B
The trend in everyday conversation is to use grandiose（夸大的）words. “Outstanding” is new “good,” “amazing” is the new “OK”, and “huge” is the new “big.”
I was in a restaurant in Washington D.C. last weekend and every question I asked was answered with exaggeration.
Me: How is the salmon?
Sever: Fantastic!
Me: Does it come with rice?
Sever: Absolutely!
Would a “good” and a “yes” have been enough? Of course!
My father is an average-sized man. He hasn’t gained weight or height for the past 30 years. Therefore, his size remains the same. However, in the same amount of time, his T-shirt size has gone from small to medium to large to extra large.
The reason for the exaggerated word is clear: we are bored with our lives. We want the next –next thing now. Immediately!
And we also want others to think that we still care, that we can still be delighted, that we know that everything is just great. Even when deep inside we know it can’t be. Everything can’t be great.
I’m not a scientist, so many methods of proof leave little to be desired, or a lot to be desired, or an immensity（无限）.
Listen to the voices around you. Listen to your own voices. There is nothing on the radio that is good or bad , weather is either beautiful or horrible.
Listen, the next time when someone asks you something and you agree, because when you could simply say “yes”, instead you will say “absolutely ” or “without doubt” or “Oh, yeah, unquestionably—absolutely without doubt.”
Have people forgotten what it is like to be OK? Simply OK with what they have and who they are? If everything is outstanding, if everything is the most amazing thing ever, is anything ever amazing at all?
45．By telling his experience in the restaurant, the author intends to_______.
A．show his interest in exaggerated words
B．prove that exaggerated words are widely used
C．blame the restaurant for using exaggerated words
D．tell us the food in the restaurant is extremely good
46．What do we know about the author’s father?
A．He has gained height and is now a tall man.
B．He likes following the fashin in clothing.
C．His weight is getting greater and greater.
D．The size of his T-shirt is described in exaggerated words.
47．So many people like using exaggerated words because________.
A．they are not satisfied with being normal
B．they don’t want to be looked down upon by others
C．they want to be different from others
D．they are brave in telling their true feelings
48．According to the passage, if you approve of something, you’d better say “ ______ ”.
A．fantastic B．perfect C．OK D．Absolutely
E
Music died here last spring, or rather, it was killed by members of the school committee who ignored the importance of music and drama as part of the high-school curriculum.
The committee decided that teaching students 
how to take a standardized test is more important than a curriculum in which students can explore their interests in the arts as well as academics. Because the school system is running out of funding, it needs to make sure that students pass the mastery test or even more money will be lost. If students fail the state standardized test, it is not the fault of drama and music classes – they are failing because the academic classes are not sufficient.
It is painful to think of how many students will be discouraged from singing, acting, and playing instruments because school programs are no longer offered. Many families cannot afford private music lessons, and many potential musicians and artists may not find their calling if they are not exposed to it in school. The fact that the school committee thinks the arts are not worth the investment will certainly make some students believe the arts are not worth their time or support and the cycle will continue.
Teaching for a test does not shape students into complete, well- rounded people. It blocks the natural sense to create and express feelings through art – there is more to life than the analytical thinking that math and English provide. What happens after a test? Sure, a student might graduate, but they will have limited knowledge – certainly not a good preparation 
for the real world.
72. Music and drama are not included in the high- school curriculum mainly because ________.
A. the school committee pays no attention to them
B. the school is afraid of losing financial support
C. the students are not interested in both of them
D. the state standardized test is more important
73. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The sufficiency of the classes determines students’ performance in the mastery test
B. Quite a few students are discouraged from music and art in today’ s school system
C. Students can be musicians and artists only if they can afford private music lessons
D. The school committee completely influences students’ attitude towards the arts
74. We can learn that music and art can ______.
A. motivate students in creativity and expression
B. make students round-shaped people in future
C. provide students with analytical thinking
D. prevent students graduating from high school
75. The best title of the passage can be ______.
A. Who Killed Music and Drama? B. Can Curriculum Go Without Music?
C. Why is Music So Important? D. How To Prepare For th
e Real World?
D
In the computer age, most of us take a broadband Internet connection for granted. Whether cable or mobile broadband, today’s connections are many times faster than those in the early days. Videos play smoothly, complex websites load quickly, and files download much faster than ten years ago. And the files are much bigger too.
