第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题；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，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
（A）
According to the dictionary definition of “create”, ordinary people are creative every day．To create means “to bring into being, to cause to exist”— something each of us does daily．
We are creative whenever we look at or think about something in a new way．First this involves an awareness of our surroundings．It means using all of our senses to become aware of our world．This may be as simple as being aware of color and texture, as well as taste, when we plan a meal．Above all, it is the ability to notice things that others might miss．
A second part of creativity is an ability to see relationships among things．If we believe the expression, “There is nothing new under the sun,” the creativity is remaking or recombining the old in new ways．For example, we might do this by finding a more effective way to study or a better way to arrange our furniture, or we might make a new combination of camera lenses and filters to create an unusual photograph．
A third part of creativity is the courage and drive to make use of our new ideas, to apply them to achieve some new results．To think up a new concept is one thing; to put the idea to work is another．
These three parts of creativity are involved in all the great works of genius, but they are also involved in many of our day-to-day activities．
56．Which of the following activities is NOT a creative one according to the passage?
A．To prepare a meal． B．To arrange the furniture in a peculiar way．
C．To buy some books from a bookstore． D．To “write” a letter with the computer．
57．The author holds the opinion that ____．
A．creativity demands genius
B．creativity is connected with a deep insight （洞察力） to some extent
C．creativity is to create something new and concrete
D．to practise is the only way to cultivate one’s creativity
58．What does the author think about the relationship between a new thought and its being put into practice?
A．It’s more difficult to create a new thought than to apply it in practice．
B．To find a new thought will definitely lead to the production of a new thing．
C．One may come up with a new thought, but whether or not to put it into practice all depends．
D．A man with an excellent ability of practice can easily become an inventor．
59．The best title for this passage is ____．
A．How to Cultivate One’s Creativity B．What is Creativity?
C．The Importance of Creativity D．Creativity——a Faraway Thing
Forest guards in western India are using cell phones with ringtones（手机铃声）of cows mooing, goats bleating and roosters crowing to attract leopards （豹）that have wandered into human settlements, officials said on Monday.
The wild cats in the state of Gujarat often get into villages near forests in search of food, say officials, adding that this results in attacks on people. But rather than use methods such as live bait（活诱饵）like goats tied to trees to lure (引诱) the leopards, which then fall into large pits dug by guards, officials say they have found a safer method to trap the cats.
“The moos of a cow, and bleating of a goat from the phone have proved effective to trap leopards,” said D. Vasani, a senior forest official in Gujarat. “This trick works.” Vasani said forest guards have downloaded the sounds of over a dozen animals as ringtones on their mobiles which they attach to speakers and fix behind a cage. They then play the ringtone continuously for up to two hours until the curious leopard appears and moves into the cage looking for its easy meal.
At least five leopards have so far been lured from villages since the new ringtone method was introduced three months ago. The cats have all been released （释放）back into forest areas.
Wildlife activists welcomed the new initiative (新方案) saying that previous methods of trapping the cats using pits often resulted in the animals getting injured. What can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Cell Phones to Hunt Animals | B．Practical Uses of Cell Phones |
| C．Wildlife And New Technology | D．Phone Ringtones to Catch Leopards |
Forest guards in India try to catch leopards mainly because _______.
| A．leopards attack villagers | B．they want leopard fur |
| C．leopards attack animals | D．they have new ringtones |
According to the wildlife activists, the new method is _______.
| A．appreciated because it benefits leopards | B．not good because it may injure animals |
| C．effective because ringtones work | D．not safer than the former one |
We can learn from the passage except that _______.
| A．forest guards don’t mean to hurt the leopards |
| B．forest guards no longer use pits to trap leopards |
| C．forest guards used goats to attract leopards |
| D．recorded animal sound are used to lure leopards |
What will be needed to trap the leopards using the new method?
a. cell phones b. animals c. sounds of animals d. cages e. large pits
| A．abcd | B．bce | C．ade | D．acd |
World top-ranked badminton player Lin Dan said last Friday that he was a better player than Taufik Hidayat in the year of 2006 despite losing the Asian Games single title to the Indonesian Olympic champion.
“I have ranked No.1 in the world for two straight years and I think people can easily come to a conclusion on who is a better player for the whole year,” said Lin Dan, also known as Super Dan in the badminton world because of his marvelous performance in the sport.
Hidayat beat Lin 21-15, 22-20 to give Indonesia its second gold medal in Doha on December 9, retaining his Asian Games singles title and avenging(报仇) two losses to the badminton world champion.
