由题干关键词an enemy country定位至第十二段第二句If country A is considered to be a national enemy of country B, or has a record of violating international l

41、aw, country B (and other countries) might institute an embargo against that country. 如果甲国被乙国当作敌国，或者甲国有违反国际法的纪录，乙国或者其他国家可能对甲国实施禁运。题干中的imposed on是对句中institute的解释，故答案为an embargo。9. 由题干关键词cultural artifacts定位到倒数第三段, 再由help the artifacts going back定位至最后一句Customs agencies have helped to restore many price

42、less artifacts to their rightful owners. 海关已经帮助把许多无价的工艺品归还给了它们合法的主人。划线处即为答案。10. 由题干关键词ivory and dog or cat furs定位至倒数第二段第二句, 句首的For example显然说明本句是对前面一句的例证，那么这些货物被禁止的原因就应该是A countrys government might also ban importation of items based on ethics and morality. 一个国家的政府还可能根据伦理和道德原则禁止某些物品的进口。划线处即为答案。Passa

43、ge 2 New YorkFor most of us, the word vacation conjures up (想象，推想) images of lounging (躺) on a Caribbean beach or touring the picturesque terrain of some European country. An urban center (like New York City) bustling with（熙来攘往）people, traffic and skyscrapers might not immediately come to mind. Howe

44、ver, large cities often offer tourists an incredible variety of sights and activities. The City, as New York City is often referred to, is home to world-renowned museums and restaurants, exciting attractions, an array of entertainment and unbeatable shopping. If you are anything like the 29 million

45、American travelers that visit the Big Apple annually, your next vacation spot just may be New York City. As a travel destination, New York has something to offer almost every visitor. Though tourism has dropped since September 11, 2001, there are still lots of reasons to visit what many consider the

46、 greatest city in the world. City Overview New York City (NYC) is located on the Eastern Atlantic coast of the United States. It rests at the mouth of the Hudson River. The city is often referred to as a city of islands . Greater NYC is made up of five distinct areas called boroughs（纽约行政区）. These bo

47、roughs include Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx. The boroughs are separated from each other by various bodies of water and are connected by subways, bridges and tunnels. In terms of the geography of NYC, it is best to imagine the Greater New York area as a main center island

48、(Manhattan) surrounded by outer islands (the other boroughs): Queens is located just east of Manhattan; Brooklyn is situated to the southeast of Manhattan; Staten Island is located southwest of Manhattan and the Bronx is located north of Manhattan. Only Manhattan and Staten Island are on their own l

49、and masses. The Bronx is the only borough that is attached to the New York State mainland. When people refer to New York City, they are usually talking about Manhattan. Most of NYCs main attractions are located in this borough and the majority of visitors spend most of their vacation here. Manhattan

50、Manhattan is located between the Hudson River on the west side and the East River on the east side. The island is 22.7 square miles (58.8 square kilometers), 13.4 miles (21.6 kilometers) long and 2.3 miles (3.7 kilometers) wide at its widest point. Manhattan can be roughly divided into four quadrant

51、s（四分之一圆，扇形体）: the East Side, the West Side, Uptown and Downtown. The best way to understand how the geography of Manhattan is organized is in terms of the citys street layout. Whether walking or using public transportation, New York is a pretty simple city to navigate. This is because the city, for

52、the most part, is a grid of intersecting avenues and streets. A street map of Manhattan looks very much like a sheet of graph paper. The avenues run North and South, beginning with 1st Avenue on the East Side and spanning westward all the way to 12th Avenue. Streets run East and West, beginning with

53、 1st street downtown and going as far as 220th Street at the northern tip of uptown Manhattan. Locations north of 14th Street are generally considered Uptown and anything lying below 14th Street is considered Downtown. The East Side is separated from the West Side by Central Park (from 59th Street t

54、o 110th Street) and by Broadway, the street below 59th Street. Its important to remember that the distance between avenues is generally much larger than the distance between streets (roughly 3 times as long). So, walking east to west from 1st Avenue to 3rd Avenue, for example, will be roughly 3 time

55、s farther than walking south to north from 1st Street to 3rd Street. When in New York, it is common to hear people shout out addresses that sound like a list of numbers. For example, lets say you want to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Its located at 82nd Street and 5th Avenue. If you were to

56、hop in a taxi, you could simply say, 82nd and 5th and the driver would know exactly where to go. Thats because when New Yorkers give addresses, they most often just say the street number and then the avenue number. Do not reverse the order of the numbers, though. The first number is where your desti

57、nation is located and the second number is the nearest cross-street. When getting addresses in New York, it is always helpful to ask for the nearest cross-street. A Short History of the Big Apple No discussion about New York would be complete without asking why New York is referred to as the Big App

58、le. Like many things about New York, youll probably get a different answer depending on who you ask. According to the Museum of the City of New York , it is believed that in the 1920s, a sportswriter overheard stable (马房) hands in New Orleans refer to New York Citys racetracks (赛马场) as the Big Apple

59、. The phrase was most widely used by jazz musicians during the 1930s and 40s. They adopted the term to refer to New York City, and especially Harlem, as the jazz capital of the world. The Italian navigator Giovanni da Verrazano may have been the first European to explore the New York region in 1524.

60、 More than 80 years later, Englishman Henry Hudson sailed up the river that now bears his name. But it was Dutch settlements that truly started the city. In 1624, the town of New Amsterdam was established on lower Manhattan. Two years later, according to local legend, Dutchman Peter Minuit purchased

61、 the island of Manhattan from the local Native Americans for 60 guilders (about $24) worth of goods. Few people realize that New York was briefly the US capital from 1789 to 1790 and was the capital of New York State until 1797. By 1790, it was the largest US city. In 1825, the opening of the Erie C

62、anal, which linked New York with the Great Lakes, led to continued expansion. A charter was adopted in 1898 incorporating all five boroughs into Greater New York. New York has always been and remains a city of immigrants. Patterns of immigration are integral to the citys history and landscape. Immig

63、ration, mainly from Europe, swelled the citys population in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After World War II, many African-Americans from the South, Puerto Ricans, and Latin Americans migrated to the city as well. Because of the variety of immigrant groups, both historically and currently,

64、 New York is often referred to as a true melting pot. Attractions of the City Few New York sites are as awe-inspiring as Statue of Liberty . A century ago, Lady Liberty held up her torch to welcome immigrants to America. Today, you can climb 354-steps to look out from her crown to see both the New Y

65、ork and New Jersey coasts. New Yorkers call Times Square , the intersection of Broadway and 42nd Street the Crossroads of the World. It is the most recognized intersection on earth-millions of people see it on television every New Years Eve. Some people say its the best place in New York to people-watch. At night, the illuminated signs in Times Square make an amazing li