第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，共40分）
第一节（共15题, 每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A,B,C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
A
Most people know that a wedding ring is symbolic of the bond of love and commitment between two people．But not everyone knows about the history behind this small yet powerful symbol．The history of the wedding ring goes back not just hundreds but thousands of years．No other currently practiced wedding tradition has been around as long．
The Egyptians were the first recorded civilization to use the wedding ring．In Egyptian hieroglyphics（象形文字） a circle represented eternity．Once a woman accepted the ring she became the “property” of the person who gave it to her and she was in a sense “his．” The first wedding ring could have been made of braided grass or hay （which would have been changed often）, ivory, bone, or leather．Eventually, metal was used, but the first wedding bands were crude（未加工的） and rough．However, the sentiment remained the same-eternal commitment and love．
The Egyptians wore the wedding ring on the left hand because it was believed that a vein in the left hand went straight to the heart．This tradition is still commonly practiced today in most parts of the world largely for practical purposes （most people are right handed．） It is worn on the fourth finger of the left hand．But there are some countries and groups which do not follow this tradition．In the Jewish faith, the wedding ring is put on the index finger．Roman Catholics traditionally wore their wedding band on the 
right hand, and in many countries and regions in Europe some people still follow this tradition．
It is interesting to note that in the long history of the wedding ring that it is only in the last century that men have begun to wear them．However, now both men and women show their love and commitment by exchanging rings on their wedding day．
Once you begin shopping for rings you may be amazed by the choices that await you．There are several different types of metals: traditional gold, white gold, platinum, and titanium．You can have an inscription put on the inside of the band if you like．Some people are even choosing a tattoo band．The styles vary from a simple, yet elegant band to an elaborate ring covered with jewels．If you do not buy the wedding and engagement rings as a set you will want to be sure the styles are compatible．Choose carefully because this choice will need to stand the test of eternity．
56．What’s the best title for this passage?
A．History of rings B．Interesting facts about rings
C．Different beliefs about rings D．The meaning of the rings．
57．What may the word “eternity” in paragraph 2 probably mean?
A．Elegance B．Marriage C．Wedding D．Foreverness
58．Which is NOT true according to the passage?
A．The meaning of the rings remained unchanged．
B．One should be careful of choosing a ring in a shop from different kinds．
C．Jewish are so faithful to their beliefs to wear rings on the fourth finger．
D．Now most people in the world still follow Roman Catholics traditionally．
59．What can we infer from the passage?
A．Men were looked upon by women for thousands years．
B．Only women have the right to make themselves beautiful．
C．women wore rings thousands of years earlier than men．
D
．You can have an inscription put on the inside the band．
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Facing the threat of the Internet, the traditional newspaper is thinking about what it can do to meet the challenge. To make teens get into the habit of reading, the French government is considering what kind of efforts it should pursue. It seems that the two questions have nothing to do with each other, but a recent announcement made by French President Nicolas Sarkozy has connected these two issues together. The announcement gives an answer to both of them.
. President Nicolas Sarkozy announced a rescue plan for France' s ailing print media, including measures to save printing and distribution costs. The plan also gives French teenagers a surprise as their 18-year-old birthday gift: France will offer all 18-year-olds a free daily copy of the newspaper of their choice.
"The habit of reading the press should start at a very young age," Sarkozy said, presenting the conclusion after talking to a group of journalists and officials in Paris. The President said the newspapers themselves would provide free copies for 18-year-olds, while the state would cover the cost of delivering them to many thousands of homes.
The plan is an attempt to introduce teenagers, who frequently only get their news online, to the delights of the printed world. A similar idea has been tested by L'Ouest-France (法兰西部报) over the past few years. It offered some 18 to 24-year-olds a free paper once a week for a year. L' Ouest-France reported that 15% of young people wanted to continue with a paid subscription after the year was over.
People in France welcomed the plan which should get more kids interested in current affairs and make reading be a pastime, as well as rescue the newspaper industry.
63. What does the underlined word " ailing" (in Paragraph 2) probably mean?
A. newly establishedB. in difficult situations
C. most popular D. warm-hearted
64. It can be inferred from the passage that .
A. the government will pay for the delivery of newspapers to 18 -year-olds
B. the government will buy newspapers for 18-year-olds for one day
C. some of the government officials are against the plan
D. President Nicolas Sarkozy would like to help the government
65. What is people' s reaction to the plan in France?
A, They think it a waste of money.
B. They will buy newspapers themselves for 18-year-olds.
C. They think highly of it and support it:.
D. They are worried the young will leave the Internet.
66. Which of the following can serve as the best for the passage?
A. A surprising plan from the President
B. Help rescue the newspaper industry
C. Form the reading habit for the young
D. Free newspapers fly to teens
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I am a good mother to three children. I have tried never to let my profession stand in the way of being a good parent.
I no longer consider myself the center of the universe. I show up. I listen. I try to laugh. I am a good friend to my husband. I have tried to make marriage vows mean what they say. I am a good friend to my friends, and they to me. Without them, there would be nothing to say to you today.
So here’s what I wanted to tell you today: Get a life. A real life, not a desire of the next promotion, the bigger pay-check….
Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who love you. And remember that love is not leisure, it is work. Pick up the phone. Send an e-mail. Write a letter. And realize that life is the best thing and that you have no business taking it for granted.
It is so easy to waste our lives, our days, our hours, and our minutes. It is so easy to exist instead of to live. I learned to live many years ago. Something really, really bad happened to me, something that changed my life in ways that, if I had my choice, it would never have been changed at all. And what I learned from it is what , today, seems to be the hardest lesson of all.
I learned to love the journey, not the destination. I learned to look at all the good in the world and try to give some of it back because I believed in it, completely and totally. And I tried to do that, in part, by telling others what I had learned.