Lin, 23, led China to the men’s team title after defeating Hidayat twice in three days, in the preliminary round and in the semifinals of the Asian Games.
In their third meeting, Lin came up against a better-prepared Hidayat than he had encountered previously.
Hidayat was cheered on by the noisy support from dancing and flag-waving Indonesian fans, who had converted the badminton arena into a national celebration even before the two players stepped onto the court.
There’s been a lot of acrimony(言语的刻毒) between Hidayat and Lin, who this year won the single title in the world championships after former champion Hidayat crashed out in the quarterfinals.
In Doha, Hidayat was quoted as calling Lin “arrogant” before the event began, but the two stars played down the rift (a situation where two people dislike each other).
“It’s no problem, we’re close friends,” said Hidayat. “The media fabricated it.”
Lin said last Friday in Beijing that he and Hidayat remain friends despite all the rumors（谣言）.
“There is no problem between Taufik and me although we don’t talk to each other very much,” said Lin. “Media tends to make up things in order to make their stories juicy.”What does the underlined word “fabricated” mean?
| A．made up | B．reported | C．discovered | D．found out |
What is the relationship between the two players like?
| A．They are only opponents. |
| B．Lin looks down upon Hidayat. |
| C．They both think they are friends. |
| D．The media has worsened the relationship between them. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．Lin beat Hidayat in all the games of 2006. |
| B．Lin won the single title in the world championships in 2006. |
| C．Indonesian fans held a national celebration after the two players stepped onto the court. |
| D．Hidayat beat Lin 21-15, 22-20 to give Indonesia its first gold medal in Doha on the ninth of December |
This passage implies that ________.
| A．Hidayat was in a better prepared condition than Lin in the Asian Games |
| B．Lin helped to win the men’s team title in the Asian Games of 2006 |
| C．Both of them are the best badminton players in the world |
| D．Media tends to make up rumors |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．Opponents Become Good Friends |
| B．True Friendship |
| C．World Top-ranked Badminton Players |
| D．Who Is a Better Player? |
Philip was a nine-year-old boy in a Sunday school class of 8-year-old girls and boys. Sometimes the third graders didn’t welcome Philip into their group and usually tricked him. This was not because he was older, but because he was “different”. You see, Philip suffered from a condition called Downs’s Syndrome. This made him “different”, with his facial characteristics, slow responses and mental problems.
One Sunday after Easter, the Sunday school teacher gathered some plastic eggs that pulled apart in the middle. The teacher gave one to each child. On that beautiful spring day, the children were to go out and discover for themselves some symbol of “new life” and place it inside the plastic eggs.
After the children returned to the classroom, the teacher opened their eggs one by one, asking each child to explain that symbol of “new life”. The first opened egg contained a flower. Everyone cheered. In another was a butterfly…. When the teacher opened the last egg, it was empty. “That’s stupid,” said someone. The teacher felt a pull at his shirt. It was Philip. Looking up, Philip said, “It’s mine. I did it. It’s empty. I have new life, because the tomb is empty.” Not a sound was heard in class at all. From that day on, Philip became a real part of the group. They welcomed him, and whatever made him different was never mentioned again.
Philip’s family knew he wouldn’t live a long life, for there were too many things wrong with him.The underlined word “condition” in the first paragraph probably means ________.
| A．grade | B．status | C．health | D．disease |
It can be inferred from the first paragraph that ________.
| A．The 8-year-olds were sometimes cruel |
| B．The 8-year-olds were friendly to Philip |
| C．Philip was really different in school |
| D．Philip was older and more sensitive |
The teacher gave each child one plastic egg to let them ________.
| A．play around on that beautiful spring day |
| B．put some symbol of “new life” into it |
| C．try to pull it apart in the middle |
| D．go out and discover themselves |
After Philip explained his new life, ________.
| A．The class thought he was clever. | B．The class fell silent. |
| C．He began to study in the class. | D．He felt dying. |
We learn from the passage that ________.
| A．The teacher used to have classes outdoors |
| B．The Philip’s new life wish was empty |
| C．Philip was healthy as a whole |
| D．Philip was accepted by his classmates in the end |
It was unusually quiet in the emergency room on December 25.
I was nurse on duty that day. I didn’t think there would be any patients, sighing about having to work on Christmas. Just then five bodies showed up at my desk, a pale woman and four small children.
