第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40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
The wedding took place in a Birmingham hotel. The bride and her father arrived in a new black American sport car. Her father looked nervous and uncomfortable in front of the cameras. The bride wore a silk wedding dress. She smiled nervously at the waiting photographers and went to a room on the first floor where she met her future husband for the very first time.
Carla Germaine and Greg Cordell were the winners of a radio station’s competition. The aim of the competition was to find two strangers prepared to marry without having met each other. Miss Germaine, 23, is a model. Mr. Cordell, 27, is a TV salesman. They were among the two hundred people who entered a peculiar “experiment” organized by BMRB radio in Birmingham, England, Greg, and Carla were among eight finalists who were interviewed live on a radio. They took a lie detector（测谎仪） test and the station also spoke to their friends and family about their personalities. The competition judges include an astrologer（占星家） who declared that they were suited.
The couple celebrated their wedding with a wedding breakfast and a party for 100 guests in the evening, but not everyone shared their joy. Miss Germaine’s mother looked anxious throughout the wedding and Mr. Cordell’s parents are reported to be less than delighted.
Organizations, including the marriage guidance Service Relate, have criticized the marriage. As one person put it, “We have enough problems getting young people to take marriage seriously without this. Marriage should always be about love.”
The couple are now on a Caribbean honeymoon followed by journalists. Their other prizes include a year’s free use of a wonderful apartment in the center of Birmingham, and a car. But will it last?
56. How did the couple’s parents react to the wedding?
A. The bride’s mother shared their joy.
B. The bride’s father felt uncomfortable about the wedding.
C. The bridegroom’s parents were quite delighted.
D. The bridegroom’s parents were not that joyful.
57. Some experts believe that _____.
A. marriage without the couple’s meeting each other first ends up in divorce
B. young people nowadays are too careless about marriage
C. taking a lie detector test can not solve all the marriage problems
D. most young people take marriage seriously except this couple
58. One of the prize for the couple is _____.
A. to spend their honeymoon wherever they like
B. to use an apartment free for some time
C. to have a wedding dress free
D. to own an American sports car
59. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A. Two strangers and a wedding B. A wedding based on love
C. A short-lived marriage D. A well-matched couple
A
Car needs gas to run as your body needs food to work for you. Eating the right kinds of food is very important. A good eating habit can help your body grow strong if you take care of what you eat.
There are four main food groups altogether. The dairy group has food like milk, cheese and sour milk. The other three groups are the meat and fish group, the fruit and vegetable group, and the bread and rice group. Each meal should have at least one food from all four main groups. With all of these foods together, you will be given enough energy during the day.
It is easy to get into bad eating habits. You may eat your breakfast in a hurry to get to school on time or you may not have time for a good lunch. It may be easier to eat fish and chips for your supper all the time. But you will find yourself tired and you will not be able to think quickly.
Watching what you eat will help keep your body healthy and strong. It is also good to take some exercise. It will help you eat more if you take a walk or play games in the open air. Having good eating habits with some exercise is the key to your health.According to the passage, which of the following diets do you think is the best one?
| A．Eggs, tomatoes and chicken. |
| B．Milk, bread, cabbages and beef. |
| C．Corn, fish, ice cream and pork. |
| D．Rice, beancurd(豆腐)，fish and chicken. |
Which of the following is a good eating habit?
| A．Going to school without any breakfast. |
| B．Eating fish and chips for supper all the time. |
| C．Having at least food from one of the four groups each meal. |
| D．Having different food from all four food groups. |
In this passage the writer mainly tells us that____.
| A．every person needs food to grow well. |
| B．taking exercise can keep your body strong. |
| C．the right kind of food with exercise will keep you healthy. |
| D．enough energy helps people think more quickly. |
The underlined word “dairy” in the second paragraph means_____.
