第三部分：阅读理解（共两节，40分）第一节：（共15小题；每-优题课

Chinese have a unique way of representing the New Year through animals. They have 12 different animals to represent each year of the 12 - year cycle and the order remains the same throughout with the year of the rat beginning the cycle and the year of the boar/ pig ending the same. As the Chinese year 2009 was signified as the year of the Ox, the following year, 2010, is going to be the year of the Tiger. Chinese New Year of Tiger, 2010, will fall on 14th of February and will mark the 15 - day - long festivities beginning on the said date.
Preparations for the Chinese New Year of Tiger, 2010, will begin months in advance so that the celebrations be observed in the highest importance. As the different years of the 12 - year cycle are characterized by different animals, people born on the different years also feature different traits and characters and most often than not, they are believed to be influenced and inspired by the animals of the particular year they are born in. With this article on Chinese New Year of Tiger, 2010 ,we strive to hold forth the interesting characteristics and features of the Tiger and how babies born in this year can be expected to display similar traits.
All years ending in an odd（奇数）number are Yang and the ones with an even（偶数）number ending are considered to be the Yin forms according to the Chinese methods of the calendar cycle. Therefore the Tiger year 2010 will have Yin forms along with the character of the Tiger. Tiger symbolizes courage, power, earth, victory, passion and royalty. The Tiger years so far have been 1902, 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998 and now 2010 followed by 2022（according to the 12 -year cycle）.
People born in the Chinese New Year of Tiger, 2010 will mainly have the below mentioned traits in their character: Adventurous, sensitive, emotional, and risk- taking. Those who are born in the Year of the Tiger are smart, uncomplicated and friendly by nature. They have strong will power and never a give -up attitude.
However there are a few negative traits associated with the character of the Tiger that also is reflected through the people born in the ox years. Attributes（特征）like being short- tempered and suspicious are generally associated with people born in this year.
With these and many more fascinating elements, Chinese New Year of Tiger, 2010 is just about to arrive. So get set to welcome the year and have a very prosperous New Year ahead.
1. What can we know from paragraph one?
A. There are 12 animals to celebrate Chinese New Year.
B. That the Chinese’s celebrating the New Year through animals is unique.
C. 2008 was signified as the year of the Pig.
D. The Year of the Tiger ends on 14th of February ,2010.
2. Which statement is false in paragraph two and three?
A. People are often believed to be affected by the animals of the year when they were born.
B. Tigers stand for courage and power.
C. 2034 is not the year of the Tiger.
D. The year of the Tiger has Yin forms with the character of the Tiger.
3. According to the 12 - year circle, what year is it by 2021?
A. The year of the Tiger. B. The year of the Ox .
C. The year of the Rat. D. The year of the Pig.
4. What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. The introduction to the Chinese New Year of the Tiger.
B. How to celebrate the New year of the Tiger.
C. Chinese celebrate the New Year--Unique!
D. 12 different animals represent each year of the 12 - year - circle.

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 new study suggests that the more teenagers watch television, the more likely they are to develop depression （沮丧；抑郁）as young adults.
The researchers used a national long - term survey of adolescent health to investigate（调查）the relationship between media use and depression. They based their findings on more than four thousand adolescents who were not depressed when the survey began in 2000.
As part of the survey, the young people were asked how many hours of television or videos they watched daily. They were also asked how often they played computer games and listened to the radio. Media use totaled an average of five and one - half hours a day. More than two hours of that was spent watching TV.
Seven years later, in 2007, more than seven percent of the young people had signs of depression. The average age at that time was twenty -one.
The study didn’t explore if watching TV causes depression. But one possibility is that it was taking time away from activities that could help prevent depression.
Previous study found that people who describe themselves as happy spend less time watching television than unhappy people. The study found that happy people are more likely to be socially active to read, to attend religious services and to vote.
1. The result of the research seems to prove ________.
A. teenagers are more likely to develop depression than adults
B. other media uses do no harm to adolescents
C. TV probably causes teenagers to grow up with depression
D. those who don’t watch TV will not develop depression
2. We can learn from the survey that of all the media use ________.
A. computer games are teenagers’ favorite
B. most teenagers prefer to listen to the radio
C. teenagers enjoy watching TV very much
D. newspaper is not included in the survey
3. According to the passage, what kind of activity may help prevent depression?
A. Playing computer games. B. Taking part in sports.
C. Listening to the radio. D. Watching movies.
4. We can conclude that a teenager should ________.
A. play more video games instead of watching TV
B. be active in taking part in outdoor activities
C. be more active in watching educational TV programmes
D. attend religious services and care for politics

It’s been claimed that playing a musical instrument makes you smarter．
New research suggests that regularly playing a musical instrument changes the shape and power of the brain, and may be used in therapy (疗法) to improve cognitive (认知) skills．
Experts say there is growing evidence that musicians have brains that are structurally and functionally different from those of non-musicians, especially in the areas of the brain used in processing (处理信息)
The parts of the brain that control motor skills, the storage of audio information, hearing and memory become larger and more active when a person learns how to play an instrument and can apparently improve the alertness (警觉) and planning．
Lutz Jancke, a psychologist at the University of Zurich, said, “Leaning to play a musical instrument has great benefits and can increase IQ by seven points in both children and adults．We found that even people over the age of 65, after four or five months of playing an instrument for an hour a week, had strong changes in the brain.” The parts of the brain that control hearing and memory, and the part that controls the hands, among others, all become more active.
“Of course music isn’t the only answer, but I do believe that it should be used in addition to other things.”
Mr．Jancke also said that learning a musical instrument could also make it easier to learn foreign languages and make one more sensitive to understanding the emotions of others．“So not only does this make it easier to pick up other languages and have a better memory of one’s own, we have also seen musicians are able to pick out exactly what others are feeling just by the tones of their voices—sympathy, disappointment, that kind of things.”
He added, “Several studies indeed show that playing music increases memory and language skills, but more research is needed.”
1．What is the passage mainly about?
A．How to use musical instruments.
B．How music affects the brain.
C．How playing music makes people smarter.
D．The development of research into music.
2．Compared with non-musicians, __________.
A．musicians are better at foreign languages
B．musicians are more active in sports
C．musicians have stronger emotions
D．musicians’ brains work differently in processing
3．Which of the following is NOT a benefit of playing an instrument?
A．It makes it easier for one to pick up foreign languages.
B．It allows one to show his feelings more exactly to others．
C．It gives one a better memory in one’s own language．
D．it makes one understand others’ feelings better．
4．From Luz Jancke we lean that _________．
A．playing an instrument benefits children more than adults
B．playing an instrument has no benefits for people over 65
C．some studies show playing music can increase memory
D．he will do more research into brain development and music