“Are you all sick?” I asked suspiciously.
“Yes,” she said weakly and lowered her head.
But when it came to descriptions of their presenting problems, things got a little vague. Two of the children had headaches, but the headaches weren’t accompanied by the normal body language of holding the head or trying to keep it still. Two children had earaches, but only one could tell me which ear was affected. The mother complained of a cough but seemed to work to produce it.
Something was wrong, but I didn’t say anything but explained that it might be a little while before a doctor saw her. She responded, “Take your time; it’s warm here.”
On a hunch (出于直觉), I checked the chart after the admitting clerk had finished registering the family. No address---they were homeless. The waiting room was warm.
I looked out at the family huddled by the Christmas tree. The little one was pointing at the television and exclaiming something to her mother. The oldest one was looking at an ornament on the Christmas tree.
I went back to the nurses’ station and mentioned we had a homeless family in the waiting room. The nurses, grumbling about working Christmas, turned to compassion for a family just trying to get warm on Christmas. The team went into action, much as we do when there’s a medical emergency. But this one was a Christmas emergency.
We were all offered a free meal in the hospital cafeteria on Christmas Day, so we claimed that meal and prepared a banquet for our Christmas guests. We needed presents. We put together oranges and apples in a basket. We collected from different departments candies, crayons and other things available that could be presents. As seriously as we met the physical needs of the patients that came to us that day, our team worked to meet the needs, and exceed the expectations, of a family who just wanted to be warm on Christmas Day.
Later, as the family walked to the door to leave, the four year old came running back, gave me a hug and whispered, “Thanks for being our angels today.”Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?
| A．Working Christmas Day | B．Christmas Day is Coming |
| C．A Happy Family | D．A Pale Woman and Four Small Children |
What kind of person do you think the author is?
| A．Hardworking and outgoing | B．Serious and careful |
| C．Hardworking and warmhearted | D．Serious and stubborn |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Something was wrong with one of the children’s heads. |
| B．The pale woman forgot to write the address. |
| C．The author did not understand the truth. |
| D．The children’s mother told a lie. |
It can be inferred from the text that______.
| A．The author didn’t think there would be any patients on Christmas Day |
| B．The woman was uncomfortable when she lowered her head |
| C．The family appeared in the emergency room on Christmas Eve |
| D．The woman and four small children were satisfied and grateful |
British Summer Time runs from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. In the depths of winter the nights in the UK are anything from 15-19 hours long. Longer nights mean frost and fog are more likely to form.
Twice a year the clocks change, forward in the spring and then back again in the autumn. But why? It happens twice a year. We all change our clocks and watches by one hour. In the spring, we add an hour, and go onto what is called British Summer Time, while in the autumn, we do the reverse, and return to Greenwich Mean Time.
Why bother?
It’s all to do with saving the hours of daylight, and was started by a guy called William Willett, a London builder, who lived in Petts Wood in Kent. Basically, he figured that you could improve the population’s health and happiness by putting forward the clocks by twenty minutes every Sunday in April and do the opposite in September.
Economics
His idea was not taken up, even though a “Daylight Saving Bill” was introduced some five years before the outbreak of World War One. But once the war started, it was considered wise to economics, to promote greater efficiency in using daylight hours, and in the use of artificial lighting. And so in 1916, “Daylight Saving Time” was introduced. Even though most countries abandoned this after that war, some eventually decided that it was a good idea, and most of these nations began to keep it throughout the year.
Experiment
Since 1972, Britain has decided to go with Greenwich Mean Time in winter, and British Summer Time in Summer.
But back in 1968, Britain tried a four-year experiment by advancing time one hour ahead of GMT throughout the year.
But those living further north, particularly in Scotland, found it most unsatisfactory, with dark mornings for much of the year, and the experiment was dropped.
But the arguments go on …and on.Why some countries decide to change the clocks after World War One?
| A．To improve the people’s health and happiness. |
| B．To do a certain experiment |
| C．To save energy to develop economies. |
| D．All of the above. |
What can you infer from the passage?
| A．The idea of changing the clocks suffered disagreement. |
| B．The people in Scotland don’t change the clocks. |
| C．The idea was first thought of by an educator. |
| D．It’s unnecessary to change the clocks. |
What is the real meaning of the last sentence of the passage?
| A．Nobody in the UK likes the idea. |
| B．All things need arguments. |
| C．The British are fond of arguments. |
| D．Different views of the idea still exist. |