Free and secure accommodation, no bills and even the odd home-cooked meal. It sounds like the perfect living arrangement for cash-strapped(缺乏现金的) students.
Two mothers believe they have devised a way for struggling students to save on accommodation costs when they leave home to study at university.
Kate Barnham and Amanda Flude have launched Student Swaps, an online accommodation forum (论坛) for parents and students, in advance of the introduction in September of ￡3,000 higher education top-up fees.
Their website says, “The principle behind Student Swaps is to enable students to literally swap (交换) family homes.” The website will hold a database of students who would like to swap and link them with suitable matches. So those from one town / city could swap with those from a different town / city.
The site describes itself as offering a “cost-free accommodation alternative… at a time of growing student debt”. There is no charge for the service at the moment but Ms Barnham and Ms Flude intend to introduce a ￡10 annual fee if it becomes established.
However
, the National Union of Students (NUS) has warned that, while the scheme may sound appealing to struggling freshers, it lacks any formal regulation.
Veronica King, NUS vice-president of welfare, said, “The fact that this scheme has even been suggested is evidence to the high levels of debt students now face on graduation.” Recent research has shown that students are more likely to live at home in coming years, in a bid to cut down on the cost of a degree.
“This is worrying, as it may mean that students choose their university on the basis of where it is, rather than because it offers the best course for them. It also means students will miss out on what is for some a key part of the student experience-living away from home.”
71. A “cash-strapped” student means one who __________.
A. lacks money B. prefers to stay at home
C. is careful with money D. wants to change cash
72. What is Kate Barnham and Amanda Flude’s purpose of launching Student Swaps?
A. To provide cheaper accommodation for students.
B. To let students stay close to their universities.
C. To help students spend less on accommodation costs.
D. To let students exchange ideas freely online.
73. What can students do on Student Swaps?
A. They can find students to exchange homes with.
B. They can make friends with students from a different city.
C. They can borrow money to pay for their higher education.
D. They can voice their opinions against the rising cost of a degree.
74. Now many students would prefer a university _________.
A. which can give them free accommodation B. which is not far away from their homes
C. which offers the best courses D. which can offer home-cooked meals
75. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. High Cost Troubles University Students in UK.
B. Students Swaps is Welcomed by Students in UK.
C. Two Mothers’ Good Intention to Help Students in UK.
D. Website Helps Students Live at Someone Else’s Home.
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A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
A
Sri Lankan police made an appeal for the public to donate their pet dogs to help the fight against terrorism and crime on the war – torn island.
“Make your pet a hero－to detect terrorism and make our motherland Sri Lanka a country with a new facelift,” the police department said in a public notice carried by the state-run Daily News.
It said that donated dogs should be between six months and two years old and must have an impressive pedigree(血统). German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers, Rottweilers, Dalmatians, Cocker Spaniels and Doberman Pinschers are preferred.
Chief Inspector Lal Senavirathne said 25 people donated their pets, but only 18 dogs could be enlisted as the others did not meet the recruitment. He said the dogs would be trained to identify explosives, search for buried mines, sniff down drugs, deal with criminals and even perform tricks for the public. The dogs will retire after serving a maximum period of eight years and will be returned to their original owners.
“We already have 170 dogs deployed in 30 units, including the operational area or conflict areas in the island’s north and east”, Senavirathne told AFP by telephone from his headquarters in the central town of Kandy.
He said it was the first time they were making a public appeal because of pressure on the police kennels(养狗场), which usually import about half of their annual requirement.
“This time, we hope to enlist about 50 dogs. They will be given six months extensive training and another six months on the job,” he said. “Thereafter they will be officially called Police Dogs.”
Sri Lanka’s dog population is about 2.3 million while it has 19.5 million people, and about 20,000 to 30,000 people are annually treated for homeless dog bites.
