第三部分：阅读理解（共20题；每小题2分，共40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题中所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
You have heard the expression “horse sense”. As you may imagine, it came from the time when the majority of people traveled in vehicles drawn by horses. A horse does have a lot of common sense, and there are many true stories about horses having saved their drivers from danger of death.
Today for the most part, people travel by train, ship, airplane, and car, but very little by the use of horses. Modern vehicles are propelled by engines, and an engine does not have any sense. In case of danger, many horses could be depended on to help. Not so with the engine; the driver must do all the things.
In recent years, the speed of travel has increased greatly. With the increased speed comes greatly increased danger. The driver of a powerful engine needs to be careful. A moment of being careless may cost a life. In order to drive today, a person must be able to see clearly, and he must learn and follow carefully the rules for safety on the road. Greater attention is the price we pay for using a machine instead of a horse.
56. The passage mainly talks about ______.
A. engines B. safe driving C. using horses D. modern machines
57. The underlined word “propel” in the second paragraph means ______.
A. repair B. raise C. push forward D. made
58. It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
A. a driver must know the rules of safety
B. a driver needs to be able only to tell red from green
C. an eye test is an important part of a driver’s examination
D. greater attention is needed for a driver while driving a machine
59. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. A driver must be able to see and hear well.
B. The driver of a car must follow the rules of safety.
C. Horses are known to have saved their drivers from injury.
D. It is better for vehicles to be pulled by horse than to be pushed by engine.
Iceland, an island just south of the Arctic Circle, has fairly mild winters, thanks to warm ocean currents. Time your vacation here during the winter months to take advantage of off-season deals.
Off-season means good deals on flights, hotels and tours. You may also find that the locals are a bit friendlier and more welcoming when tourists aren’t arriving in crowds.
In the winter months, there are less than seven hours of daylight; thus, chances are good you’ll catch sight of the northern lights. Sunsets are also beautiful at this time, making for some great photo opportunities.
In Iceland, winter is the perfect time to hike glaciers, go ice climbing, explore caves made out of hardened lava(岩浆) and much more. One of the most popular activities is off-roading(越野比赛) in a specially-equipped “super jeep”.
Before booking your trip, be sure to check for volcano alerts. There are about 130 volcanoes on or around Iceland. Thirty-five of them are active. In 2010, a volcano named Eyjaallajokull exploded, sending clouds of ash up to four kilometers into the atmosphere. The ash drifted toward the UK and Europe. Because the ask could damage aircraft engines, airlines operating in the region were forced to cancel flights for six days. As a result, thousands of people were stuck in airports.
Recently, another volcano named Bardarbunga has become active, erupting ash into the air. Such events, if large enough, could prevent your trip from going ahead. So check the latest volcano news prior to making your reservations. According to this article, why are you more likely to see the northern lights in the winter?
| A．They move from rural areas to cities. |
| B．The weather is more stable at that time. |
| C．They’re a special feature of many festivals. |
| D．The sky is dark for longer periods then. |
According to the article, how do visitors to Iceland have fun in the winter?
| A．They learn how to ski down the mountains. |
| B．They photograph famous historic sites.. |
| C．They explore the countryside in well made vehicles.. |
| D．They spend a week at one of the seaside resorts. |
What is true about the volcanoes of Iceland?
| A．The majority of them are quiet. |
| B．Their age hasn’t been determined. |
| C．All but one of them are extinct. |
| D．Citizens aren’t affected by them. |
What does this article explain?.
| A．Some of Iceland’s urban cultural attractions. |
| B．A way t reduce the cost of a trip to Iceland. |
| C．Reasons for visiting Iceland in June and July. |
| D．The average price for a short tour of Iceland. |
Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for family, health, and life in general. However, Black Friday has turned it into a business.
Traditionally, the true value of Thanksgiving lies at home not the shopping centers. However, Black Friday has nowadays allowed society to ignore this as individuals long for something that they do not need or even truly want. Shopping on Black Friday becomes a sign of a shift into a culture that values material wealth over spending time with loved ones. People are willing to force their way through the crowds in their desperate search for marked-down sweaters and necklaces.