There’s a catch, of course: You have to live near enough to a major city to get broadband Internet. If you don’t, it’s slow dial-up access for you. And for those living really far out, there may be no Internet access at all.
Technology experts often talk about the “last mile” problem, which refers to the difficulty of bringing Internet access to remote locations. In cities and suburbs, it’s relatively easy to provide access for everyone. It is much more difficult to deliver access to those living far from cities, especially in developing countries. Internet service providers, for their part, have been reluctant to provide access to sparsely (稀疏地) populated areas. The handful of Internet users they would reach wouldn’t cover the expense.
But every year, technological advancements allow of more and more Internet users. Most broadband connections today run over existing cable TV and telephone lines although these technologies aren’t available everywhere.
Some companies have delivered the Internet over standard power lines. Advancements in cheaper, more efficient fiber optics cables (光纤电缆) promise to bring extremely fast Internet connections to more users.
Still, the “last mile” problem remains hard to deal with. There will always be somewhere that doesn’t have an affordable broadband connection. But someday that might not matter. If the rapid progress in cell phone technology is any indication (迹象), it may not be too long before an Internet connection simply follows you wherever you go.
68. The underlined part “a catch” (in Paragraph 2) probably means “_____”.
A. a rare challenge B. a desirable plan
C. an efficient device D. a hidden problem
69. What can we know from the third paragraph?
A. Internet connection has not been popular in most cities.
B. Internet service providers care about rural customers.
C. Computer is popular in developing countries.
D. It is hard to bring Internet access to users in remote areas.
70. Paragraph 4 mainly tells us that technological advancements _____.
A. make TV and telephone available everywhere
B. bring great change to people’s everyday life
C. make it possible for more people to use the Internet
D. bring faster Internet connections to users
71. What may eventually settle the “last mile” problem?
A. The broadband connection’s getting faster.
B. More and more Internet users.
C. more and more Internet connections.
D The rapid progress in cell phone technology.
C
Visit one of the most outstanding prehistoric sites in the United Kingdom, and enjoy amazing historic English attractions. Please notice that every tour starts and ends in London. Have a tour with Visiting Britain.
Stonehenge Direct Tour
Visit one of the most outstanding prehistoric sites in England and in the world: Stonehenge.
Duration: l day
Price: Adults￡29.99, Children￡28.99
Stonehenge and Bath Tour
Enjoy a late breakfast before heading to the Stonehenge site and end your day with an original visit of the Roman Baths.
Duration: l hours (departure l0:30 am return 8:30 pm).
Price: Adults￡64, Children￡60
Stonehenge, Bath and Windsor Castle Tour
Explore three of England’s most popular sites to visit: Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and the Roman Baths.
Duration: 1 day (return 8:30 pm)
Price: Adults￡64.80, Children￡61.20
Stonehenge, Lacock and Bath Tour
Come and feel the warmth of Bath, see the pleasant village of Lacock, and solve the mystery of Stonehenge.
Duration: l day (return 6 pm)
Price: Adults￡85, Children￡78
Stonehenge, Windsor and Oxford Tour
Choose Stonehenge, Windsor and Oxford Tour and enjoy ancient mysticism, royal history and illustrious knowledge.
Duration: l day
Price: Adults￡72, Chi
ldren￡68
Stonehenge, Bath and Stratford Tour
Take a tour to make the most of the English historic attractions: the Stonehenge site, Bath and Stratford, the birthplace of playwright William Shakespeare.
Duration: l day (return 8 pm)
Price: Adults ￡79, Children￡68
64. The purpose of the passage is to _____.
A. advertise some popular English attractions
B. recommend some different tours in England.
C. tell readers how to save money while traveling
D. persuade readers to join Visiting Britain
65. Two 15-year-old foreign students who want to visit Stonehenge and Oxford University will have to pay at least _____.
A. ￡136 B. ￡170 C. ￡l10 D. ￡126
66. When can you come back to London after visiting Stonehenge and the Roman Baths?
A. A
t 6 pm. B. At 7 pm. C. At 8 pm. D. At 8:30 pm.
