四、阅读:
ARobert Spring, a 19th century forger (伪造者), was so good at his profession that hs was able to make his living for 15 years by selling false signatures of famous Americans. Spring was born in England in 1838 and arrived in Philadelphia in 1858 to open a bookstore. At first he prospered(繁荣)by selling his small but genuine collection of early US autographs (亲笔签名). Discovering his ability at copying handwriting he began imitating the signatures of George Washington and Benjimin Franklin and writing them on the title pages of old books. To lessen the chance of detection (被发现). He sent his forgeries to England and Canada for sale, Forgers have a hard time selling products. A forger cannot approach a respectable buyer but must deal with people who don’t have much knowledge in the field. Forgers have many ways of making their works look real. For example, they buy old books and use the aged paper of the title page, and they can treat paper and ink with chemicals
In Spring’s time, right after the Civil War, Britain was still fond of the southern states, so Spring invented a respectable young lady known as Miss Fanny Jackson, the only daughter of General “Stonewall” Jackson. For several years Miss Fanny’s financial problems forced her to sell a great number of letters and manuscripts (手稿) belonging to her famous father. Spring had to work very hard to satisfy the demand. However, all this activity did not prevent Spring from dying in poverty, leaving sharp-eyed experts the difficult task of separating his forgeries from the originals.
56. Robert Spring spent 15 years ________.
A. running a bookstore in Philadelphia B. as owners of old books
C. selling real signatures of famous Americans D. as a forger
57. Why did Spring sell his false autographs in England and Canada?
A. There was less chance that his forgeries would be discovered there.
B. The prices were much higher in England and Canada.
C. There was a greater demand there than in America
D. Britan was Spring’s birthplace.
58. After the Civil War there was a great demand in Britain for ________
A. Civil War battle plans B. southern manuscripts and letters
C. the signatures of George Washington and Ben Franklin D. southern money
59. Which of the following about Miss Fanny Jackson is TRUE?
A. She was Robert Spring’s customer.
B. She was an imaginary person created by Spring.
C. She was a little-known girl who sold her father’s papers to make money.
D. She was the only daughter of General Stonewall Jackson.
Was Princess Diana murdered? The verdict(判决)is no according to an inquiry(调查)held into the cause of her death over the last six months.
The big question was whether the deaths of Diana and her boyfriend Dodi A1 Fayed in a deadly car crash in 1997 had been accidental, or whether there was some kind of conspiracy(阴谋)to have them killed.
Dodi’s father Mohamed A1 Fayed, owner of London’s world-famous department store Harrods, has insisted for the last decade that the pair were murdered by spies of the British state who did not want them to marry. But his theories now look to have been blown out of the water. The court found that Princess Diana and her boyfriend were not murdered but killed due to the “gross, carelessness” of her driver and the paparazzi(偷拍的摄影记者). Her driver was drunk at the time of the crash and the paparazzi had been running after their car.
So is this the end of the Diana story? British taxpayers may hope so. The inquiry has cost them about £10m(140m RMB). “Thank God it’s over”, was the headline in The Guardian newspaper. UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said it was time to “draw a line” under the death of the Princess. But Mohamed AI Fayed has refused to accept the judgment. He says the result will come as a “blow” to millions of his supporters around the world, and has not ruled out starting another investigation.
Whatever happens, next, the special place Princess Diana has in the hearts of people around the world is not likely to be forgotten.
1. According to the text, the inquiry focuses on _______.
A. what caused the deaths of Diana and her boyfriend B. who were the paparazzi
C. how much British taxpayers paid for the case D. whether the driver was drunk then.
2. By saying the underlined “his theories now look to have been blown out of the water”, the author means that ________.
A. Mohamed lacks confidence in the case B. Mohamed feels disappointed at the result
C. Mohamed’s idea seems to be believable D. Mohamed’s idea possibly proves to be wrong
3. Similar to The Guardian newspaper, UK Prime Minister ________.
A. felt sorry for the deadly car crash B. questioned the purpose of Dodi’s father
C. stood for the court’s judgment D. blamed the paparazzi for their bad behavior
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。
For years I wanted a flower garden. I’d spend hours thinking of different things I could plant that would look nice together.
But then we had Matthew. And Marvin. And the twins, Alisa and Alan. And then Helen. Five children. I was too busy raising them to grow a garden.
