Most musicians agree that the best violins were first made in Italy．They were made in Cremona, Italy, about 200 years ago．These violins sound better than any others．They even sound better than violins made today．Violin makers and scientists try to make instruments like the old Italian violins．But they aren’t the same．Musicians still prefer the old ones．No one really knows why these old Italian violins are so special, but many people think they have an answer．
Some people think it is the age of the violins．They say that today’s violins will also sound wonderful someday．But there is a problem here．Not all old violins sound wonderful．Only those from Cremona are special．So age cannot be the answer．There must be something different about Cremona or those Italian violin makers．
Other people think the secret to those violins is the wood．The wood of the violin is very important．It must be from certain kinds of trees．It must not be too young or too old．Perhaps the violin makers of Cremons knew something special about wood for violins．
But the kind of wood may not be so important．It may be more important to cut the wood in a special way．Wood for a violin must be cut very carefully．It has to be the right size and shape．The smallest difference will cha
nge the sound of the violin．Musicians sometimes think that this was the secret of the Italians．Maybe they understood more than we d
o about how to cut the wood．
Size and shape may not be the answer either．Scientists measured these old violins very carefully．They can make new ones that are exactly the same size and shape．But the new violins still do not sound as good as the old one．Some scientists think the secret may be the varnish, which covers the wood of the violin and makes it look shiny．It also helps the sound of the instrument．No one knows what the Italian violin makers used in their varnish．So no one can make the same varnish today．
There may never be other violins like the violins of Cremona．Their secret may be lost forever．Young musicians today hope this is not true．They need fine violins．But there aren’t very many of the old violins left．Also, the old violins are very expensive．Recently, a famous old Italian violin was sold for about US $ 300,000!This passage is about _______．
| A．making violins | B．musical instruments |
C．scientific ideas | D．the old Italian violins |
The best violins _______．
| A．are made with modern techniques | B．were lost many years ago |
| C．were made in Italy 200 years ago | D．were made by scientists． |
Some people think that modem violins ______．
| A．will sound better in the future | B．will sound worse in the future |
| C．sound wonderful naturally | D．will never be as old as those from Cremona |
Violins made today _______．
| A．look the same as the old ones |
B．sound the same as the old ones |
C．are better than the old ones |
| D．have the same varnish as the old ones |
Millions of aircraft take off around the world every year. The skies they fly in seem limitless—miles of empty space. But, with the number of flights increasing each year, this emptiness no longer exists. Researchers in the world of aviation（航空）are worried about the increasing pressure on pilots and ground controllers. And increasing collisions, occurring at or near an airport, have called attention to the need for more aids（辅助设备）to aviation control.
People who travel the skies are not certain about air safety. A great deal of money is spent on new and bigger aircraft and airports to deal with the vast increase in passengers travelling by air. Only a small percentage of this money is spent on navigation（导航）and other aids. Actually, suitable electronic equipment has long existed, and many companies market safety aids designed to make it safer for aircraft to take off, fly any distance, and land, whatever the weather. Yet, there are two problems to be solved. The first is to get governments, airlines and airport officials to agree to basic levels of safety aids. The second problem is to find a way of meeting these basic requirements.
But no matter how well the equipment works, operators of the equipment still play an important role. Communications between pilots and ground controllers are extremely important to air safety. It is worth pointing out that the mishearing or misunderstanding of instructions in English and the use of another language, in an international conversation, have led to two recent aircraft accidents. A new type of instrument（仪器）called FLIGHTWATCH would help pilots prevent airport collisions. It would be particularly helpful near airports.
60. The increasing number of flights leads to the fact that ________.
A. flying is no longer limited in the sky
B. there is no empty space for aids to aviation control
C. piloting and controlling planes is getting more difficult
D. the pressure on the ground becomes greater
61. There is uncertainty about air safety because ________.
A. planes become bigger for the increasing number of passengers
B. money spent on electronic equipment is far from enough
C. suitable electronic equipment hasn’t been invented yet
D. it is dangerous for planes to take off or land
62. The underlined word “collisions” probably means ________.
A. accidents in which two planes hit each other
B. misunderstandings between pilots and ground controllers
C. quarrels among passengers
D. breakdowns of new types of instrument
63. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A. governments and officials have paid great attention to air safety
B. there should be more companies to sell new safety aids
C. English should be used in an international conversation
D. understanding between pilots and ground controllers should be improved
第三部分阅读理解(共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分)
Will it matter if you don't have your breakfast ? A short time ago , a test was given in the United States. People of different ages, from 12 to 83, were asked to have a test . During the test , these people were given all kinds of breakfasts , and sometimes they got no breakfast at all. Scientists wanted to see how well their bodies worked when they had different kinds of breakfasts.
The rules show that if a person eats a right breakfast , he or she will work better than if he or she has no breakfast. If a student has fruit , eggs, bread and milk before going to school ,he or she will learn more quickly and listen more carefully in class.
The result is opposite to what some people think . Having no breakfast will not help them lose weight . This is because they are so hungry at noon that eat too much for lunch . They will gain weight instead of losing it . You will lose weight if you reduce your other meals.
56. During the test , the people were given _________.
A. no breakfast at all B. different breakfast or sometimes none
C. very rich breakfast D. little food for breakfast
57. Scientists wanted to know whether __________.
A. breakfast had any effect on work and studies. B. people were interested in breakfast
C. breakfast did harm to people 's health D. people would work better without breakfast
58. According to the passage , some people think without breakfast they will ____
A. lose weight B. get a good result in their work
C. gain weight D. not be hungry at all.
59. Which of the following sciences is not right?
A. It is bad for your health to have no breakfast.
B. No breakfast and more lunch may make you fatter.
C. The more breakfast you have, the more quickly you will learn in class.
D. If you don't eat much for lunch and supper , you may lose weight.
Parents and kids today dress alike, listen to the same music, and are friends. Is this a good thing? Sometimes, when Mr. Ballmer and his 16-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, listen to rock music together and talk about interests both enjoy, such as pop culture, he remembers his more distant relationship with his parents when he was a teenager.