| A．the food made out of cows such as milk and butter |
| B．the shop that sells milk and butter |
| C．a farm where cows are kept |
| D．a place where milk products are made |
D
To us it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains．But actually the umbrella was not invented as protection against rain．Its first use was as a shade against the sun．
Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times．Probably the Chinese were the earliest to use it in the eleventh century BC．We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade．And there was a strange thing connected with its use: it became a symbol of honor and authority．In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by royalty or by those in high offices．
In Europe, the Greeks were the earliest to use the umbrella as a sunshade．And the umbrella was allowed in common use in ancient Greece．But it is believed that the earliest persons in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against rain were the ancient Romans．
During the Middle Ages, the use of the umbrella practically disappeared．Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century．And again, it was considered a symbol of power and authority．In around 1680, the umbrella appeared in France and later on in England．
By the eighteenth century, the umbrella was used against rain throughout most of Europe．Umbrellas have not changed much in style during all this time, though they have become much lighter in weight．It wasn’t until the twentieth century that women’s umbrellas began to be made in a whole variety of colors．The first use of umbrella was as ______________．
| A．protection against rain | B．shade against the sun |
| C．a symbol of power and authority | D．a symbol of honor and authority |
In Europe, the umbrella was first used against rain ___________．
| A．in Greece | B．in Rome | C．in England | D．in France |
From the text, we can infer that _________．
| A．the umbrella changed much in style in the eighteenth century． |
| B．no one knows why the umbrella was used in very ancient times． |
| C．once ordinary people had no right to use umbrellas． |
| D．during the Middle Ages the umbrella was common in Europe． |
This passage talks mainly about ____________．
| A．when and how the umbrella was invented． |
| B．why the umbrella was so popular in Europe． |
| C．the development of the umbrella． |
| D．the history and use of the umbrella． |
C
Education is not an end but a means to an end．In other words, we do not educate children only for the purpose of educating them．Our purpose is to fit them for life．
In some modern countries, it has for some time been fashionable to think that by free education for all one can solve all the problems of society and build a perfect nation．But we have already seen that free education for all is not enough; we find in some countries a far larger number of people with university degrees．They refuse to do what they think “low” work and, in fact, work with hands is thought to be dirty and shameful in such countries．But we have only to think a moment to understand that the work of a completely uneducated farmer is far more important than that of professor．We can live without education, but we die if we have no food．If no one cleaned our streets and took the rubbish away from our houses, we should get terrible diseases．
In fact, when we say that all of us must be educated to fit us for life, it means that we must be educated in certain ways．Firstly each of us can do whatever work suited to our brains and ability．Secondly, we should realize that all jobs are necessary to society．It is very bad to be shamed of one’s work．Only such a type of education can be considered valuable to society．What would be the best title for the text?
| A．The Means of Education． | B．The System of Education． |
| C．The Value of Education． | D．The Type of Education． |
From the second paragraph of the passage we know that ________．
| A．work with hands is low work because it is dirty and shameful． |
| B．the work of the completely uneducated is the most important． |
| C．education is no more important than food in order to live． |
| D．we shouldn’t think of work with hands as low work． |
What kind of educational system is valuable to society?
| A．A large number of people can go to university． |
| B．Everyone can solve all the problems of society． |
| C．All the people can get free education． |
| D．Everyone must be educated differently to fit them for society． |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Our society needs all kinds of jobs． |
| B．Free education for all is enough． |
| C．A farmer is more important than a professor． |
| D．People with university degrees shouldn’t do low work． |
B
It is the duty of every man to work. The life of a lazy man is of no use to himself and to others. The man who is too lazy to work is the man who is generally most ready to beg or to steal. Every boy, when he is young, should learn how to do some useful work.
But it is not enough that a boy should learn some kind of work. He should put his heart and soul completely into his work, and not waste his spare time. “Work while you work and play while you play” is as good a rule for young people as for the old!
There is no better help to diligence (勤奋) than the habit of early rising, and this, just like all other good habits, is most easily formed in youth. There is an English saying, “Lost time never returns”. This means that everybody must be diligent and make good use of his time. One must study hard when one is young so that one may make great progress, succeed in life and become useful to one’s country. Those who are diligent will never become beggars. Therefore, we can say that diligence is the mother of success.From the passage, we know that those who are too lazy to work will_________.
| A．waste their time |
| B．help others |
| C．become beggars or thieves |
| D．make progress some day |
In order to learn to be diligent, it’s important for young people to _________.
| A．form the good habit of getting up early in youth |
| B．learn about some good habits |
| C．work while they work and play while they play |
| D．work all the time without playing |
One can’t be successful in life unless he _________when he is young.
| A．is diligent in his study |
| B．loves life |
| C．spends some time learning something |
| D．makes up for his lost time |
A
“Depend on yourself” is what nature says to every man. Parents can help you. Teachers can help you. But all these only help you to help yourself.
There have been many great men in history. But many of them were very poor in boyhood, and had no uncles, aunts, or friends to help them. Schools were few and low. They could not depend on them for an education. They saw how it was, and set to work with all their strength to know something. They worked their own way up to fame.
One of the most famous teachers in England used to tell his pupils, “I cannot make worthy men of you, but I can help you make men of yourselves.”
Some young men have no ambitions(抱负) to do anything; and they are to be pitied. They can never succeed unless they see their foolishness, and change their courses. They are nothing now, and will be nothing as long as they live, unless they accept the advice of parents and teachers, and depend upon their own honest and serious efforts.The best title for this passage is ________.
| A．Depend on Yourself |
| B．Don’t Depend on Your Parents |
| C．Nobody can help you |
| D．The Good Advice |
From the passage we know that many great men in history ________.
| A．learned everything themselves in boyhood |
| B．didn’t receive any education |
| C．had no relatives or friends |
| D．depended on themselves to become famous |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Parents can make you succeed. |
| B．Great men in history were very poor. |
| C．Teachers would not like to help you to be a man. |
| D．Only you can make yourself a great man. |
Why have some young men failed in everything?
| A．They have no ambitions. |
| B．They are to be pitied. |
| C．They have changed their courses. |
| D．They have seen their foolishness. |