In recent years, Thanksgiving has become a pre-Black Friday holiday for many families. They are devoted to mapping out shopping routes and making organized schedules for which stores to hit first. By drawing individuals out to shopping centers with “matchless savings”, businesses encourage this behavior of ignoring Thanksgiving. Many families take their home-cooked meals while camping out at the door of shopping centers. With each new year, Thanksgiving is becoming victim to over commercialization—switching from a meaningful time of thanks and family to a day dedicated to products and profit.
Black Friday has shown that with current common standards, people cannot even set aside a single day to appreciate what they already have without immediately buying more. Families have lost sight of what is truly important in life, and have found reasons in debating between a low cost HD television and an appreciation for what they already have. Remember that Thanksgiving should be a day in which people are grateful for all that they have.What does the underlined word “this” in paragraph 2 probably refer to?
| A．The sign of a shift . | B．The material wealth. |
| C．The shopping crowd. | D．The true value of Thanksgiving. |
In recent years, what will many families do when thanksgiving comes?
| A．They’ll make full preparations for the Black Friday shopping. |
| B．They’ll choose a big store for their first visit. |
| C．They’ll visit some newly-opened shopping centers. |
| D．They’ll go camping at the gate of shopping center for a good deal. |
In the last paragraph the author mainly intends to tell us that we should _________.
| A．set aside a single day to buy more |
| B．stay with our families as long as we can |
| C．try to spend less to get low cost products |
| D．appreciate what we’ve possessed with our families |
The author is __________ about the present ways people celebrate Thanksgiving.
| A．puzzled | B．worried |
| C．supportive | D．unconcerned |
Wikipedia (维基百科) is a non-profit website funded by donations, started on 15th January, 2001. “Wiki” means “quick” in the Hawaiian language. These days, most people go straight to Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia (百科), to look something up. But how reliable is it?
The site attracts 78 million visitors every month, and it is available in more than 270 different languages. It’s one of the most comprehensive (综合的) resources available, and it’s got much more information than an ordinary encyclopedia. The site is updated on a daily basis by thousands of people around the world. Anyone with an Internet connection can look through and edit the contents or add a new page at any time. And you don’t need any formal training.
Of course, there are some controls. Wikipedia has a team of more than 1,500 administrators who check for false information. And main targets for horrible comments (such as politicians) are forbidden to public editing. But with more than 16 million articles to keep an eye on, it isn’t easy. So, while Wikipedia benefits from being constantly updated with information from all over the world, it’s also open to “vandals”.
Some of the damage is easy to notice. Someone drew horns and a moustache on Microsoft chairman Bill Gates’ photo. But other things are harder to spot. The most common form of vandalism involves adding tiny items of false information into the biography of a famous person. Unbelievably, some of this misinformation has appeared in newspapers, with The Daily Mail, The Guardian and The Independent all having fallen victim to the tricks. For example, in an obituary (讣告) for British comedian Sir Norman Wisdom, one newspaper claimed that he co-wrote Dame Vera Lynn’s wartime song “There’ll be Bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover”. In fact, he did no such thing.
So if you’re going to use any information from Wikipedia, make sure you double-check it first. What do we know about Wikipedia?
| A．It makes profits from its users. |
| B．It is run by the Hawaiian government. |
| C．It is the most popular website worldwide. |
| D．It provides a huge amount of information. |
The underlined word “vandals” in Paragraph 3 refers to those who _________.
| A．take responsibility for something | B．get benefits from others |
| C．deliberately damage things for fun | D．take care of something |
The example of Norman Wisdom’s obituary is used to show _________.
| A．some newspapers like The Guardian are irresponsible |
| B．Wikipedia sometimes contains false information |
| C．Norman Wisdom is unpopular with some people |
| D．Wikipedia affects people’s lives greatly |
What does the author advise readers to do?