“I would never have said to my mom, ‘Hey, the new Weezer album is really great. How do you like it?’” says Ballmer. “There was just a complete gap in taste.”
Music was not the only gulf (分歧). From clothing and hairstyles to activities and expectations, earlier generations of parents and children often appeared to move in separate orbits.
Today, the generation gap has not disappeared, but it is getting narrow in many families. Conversations on subjects such as sex and drugs would not have taken place a generation ago. Now they are comfortable and common. And parent-child activities, from shopping to sports, involve a feeling of trust and friendship that can continue into adulthood.
No wonder greeting cards today carry the message, “To my mother, my best friend.”
But family experts warn that the new equality can also result in less respect for parents.
“There’s still a lot of strictness and authority on the part of parents out there, but there is a change happening,” says Kerrie, a psychology professor at Lebanon Valley College. “In the middle of that change, there is a lot of confusion among parents.”
Family researchers offer a variety of reasons for these evolving(演化的) roles and attitudes. They see the 1960s as a turning point. Great cultural changes led to more open communication and a more democratic process that encourages everyone to have a say.
“My parents were on the ‘before’ side of that change, but today’s parents, the 40-year-olds, were on the ‘after’ side,” explains Mr. Ballmer. “It’s not something easily accomplished by parents these days, because life is more difficult to understand or deal with, but sharing interests does make it more fun to be a parent now.”
72. Which of the following shows that the generation gap is disappearing?
A. Parents help their children develop interests in more activities.
B. Parents put more trust in their children’s abilities.
C. Parents and children talk more about sex and drugs.
D. Parents share more interests with their children.
73. The change in today’s parent-child relationship is ______.
A. more confusion among parents
B. new equality between parents and children
C. less respect for parents from children
D. more strictness and authority on the part of parents
74. By saying “today’s parents, the 40-year-olds, were on the ‘after’ side,” the author means that today’s parents ______.
A. follow the trend (趋势)of the change
B. can set a limit to the change
C. fail to take the change seriously
D. have little difficult adjusting (调整)to the change
75. The purpose of the passage is to ______.
A. describe the difficulties today’s parents have met with
B. discuss the development of the parent-child relationship
C. suggest the ways to handle the parent-child relationship
D. compare today’s parent-child relationship with that in the past
“It hurts me more than you,” and “This is for your own good.” These are the statements my mother used to make years ago when I had to learn Latin, clean my room, stay home and do homework.
That was before we entered the permissive(自由的) period in education in which we decided it was all right not to push our children to achieve their best in school. The schools and the educators made it easy on us. They taught that it was all right to be parents who take a let-alone policy. We stopped making our children do homework. We gave them calculators, turned on the television, left the teaching to the teachers and went on vacation.
Now teachers, faced with children who have been developing at their own pace for the past 15 years, are realizing we’ve made a terrible mistake. One such teacher is Sharon Klompus who says of her students—“so passive”—and wonders what happened. Nothing was demanded of them, she believes. Television, says Klompus, contributes to children’s passivity. “We’re not training kids to work any more.” says Klompus. “We’re talking about a generation of kids who’ve never been hurt or hungry. They have learned somebody will always do it for them, Instead of saying ‘go and look it up’, you tell them the answer. It takes greater energy to say no to a kid.”
Yes, it does. It takes energy and it takes work. It’s time for parents to end their vacation and come back to work. It’s time to take the car away, to turn TV off, to tell them it hurts you more than them but it’s for their own good. It’s time to start telling them no again.
67.To such children as described in the passage __________.
A. neither is easy to say yes or say no
B. it is easier to say no than to say yes
C. it is easier to say yes than no
D. neither is difficult to say yes or say no
68.We learn from the passage that the author’s mother used to lay emphasis on(强调;重视) ________.
A. natural development B. education at school C. learning Latin D. discipline
69.By “permissive period in education” the author means a time ________.
A. when everything can be taught at school
B. when children are permitted to receive education
C. when children are allowed to do what they wish to
D. when every child can be educated
70.The main idea of the passage is that _______.
A. It’s time to be more strict with our kids
B. parents should always set a good example to their kids
C. parents should leave their children alone
D. kids should have more activities at school
Ellis Island is located in New York Harbor. Ellis Island is open daily year round from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with extended hours during summer. It is closed on December 25.There is no admission charge to Ellis Island; but donations are gratefully accepted.
At Your Fingertips：
Park information (212)363－7620 Emergencies (212)363－3260
Ferryboat information (212)269－5755 Lost and found (212)363－7620
Dining, gifts & audio tour 344－0996
Transportation：
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Ferry：Boats leave from Battery Park, Manhattan, and from Liberty State Park, New Jersey. They run about every 30 to 45 minutes beginning at 9:15 a.m.
(The time for ferry is changeable)
Hours: May vary; call the number above Closed: December 25
Ferry fees (includes Liberty and Islands) adults,$7;
senior citizens,$6;
Children (age 3～17),$5.
(Group rates are available for 25 or more adults.)
64. In summer, visitors will have ________ to visit Ellis Island.
A. a limited time B. a longer time
C. a shorter time D. a wonderful time
65. Which number would you call if our friend were suddenly ill?
A. (212)344－0996 B. (212)363－7620
C. (212)363－3260 D. (212)269－5755
66. We may infer from the passage that________.
A. visitors prefer to go to Ellis Island by boat
B. there are more visitors in winter
C. Ellis Island is open every day
D. Boat is the only transportation to Ellis Island