Money was tight, as well as time. Often when my children were little, one of them would want something that cost too much, and I'd have to say, "Do you see a money tree outside? Money doesn't grow on trees, you know."
Finally, all five got through high school and college and were off on their own. I started thinking again about having a garden.
I wasn't sure, though. I mean, gardens do cost money, and after all these years I was used to living on a pretty lean, no-frills budget.
Then, one spring morning, on Mother's Day, I was working in my kitchen. Suddenly, I realized that cars were tooting their horns as they drove by. I looked out the window and there was a new tree, planted right in my yard. I thought it must be a weeping willow, because I saw things blowing around on all its branches. Then I put my glasses on - and I couldn't believe what I saw. There was a money tree in my yard!
I went outside to look. It was true! There were dollar bills, one hundred of them, taped all over that tree. Think of all the garden flowers I could buy with one hundred dollars! There was also a note attached: "IOU eight hours of digging time. Love, Marvin."
Marvin kept his promise, too. He dug up a nice ten-by-fifteen foot bed for me. And my other children bought me tools, ornaments, a trellis (棚架), a sunflower stepping stone and gardening books.
That was three years ago. My garden's now very pretty, just like I wanted. When I go out and weed or tend my flowers, I don't seem to miss my children as much as I once did. It feels like they're right there with me.
I live up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where winters are long and cold, and summers are too short. But every year now, when winter sets in, I look out my window and think of the flowers I'll see next spring in my little garden. I think about what my children did for me, and I get tears in my eyes - every time.
I'm still not sure that money grows on trees. But I know love does!(430 words)
1. By saying “Do you see a money tree outside .….,” the mother actually means “________”
A.Observation is the best teacher.B.Seeing is believing.
C.The outsider sees the most of the game. D.It is not easy to gain money
2. The best title for the passage would probably be_______.
A.My flower garden B.Marvin helps to realize my dream
C.Love in Michigan D.Money grows on trees
3. The underlined word “no - frills” in the fifth paragraphs is similar in meaning to_______.
A.wasteful B.tight C.absurd D.helpful
4. From the last but the third paragraph we can infer that the mother is_______
A.divorced when she was young B.not caring for her kids any longer
C.alone but not at all lonely D.prouder with her garden than with her kids.
A new study warns that about thirty percent of the world’S people may not have enough water by the year 2025.
A private American organization called Population Action International did the new study.It says more than 335 million people lack enough water now.The people live in 28 countries.Most of the countries are in Africa or the Middle East.
P—A—I researcher Robert Engelman says by the year 2025,about 3,000 million people may lack water.At least 18 more countries are expected to have severe water problems.The
demand for water keeps increasing.Yet the amount of water on Earth stays the same.
Mr.Engelman says the population in countries that lack water is growing faster than ini other parts of the world.He says population growth in these countries will continue to increase.
The report says lack of water in the future may result in several problems.It may increase health problems.Lack of water often means drinking waters not safe.Mr.Engelman says there are problems all over the world because of diseases,such as cholera。
which are carried in water.Lack of water may also result in more international conflict.Countries may have to compete for water in the future.Some countries now get sixty percent of their fresh water from other countries.This is true of Egypt,the Netherlands,Cambodia,Syria,Sudan,and Iraq.And the report says lack of water would affect the ability of developing to improve their economies.This is because new industries often need a large amount of water when they are beginning.
The Population Action International study gives several solutions to the water problem.One way,it says,is to find ways to use water for more than one purpose.Another way is to teach people to be careful not to waste water.A third way is to use less water of agriculture.
The report also says long--term solutions to the water problem must include controls on population growth.It says countries cannot provide clean water unless they slow population growth by limiting the number of children people have.
1.The first four paragraphs mainly tell us__________
A.the fact of the global lack of water
B.the importance of water resources
C.the seriousness of water shortage
D.the study of the global water condition
2.Which of the following problems is NOT true according to the passage?
A.It may bring about a lot of health problems.
B.It may result in more international conflict.
C.It may lead to the improvement of new industries.
D.It may influence the development of the economies.
3.Which of the following is the way to solve water problem in the long run?
A.To use water in a variety of ways
B.To become aware of the water problem
C.To reduce the use of agricultural water。
D.To limit the rising birthrate of the earth
4.Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
A.①②③→④⑤→⑥⑦
B.①②③④→⑤→⑥⑦
C.①②③④→⑤⑥→⑦
D.①②③→④→⑤→⑥⑦
This is the VOA Special English News Report.