56. What did the police mainly want people to do?
A. Offer their dogs to be Police Dogs. B. Stop their dogs from biting people.
C. Take care not to lost their dogs. D. Give their dogs good training.
57. To meet the requirements, .
A. the dog’s age must be within a certain range
B. the dogs must be ready for a lifelong job
C. the dogs must be of the same type
D. the dogs must be experienced
58. What can we infer from the passage?
A. The number of dogs in the country is reasonable.
B. Dogs will begin working immediately chosen.
C. Many dogs in the country are left uncared for.
D. The country’s public order is very satisfying.
59. What’s the best title for the passage?
A. Pet Dogs Want Training B. The Shortage of Pet Dogs
C. Pet Dogs Can Help People D. Pet Dogs Needed by the Country
信息匹配（共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分）
请阅读下列应用文及相关信息，并按照要求匹配信息。请在答题卡上将对应题号的相应选项字母涂黑。
首先，请阅读下列不同类型汽车的信息：
| A．Toyota Electron - 2006 (new): Toyota's new car is both powerful and economical. Using a combination of fuel and electricity this car will not only save money on petrol bills, but it will also save the environment. Has air conditioner and leather seats. Price: $17,500 |
| B．BMW Series 7 - 2006 (new): Judged the "Car of Year" by Wheels Magazine this is the best high-class car on the market. It is big enough for 5 people but is smooth and fast. Has all the latest safety equipment and computer mapping system. Price: $84,900 |
| C．Porsche 911 - 2006 (new): This newest Porsche is packed with the latest safety equipment and engine technology. It can hold 2 people and the roof can come down automatically for you to enjoy the fresh air. Has DVD entertainment system and computer mapping system. Price: $72,000 |
| D．Chrysler Minibus - 2005 (second-hand): With its unique seating design, this vehicle can hold up to 14 people. Silver outside with black leather inside and in excellent condition. |
Has 2 automatic sliding doors plus DVD entertainment system. Price: $19,200
E.Ford Fairlane - 1998 (second-hand): With a traditional Ford design, this car is dark blue and is an ideal second car for the family. Mechanically in good condition. Has air-conditioner and CD player. Price: $6,900
F.Honda Civic - 1996 (second-hand): This small, white, two-door car is easy to park and cheap to run. Inside and outside both in excellent condition. It uses very little fuel and is the perfect car for city driving. Has CD player. Price: $2,500
请阅读下列购车者的信息，然后匹配购车者与拟购买的汽车：
Robert Anderson. Robert has just been appointed the manager of a large international company. He wants to get a car that will impress his business colleagues yet is also suitable for transporting his wife and three children.
Julie Sunderland. Julie has recently moved into the city where she is studying. She needs a car that is cheap to buy and run so she can get to university and to her part-time job.
Bill Woodward. Bill is the coach of the local football team and needs a car that can take the players and equipment to and from their games.
Mary Alderson. Mary's rich dad promised he would buy her a new car for graduating from university. She wants something that is safe, that will allow her to enjoy listening to music and show off to her friends.
Kate Power. Kate needs to get a car to travel to her new job. But she feels guilty about the pollution she will cause so she wants a car that will do the least amount of harm to the environment.
(C)
Most American students said goodbye to expensive fruits these days. In school canteens across the country, cheaper fruits like apples and oranges heave replaced them. “People are afraid to spend now” said Linda Morrow, who owns a shoe and handbag store. “They basically don’t know what the future will bring and keep waiting till after the Presidential Election.”
The current financial crisis(金融危机)， during which several of the country’s biggest banks have been forced to sell or close, has made lots of Americans unwilling to buy expensive goods.
Samira Martino, a restaurant owner in Miami, found everyone is ordering water instead of juice and more people are sharing meals. In more than two dozen interviews with the Associated Press across the country last month, American talked about their concerns, from worries about small businesses to doubts about simply making ends meet.
The crisis began last year. Experts blame it on U.S. banks lending money too easily. A lot of people and companies, who borrowed money, have found themselves unable to pay it back. This left the banks, as well as the people who put their money in the banks, without money. Since the banks borrowed money between themselves and even across borders, the whole world’s financial markets were involved.
This month the U.S. government agreed on a $ 700 billion plan to try to save the financial market. But a turn-around(转机) is not sure. President George W. Bush has warned it will take some time for the full effects of the plan to take hold in an economy that has had a world of trouble.
Last week top finance officials from 20 major economies promised to work together to find a way out of the money trouble. They believe the current crisis is the worst since the Great Depression in 1929. And they all think international cooperation is the key to solve it.
51. From the first paragraph, we can infer that______
A. apples and oranges become more expensive
B. people are worrying about the Election
C. people are expecting a turn-around after the Election
D. expensive fruits are in short supply in American markets
52. Samira Martino’s restaurant is mentioned in the passage in order to ______
A. show that people cut down their expenses.
B. attract more people to come to his restaurant
C. show how hard he is trying to run his business
D. encourage people to start businesses like him
53. What is the cause of the current financial crisis of America?
A. The Presidential Election
B. U.S. banks lending money too easily.
C. The decreasing economy.
D. America’s rapid development.
54. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A. Many students can not eat expensive fruits in school canteens.