In many societies, there is often greater acceptance of light skin than dark skin．Light skin may be seen as a mark of beauty, intelligence and success．These beliefs can lead to social pressure even within the same racial or ethnic group, if some members are darker skinned than others．
The result is that skin lightening has become a common activity across Africa, Asia and other areas of the world．More and more people with dark skin are using skin-lightening products, even if they may face health risks.
They believe that having whiter skin will improve their lives．Many people think they will have a better chance of getting a job or marrying into a better family．Or they want to look like what their society generally considers beautiful.
Some beauty care products and soaps contain chemicals that make skin lighter．This process is also called bleaching．But some of the chemicals are extremely dangerous．One of the chemicals has been linked to kidney (肾) damage and some kinds of cancer．It also causes low birth weight in babies when mothers use it during pregnancy．
At first, bleaching products make the skin color lighter．But after long-term use they can cause problems．They can even make some skin darker．The chemicals in the products block and break down the natural process that gives color to skin．The skin loses its natural barrier to protect against sunlight．Then the skin can become thick and discolored．Usually the person will use more of the product in an effort to correct the problem, but this only makes it worse.
Fatimata Ly treats skin conditions in the Senegalese capital，Dakar．Doctor Ly says skin bleaching has become a problem throughout Senegal．She says the chemicals are now more dangerous because they are stronger．Some cases have resulted in blackened fingernails, infections and permanent skin damage．
And these are not the only risks．Experts say some people who change their skin color suffer emotional damage．They feel regret and sadness．They feel that instead of risking their health, they should have learned to love and accept their skin color as it was．
1．Which of the following words can replace the underlined word “bleaching”?
A．whitening B．changing C．lighting D．pleasing
2．Why has the skin lightening become a common activity all over the world?
A．There are many products that can make the dark skin light.
B．Many people with dark skin have no confidence.
C．Relatively speaking, light skin has more advantages over dark skin.
D．People with dark skin are forced by the pressure of their families.
3．According to the text the following are the risks using the bleaching products EXCEPT______.
A．blackened fingernails B．permanent skin damage
C．emotional damage D．a waste of time and money
4．From the text we can conclude the writer’s attitude toward using the bleaching products is probably ___________．
A．supportive B．positive C．doubtful D．negative

●Tower Bridge is one of London’s most well known landmarks．Opened in 1894, this hydraulic (液压的) bridge can be raised to permit river traffic to pass underneath.
Visitors to Tower Bridge can enjoy wonderful views of the River Thames from the bridge towers．There is also a museum which explains how the bascule bridge operates and discusses its history．Tower Bridge is often incorrectly referred to as London Bridge．London Bridge, however, is a different bridge that is located directly upstream from Tower Bridge.
●The British Museum is a “must do” for all visitors to London, England．Treasures from around the world can be found in Britain’s largest and most popular museum．To top it off, admission to the British Museum is free of charge.
Due to the enormous size of the museums, visitors should be clear about what they wish to see．One “must see” is the Rosetta Stone–a key puzzle piece in the recorded history of humankind．The British Museum is located in the Bloomsbury district of London in London WC1.
●Greenwich Park is a beautiful large park located a few kilometers away from the centre of London．Attractions in Greenwich include the Cutty Sark, the Gypsy Moth and the Old Royal Observatory．A painted line at the observatory indicates zero degrees of longitude（经度）.
Many visitors to Greenwich enjoy having their photos taken with one leg in the western hemisphere（半球）and the other in the eastern hemisphere．Greenwich is the place where time was officially tracked – “Greenwich Mean Time” or “GMT”.
Greenwich is located in London SE10.
●The Eurostar high–speed train service provides fast connections between London and Paris and London and Brussels．The Eurostar trains pass through the 32–mile Channel Tunnel under the English Channel．The tunnel is also known as the“Euro Tunnel”or“Chunnel”．The Channel Tunnel is considered to be one of the world’s great engineering wonders.
Trains leave form the Waterloo Rail Station which is located in south London.
1．If a tourist doesn’t have any money on him, which of the following can he do?
A．Visit Tower Bridge. B．Visit the British Museum.
C．Go around Greenwich Park. D．Take a Eurostar high–speed train.
2．Where can we find the attraction of the Cutty Sark?
A．On London Bridge. B．In the Old Royal Observatory.
C．In the British Museum. D．In Greenwich Park.
2．What can we learn from the passage?
A．Tower Bridge can be raised mainly to let the water flow faster.
B．The British Museum is the largest museum in the world.
C．Greenwich Park is where the western hemisphere and the eastern hemisphere meet.
D．The Eurostar train can take people from London to many cities in Europe directly.
3．In what web page do you think the passage is probably found?
A．International news. B．Study abroad.
C．Travel Guide. D．Art of architecture.