Single--handed(独自的)
Zhou Yang,18,China
Against three strong Republic of Korea competitors,Zhou single—handed took the l,500一meter short speed skating gold to become China’s youngest winter Olympics gold medalisi.According to Coach Li Yan,Zhou,who is usually a gentle girl,took some risks and skated fiercely to take the gold.This is the third gold the Chinese have won at the Vancouver Olympics.
Unobtrusive(不显眼的)
Liu Xiang,26,China
The Olympic gold medalist said on Friday that he’s not the same old him,after setting his worst record in years——8.08 seconds for 60一meter hurdles.Liu said he still had some way to go before he’s back to his best.Many fans have been expecting his taking--off in the 2010 Doha,but Liu said uno
btrusively“Robles is still the best in the 60一meter and 1l0—meter hurdles.
I’m no match now”.He added the performances of Terrence Trammell(US)and Robles would be the highlight of the Doha meet.
Coveted(令人垂涎的)
Michael Jackson,1958—2009,US
Thanks to a whopping(庞大的) $350,000 bid,Michael Jackson’s rhinestone—encrusted(镶满人造钻石的) glove has gone to a Macao company.Jackson wore the sparking glove when he did his first“moonwalk” dance in 1983,so it was a really coveted piece of equipment.The pre—auction estimate put its value at $40,000~60,000,but that wasn’t even close . The glove and nine other items from the auction will be on display in a Macao hotel.
1.From the first news we can learn that Zhou Yang __________
A. likes taking chances in the competitions
B.won three gold medaIs at the olympics.
C.is not a gentle but a fierce girl
D.is a hard--working and strong--minded girl
2.From the above news,we can infer Liu Xiang__________
A.is not popular with his fans any longer
B.is still out of condition at present
C.is feeling discouraged and depressed
D. is sure of the highlight of the Doha meet
3.The underlined part“but that wash’t even close”probably means __________
A.the pre--auction estimate may be totally wrong
B.the actual price may be far higher than the estimate
C.the glove is not worth the pre--auction estimate
D.the pre—auction estimate is probably correct
4.Where can we probably learn the passage?
A.Broadcast B. Announcement C.Advertisement D.Newspaper
One of the most unknown youth culture in the United States is that of high school and college runners.Not everyone who has ever been on their school’s track team is part of this culture.To be a part of this culture you need to do a lot Of running,knowing how it feels to race to exhaustion(筋疲力尽),see no reason why any weather should keep you from running,and be a little crazy.
I,myseIf,am part of this culture.I ran cross-country,which is running outside over uneven ground,for my high schoo1.I joined this culture when 1 was in ninth grade. As soon as 1 was on the team it didn’t take very long for me to become very involved and have fun running. As a freshman 1 wasn’t that fast but 1 was giving the effort.It was the effort that makes me part of the running culture.
There are a few things that set the youth culture of runners apart from the overall running culture.One of the many differences is that teen runners usually run in large groups,with a lot of conversation and fooling around.Young runners play games and talk to their friends when they run.While adults may run with a friend and have a conversation,you will rarely see twenty of them running through the woods yelling back and forth at each other.Young runners also make up a lot of games.My friends and 1 would throw balls while running and invented a game we called Shockey,which was pretty much soccer on lce.
Most of youth runners run for competition and not for fitness.Young runners want to run in races not to just lose weight like many adults.This means they run a lot faster and tougher generally.To lose weight you can just jog easily but to race you have to really push yourself and run to exhaustion.It’s a completely different style of running and that is what builds this culture .
1.The passage is mainly about __________.
A.the differerices between youth culture and adult culture
B.the youth running culture in American schools
C.youth culture which is mysterious to school students
D.how to become part of the culture of school runners
2.Which of the following are the differences between young runners and adult runners?
(1)Adults don’t run long distance.
(2)Adults don’t play games while running.
(3)Adults don’t push themselves to the 1imit
(4)Adults don’t run in 1arge groups.
A.(1)(2)(3) B.(1)(2)(4) C.(2)(3)(4) D. (1) (3)(4)
3.We can infer from the passage that__________.
A.the writer is strong--willed
B.running is exhausting and boring
C.adult running is not as good as youth running
D.adults are not as competitive as youths
4.The writer wrote the passage to __________.
A.criticize adult running
B.advertise his school track team
C.introduce something unknown to his readers
D.tell his readers to get involved in running