B. Americans are very worried about their lives.
C. The international cooperation is most needed.
D. The current financial crisis is the worst in American history.
55. This passage mainly talks about______
A. the terrible life of Americans
B. the situation of the financial crisis
C. the way to go through the crisis
D. the world financial market
(B)
Last week, while visiting my dad with my daughter, we went to a restaurant for dinner. When we were seated, my dad asked the waitress if there were any soldiers eating at the restaurant. Then waitress said there was a soldier having dinner with his friend. My dad told the waitress to tell the soldier and his friend that their dinner was paid for! He also said that he did not want to be known as the benefactor(施主).
Then waitress later commented on my dad’s thoughtful behavior saying that she had never seen anything like this before. At a local college, she had studied opera and so she used this to thank my dad by performing a piece from The Pearl Fisherman. Her voice brought me to tears because it sounded perfect!
After a while, the soldier appeared at our table (I don’t know how he knew my dad paid the bill for him.) and said that he would be sent to the front the next morning and that he could not leave this country without saying “thanks” to my dad. My dad replied that it was he who wanted to say “thanks”. They shook hands as the soldier left.
Before we left, the waitress came by again. She did a magic show as another way to show her “thanks” to my dad. Her show was really great. My dad left her a note with email address asking for her next performance time in addition to a $ 50 tip.
Everyone witnessed something exemplary in the human spirit that night. I can only hope to see more of this in the future.
46. My dad offered help to the soldier and his friend in the restaurant probably because________.
A. he wanted to thank them for all they had done
B. he wanted to know more about then
C. he wanted the waitress to thank him
D. he wanted the soldiers to know his kindness
47. The waitress performed The Pearl Fisherman in the restaurant because____.
A. she was asked to perform to the guests
B. she wanted to show off her wonderful skills
C. she wanted to show her respect and thanks to the author’s dad
D. she wanted to attract more and more guests
48. What did the soldier do in response to the author’s father’s kindness?
A. He gave something to author’s dad.
B. He gave a big tip to the waitress.
C. He said thanks to the author’s dad in person.
D. He did a magic show for the author and her father.
49. The author considered her father’s action to be ____.
A. funny B. understandable C. worthless D. honorable
50. The passage mainly tells us that we should ____.
A. learn to be grateful to others B. find ways to thank others
C. try to learn from each other D. respect soldiers and waitresses
第三部分阅读（共两节，满分40分）
第一节：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。
（A）
In 2008, the main candidates（候选人）for President each used this expression: “You can put lipstick（口红）on a pig, but it is still a pig.” This means that it is a waste of time to change something from ugly or unpleasant–looking to beautiful.
There are other expressions about improving a pig’s appearance, like this one: “A hog in a silk waistcoat is still a hog.” Hogs are similar to pigs, only bigger. Americans use many other expressions about pigs, hogs and female hogs called sows, like this one, “You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.” This means you cannot create something valuable from something that has no value. Then there is the expression “Cast pearls before swine（猪）.” That means wasting something valuable on someone who will not be thankful or care about it.
Hogs, which are very large animals, take up a lot of space but people should not take up more than their share. If one of your children is taking up too much space sitting in front of the television, other children might say: “Do not hog the couch.” And a road hog is a driver who uses more than his share of the road. Such a driver increases dangers for other drivers.
Pig terms are also used in American politics. Farmers mark their pig’s ears to identify them. In politics, earmarks are money set aside for projects in a congressman’s home state.
In many areas, pigs provide ham, bacon and other pork products to eat. All Americans want to be able to bring home the bacon because they want to earn enough money to provide the necessities of life. Experts say this term was first used in the 1920s. But it is believed to come from the much older game of catching a greased（涂了油的）pig. This was a popular event at country fairs in which the winner was awarded the pig.
41. The author writes this passage mainly to _________.
A. express his support for the Presidential Election
B. introduce some expressions used in Americans’ daily life
C. criticize the bad influence caused by expressions about pigs
D. discuss some problems caused by expressions about pigs
42. If you give a good book to a person who can’t read, which of the following is the most suitable to describe it?
A. Cast pearls before swine.
B. You can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig.
C. A hog in a silk waistcoat is still a hog.
D. You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.
43. A driver who takes up too much space on the road is often referred to as _________.
A. a greased pig B. a couch hog
C. a road hog D. a road earmark
44. How many words which refer to the same animal are mentioned in this passage?
A. Three B. Four C. Five D. Six
45. Which of the following expressions are similar to “You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.”?
A. When pigs fly! B. To eat like a pig
C. To sell a pig in a pork. D. To sweat like a pig.