By telling them this: Read in the backyard with the sun on your face. Learn to be happy. And think of life as a deadly illness, because if you do, you will live it with joy and passion as it ought to be lived.
59. It can be inferred from the passage that_____.
A. the author is a success in personal life
B. the author didn’t try her best to work well
C. the author spent all her time caring for her children
D. the author likes traveling very much
60. How did the author form her view of life?
A. Through social experience. B. By learning from her friends.
C. Through an unfortunate experience D. From her children and husband.
61. By the underlined sentence “ It is so easy to exist instead of to live” in the fifth paragraph, the author really means that people tend to_____.
A. make a living rather than live a real life
B. work rather than enjoy life
C. waste a lot in life
D. forget the most important lessons in life
62. What’s the author’s attitude towards work?
A. Do it well to serve others.
B. Earn enough money to make life better.
C. Try your best to get higher position and pay.
D. Don’t let it affect your real life.
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第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题，每题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
Australian scientists are trying to give kangaroo-style stomachs to cattle and sheep in a bid
to cut the emission of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.Thanks to special bacteria in their stomachs, kangaroo farts contain no methane（甲烷）and scientists want to transfer that bacteria to cattle and sheep who emit large quantities of the harmful gas.While the usual image of greenhouse gas pollution is a billowing smokestack pushing out carbon dioxide, livestock passing wind contribute a surprisingly high percentage of total emissions in some countries."Fourteen percent of emissions from all sources in Australia is from enteric methane from cattle and sheep," said Athol Klieve, a senior research scientist with the Queensland state government."And if you look at another country such as New Zealand, which has got a much higher agricultural base, they're actually up around 50 percent," he said.Researchers say the bacteria also makes the digestive process much more efficient and could potentially save millions of dollars in feed costs for farmers.But it will take researchers at least three years to isolate the bacteria, before they can even start to develop a way of transferring it to cattle and sheep.Another group of scientists, meanwhile, has suggested Australians should farm fewer cattle and sheep and just eat more kangaroos.The idea is controversial（争议）, but about 20 percent of health conscious Australians are believed to eat the national symbol already."It's low in fat, it's got high protein levels and it's very clean in the sense that basically it's the ultimate free range animal（散养动物）," said Peter Ampt of the University of New South Wales's institute of environmental studies.
56. According to the passage, global warming is now mainly caused by _____ .
A. methane B. carbon dioxide C. livestock passing wind D. not mention in this passage
57. What does the underlined phrase “the idea”（paragraph 9）refer to?A. Australians should give kangaroo-style stomachs to cattle and sheep.B. The bacteria could make the digestive process much more efficient.C. Australians should farm fewer cattle and sheep and just eat more kangaroos.D. The bacteria could potentially save millions of dollars in feed costs for farmers.
58. How will Australian scientists solve the problem of global warming?
A. Eating more kangaroos.
B. Killing more cattle and sheep.C. Letting cattle and sheep pass less wind.D. Transferring the special bacteria in kangaroos’ stomachs to cattle and sheep.
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57. What is the best way to save money?
A. Four adults book one day tour.
B. Three adults book on the same tour.
C. Four adults book two day tours.
D. Three adults book at least two day tours.
58. According to the passage, The John Muir Trust is probably a group which .
A. helps you save money B. is ready to save tourists from danger
C. helps you make a tour plan D. works on environmental protection
59. Which of the following is NOT the characteristic of the tour of Scotland?
A. No insurance. B. Small group.
C. Sustainable tourism. D. Local guide.
60. In which part of a newspaper will you most possibly see this advertisement?
A. Editorial & Opinion B. Fashion & Style
C. Business Today D. Leisure Time
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Across the world, 1.1 billion people have no access to clean drinking water. More than 2.5 billion people lack basic sanitation (卫生设备).
The combination proves deadly. Each year, diseases related to inadequate (不充足的) water and sanitation kill between 2 and 5 million people and cause an estimated 80 percent of all sicknesses in the developing world. Safe drinking water is a precondition (前提) for health and the fight against child death rate, inequality between men and women, and poverty.
Consider these facts:
The average distance that women in Africa and Asia walk to collect water is 6 kilometers.
Only 58 percent of children in sub-Saharan Africa are drinking safe water, and only 37 percent of children in South Asia have access to even a basic toilet.
Each year in India alone, 73 million working days are lost to water-born diseases.
Here are three ways you can help:
(1) Write Congress
Current US foreign aid for drinking water and sanitation budgets only one dollar per year per American citizen. Few members of Congress have ever received a letter from voters about clean drinking water abroad.
(2) Donate to a project with a faith-based organizations
Many US religious groups already donate to water and sanitation projects, working with partner organizations abroad. Simply a single project by a US organization can make safe water a reality for thousands of people.
(3) Support nonprofit water organizations
Many US-based nonprofits work skillfully abroad in community-led projects on drinking water and sanitation. Some organizations are large, others small, some operate worldwide, others are devoted to certain areas in Africa, Asia, or Latin America. Support them generously.
53. The passage is probably written for .
A. Americans B. people in developing countries
C. religious leaders D. nonprofit water organizations
54. What is the problem that the facts exposed?
A. Inequality between men and women.
B. Many people have no access to clean drinking water.
C. Less effort has been made to improve the basic sanitation.
D. Children suffer most from the lack of basic sanitation.
55. The purpose of the passage is to arouse people to .
A. help the developing countries
B. help solve the water shortage and sanitation problem
C. support nonprofit water organizations
D. help get rid of water-related diseases around the world
56. Which is the best title of the passage?
A. From Water Shortage and Sanitation to Poverty
B. Developing World, A Place Needs Help
C. Water Shortage and Sanitation, What Can We Do?
D. Water Shortage and Sanitation