67. If you plan to travel with your kid who is a fan of Shakespeare, you would choose _____.
A. Stonehenge Direct Tour
B. Stonehenge, Bath and Stratford Tou
C. Stonehenge, Windsor and Oxford Tour
D. Stonehenge, Bath and Windsor Castle Tour
B
BUNOL, Spain (AFP) — Tens of thousands of people from around the world threw tons of ripe tomatoes at each other in an annual food fight that painted the eastern Spanish town of Bunol red.
More than 40,000 people, including many visitors from Australia, Britain and the United States, took part in the food fight known as the “Tomatina”, now in its 64th year, a spokeswoman for Bunol’s town hall said.
They were provided with over 100 tons of tomatoes by the town council for the battle which lasted about one hour and left participants covered in red.
Many men were shirtless while others wore old clothes, hardhats, goggles or protective plastic sheets.
Shopkeepers put up huge plastic covers on their store fronts or boarded them up to protect their properties from the sea of red mush (糊状物).
After the battle, governmental workers and local residents used “giant hoses” to clear the walls and streets of the tomato pulp in just half an hour while the participants headed to a nearby river where temporary showers were set up.
The event cost the town of some l0,000 residents 40,000 dollars, Spanish media reported.
The “Tomatina” is held each year in Bunol, located in a fertile (富饶的) region about 40 kilometres north of the coastal city of Valencia, Spain’s third-largest city, on the last Wednesday in August.
The origins of the event are unclear although it is thought to have its roots in a food fight between childhood friends in the mid-1940s in the city.
It has grown in size as international press coverage brought more and more people to the festival.
60. To keep their stores safe, the shopkeepers _____.
A. kept their store fronts covered B. hung plastic sheets on the walls
C. closed all the doors and windows D. stopped people throwing at them
61. Which of the following words is closest in meaning to the underlined word “pulp” (in
Paragraph 6)?
A. skin. B. color. C. mush. D. value.
62. It can be inferred from the passage that _____.
A. the “Tomatina” brings in huge profits
B. the festival attracted more tourists this year
C. no one knows the history of the festival
D. tourism plays an important role in Bunol
63. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. It is fun to throw tomatoes B. An exciting story about tomatoes
C. Fighting and sightseeing in Bunol D. Spanish town painted red in tomato fight
第三部分 阅读理解（共20小题；每小题3分，满分60分）
阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A，B，C，D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Joyce Yuan and her host family
As I began to feel completely sick of the cold North American winter, spring break finally arrived! What made me even more excited was that we were going to Florida to enjoy the warm weather!
Just imagine wearing short sleeves or a swimsuit under the hot Florida sun!
Before the vocation started, we had a little episode at the airport. The alarm sounded when my host mom and I were walking through the security check. We were taken away to have further checks, but when they finally told us that we could go, we felt easy and amused. It was just because of the decorations on my pants and the tinfoil(锡纸) around my host mom’ chewing gum! －Just as a reminder, no overly fashionable pants or tinfoil on a plane!
Of course, I had a lot of first experiences during this special vacation. Since eight of us were living in a house, we had to share a room with my 4-year-old host sister. She is tiny compared to me, but she took up about two thirds of the bed. Moreover, because I was not used to sleeping in the same room with others, I was afraid of waking up and hardly slept at all.
Luckily, except for all that, everything went really well. My host family were really warm-hearted, and they wanted me to try everything new. With their “persuasion”, I was “forced” to go boating, which turned out to be really fun. We went through some canals and I saw manatees(海牛) and dolphins with my own eyes for the very first time!
When we finally landed in Wisconsin again, everyone looked brown and full of energy!
56. According to the passage, the reason why we were taken away to have further checks was that___________.
A. my pants and my host mom’s chewing gum
B. we carried some things that are not permitted
C. they considered us to be thieves
D. we had not passports with us
57.During the travel, the author experienced the following things for the first time EXCEPT_________.
A. sharing a room with a 4-year-old girl B. going boating
C. seeing manatees and dolphins with her own eyes D. taking a plane
58.According to the passage, how many people went to Florida for traveling with the author together?
A. Seven B. Eight C. We don’t know it D. Nine
59. From the passage, we can infer that the author felt the vacation was_____.
A. frightening B. amazing C. memorable D. challenging