| A．To look through Wikipedia frequently. |
| B．To update Wikipedia on a daily basis. |
| C．To turn to other websites for valid information. |
| D．To be careful when using the information from Wikipedia. |
B
 |
The son of a zookeeper, 16-year-old Pi Patel is raised in Pondicherry, India. Planning a move to Canada, his family takes a ride on an enormous ship. After a shipwreck. Pi finds himself in the Pacific Ocean, trapped on a 26-foot lifeboat with a wounded zebra, a hyena（鬣狗）, an orangutan（猩猩）, and a tiger named Richard Parker. It sounds like a colorful setup. But these wild animals don’t burst into song as in the Disney cartoons. All want to survive, however, Pi finds himself the weakest one of all. After much infighting, Pi and Richard Parker remain the boat’s only passengers. Pi is left to survive for 227 days through waters with his large dangerous companion, using all his knowledge, wits and faith. |
 |
Five People You Meet in Heaven When a lonely and elderly man dies in an accident, he awakens in an unfamiliar place called Heaven where five people, some strangers, some loved ones, take him on a clear journey through his life. Each soul has a story to tell, a secret to reveal, and a lesson to share. Through them Eddie learns “lessons”, finds out why certain events happened in his physical life, and understands the meaning of his own life. The book explores the unexpected mysteries of the afterlife by reminding us what really matters here on earth. |
 |
Marley＆Me：Life and love with the world’s worst dog John and Jenny were just beginning their life together. They brought home Marley, a yellow fur-ball of a dog. Life would never be the same. Marley crashed through doors, and ate nearly everything he could get his mouth around. However, just as he refused any limits on his behavior, his love and loyalty were boundless, too. He shared the couple’s joy and heartbreak. He was there whenever the couple needs help. Marley＆Me is so much more than the story of a lovable dog; it’s the story of a family. Toward the end of book, Grogan speaks of the life lessons—loyalty, courage, devotion, simplicity, joy—that Marley taught him. |
What happened to the survivors on the life boat according to the introduction?
| A．Pi managed to kill those animals and finally survived. |
| B．They worked hand in hand to get through the sea. |
| C．They had to fight against one another in order to survive. |
| D．Richard Parker killed other animals but was killed by Pi. |
Five People You Meet in Heaven tells an old man's experience in Heaven in order to reveal _________.
| A．the existence of Heaven | B．the mystery of death |
| C．human's future life | D．the true meaning of life |
Who is Grogan according to the introduction?
| A．The author of Marley＆ Me. |
| B．A friend of John and Jenny. |
| C．An expert taming dogs. |
| D．The previous owner of the dog. |
A mouse happened to look through a hole in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. “What food might this contain?” The mouse wondered. But he was sad to discover it was a mousetrap (老鼠夹子).
Back to the farmyard, the mouse announced this warning: “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!”
The hen clucked (咯咯地叫) and scratched, raised her head and said, “Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a great concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.”
Then the mouse turned to the pig. The pig sympathized, but said, “I am very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers.”
Then the mouse turned to the cow and repeated the same words. The cow said, “Moo, Mr. Mouse. I’m sorry for you, but it’s no skin off my nose.”
So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and sadly faced the farmer’s mousetrap alone. That very night a sound was heard throughout the house – the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey (猎物). The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it. It was a poisonous snake whose tail was caught in the trap. The snake bit the farmer’s wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital. When she returned home, she still had a fever.
Everyone knows fresh chicken soup is good to treat a fever. So the farmer took his knife to the farmyard. The hen was killed.
But his wife’s sickness continued. Friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.
The farmer’s wife did not get well but died. So many people came for her funeral that the farmer had the cow killed to provide enough meat for all of them for the lunch.
The mouse looked on it all from his hole in the wall with great sadness.What did the mouse do when it returned to the farmyard?
| A．It warned its neighbors of the danger. |
| B．It argued with its neighbors loudly. |
| C．It had a warm talk with its friends. |
| D．It tried hard to cheer its friends. |
Which of the following is mentioned in the story?
| A．The farmer was bitten by a snake. |
| B．The neighbors came for chicken soup. |
| C．The pig expressed its sympathy for the mouse. |
| D．The hen was sure that it’ll be bothered by mousetrap. |
Which of the following can best express the moral of the story?
| A．Out of sight, out of mind. |
| B．Mind works faster in time of danger. |
| C．Never put your nose into others’ business. |
| D．We should pull together in time of trouble. |
How does the author develop the passage?
| A．By argument. | B．By time. |
| C．By discussion. | D．By space. |