第三部分：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。
Having divorced (离婚) my dad, my mom had to move frequently in order to find a job that would provide her with enough money to support the big family. For three years, we lived in the town of Parkersburg. On the first Christmas there, my brothers and I had been well prepared for a holiday without presents. But we had a surprise on Christmas Eve.
At midnight, we were woken up by someone shouting at our front door, “Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas!” We jumped up and ran to the door to find no one there, but several boxes and bags! Not only were there gifts, which were our favorite, but there were also clothes and food. Each of us kids, as well as Mom, had gifts with our names on them. And the clothes all fit us!
Another year went by and on Christmas Eve, we again got boxes and bags full of goodies. The next year we moved. We were in the same town but across the other side. Mom was beginning to get on her feet. Since we had moved and Mom had a better job, we were quite certain that “Santa” wouldn’t visit us that year. But we were wrong!
Those “Santa” visits restored in me the belief in the goodness of mankind, though to this day we don’t know who our helper was.
When we grew up, Mom moved to Virginia. She had some extra money one Christmas. She sent it to me and let us know her decision. We then took action. My husband and children had so much fun buying and wrapping presents for the needy family we had chosen. On Christmas Eve, we allowed the excited kids to stay up late to be part of our secret “Santa” project.
Such satisfaction there was in being able to pass on the gift of love to others who needed it. And the gift goes on!
56. From the first paragraph, we can learn that ______.
A. the writer’s family didn’t like to celebrate Christmas
B. the writer felt sorry about not having Christmas presents
C. the writer’s mother couldn’t afford any Christmas presents
D. the writer knew that something surprising would happen
57. The presents that the writer’s family received must be from _______.
A. someone who has no children B. someone who knew them well
C. the church in the neighborhood D. the richest family in the town
58. What decision did the writer’s mom make in the fifth paragraph?
A. To give her extra money to a poor family.
B. To thank the person who once helped her family.
C. To give some Christmas presents to a poor family in secret.
D. To invite a poor family to spend Christmas with her family.
59. This passage is written to ______.
A. show pity to the poor people B. show human kindness
C. thank the helper D. show the advantages of being rich
You've heard that plastic is polluting the oceans-between4.8 and 12.7 million tonnes enter ocean ecosystems every year. But does one plastic straw or cup really make a difference? Artist Benjamin Von Wong wants you to know that it does. He builds massive sculptures out of plastic garbage, foreing viewers to re-examine their relationship to single-use plastic products.
At the beginning of the year, the artist built a piece called"Strawpocalypse,"a pair of 10-foot-tall plastic waves, frozen mid-crash. Made of 168,000 plastic straws collected from several volunteer beach cleanups, the sculpture made its first appearance at the Estella Place shopping center in Ho Chi Minh City,Vietnam.
Just 9% of global plastic waste is recycled. Plastic straws are by no means the biggest source (来源)of plastic pollution, but they've recently come under fire because most people don't need them to drink with and, because of their small size and weight,they cannot be recycled.Every straw that's part of Von Wong's artwork likely came from a drink that someone used for only a few minutes. Once the drink is gone,the straw will take centuries to disappear.
In a piece from 2018,Von Wong wanted to illustrate (说明) a specific statistic:Every 60 seconds, a truckload's worth of plastic enters the ocean. For this work, titled "Truckload of Plastic, " Von Wong and a group of volunteers collected more than 10,000 pieces of plastic ,which were then tied together to look like they'd been dumped(倾倒)from a truck all at once.
Von Wong hopes that his work will also help pressure big companies to reduce their plastic footprint.
8.What are Von Wong's artworks in tended for?
| A． |
Beautifying the city he lives in. |
| B． |
Introducing eco-friendly products. |
| C． |
Drawing public attention to plastic waste. |
| D． |
Reducing garbage on the beach. |
9.Why does the author discuss plastic straws in paragraph 3?
| A． |
To show the difficulty of their recycling. |
| B． |
To explain why they are useful. |
| C． |
To voice his views on modern art. |
| D． |
To find a substitute for them. |
10.What effect would "Truckload of Plastic"have on viewers?
| A． |
Calming. |
| B． |
Disturbing |
| C． |
Refreshing |
| D． |
Challenging. |
11.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
| A． |
Artists'Opinions on Plastic Safety |
| B． |
MediaInterest in Contemporary Art |
| C． |
Responsibility Demanded of Big Companies |
| D． |
Ocean Plastics Transformed into Sculptures |
When almost everyone has a mobile phone,why are more than half of Australian homes still paying for a landline (座机)?
These days you'd be hard pressed to find anyone in Australia over the age of 15 who doesn'town a mobile phone. In fact plenty of younger kids have one in their pocket. Practically everyone can make and receive calls anywhere,anytime.
Still,55percent of Australians have a landline phone at home and only just over a quarter（29%） rely only on their smartphones ,according to a survey（调查）.Of thoseAustralianswhostillhave a landline,a third concedethat it's not really necessary and they're keeping it as a security blanket - 19 percent say they never use it while afurther 13 percent keep it in case of emergencies. I think my home falls into that category.
More than half of Australian homes are still choosing to stick with their home phone .Age is naturally a factor （因素）-only 58 percent of Generation Ys still use landlines now and then, compared to 84 percent of Baby Boomers who've perhaps had the same homenumber for 50years.Age isn't the only factor;I'd say it's also to do with the makeup of your household.
Generation Xers with young families,like my wife and I,can still find it convenient to have a home phone rather than providing a mobile phone for every family member. That said, to be honest the only people who ever ring our home phone are our Baby Boomers parents,to the point where we play a game and guess who is calling before we pick up the phone （using Caller ID would take the fun out of it）.
How attached are you to your landline? How long until they go the way of gas street lamps and morning milk deliveries?
4.What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us about mobile phones?
| A． |
Their target users. |
| B． |
Their wide popularity. |
| C． |
Their major functions. |
| D． |
Their complex design. |
5.What does the underlined word "concede"in paragraph 3 mean?
| A． |
Admit. |
| B． |
Argue. |
| C． |
Remember. |
| D． |
Remark. |
6.What can we say about Baby Boomers?
| A． |
They like smartphone games. |
| B． |
Theyenjoyguessingcallers'identity. |
| C． |
They keep using landline phones. |
| D． |
They are attached to their family. |
7.What can be inferred about the landline from the last paragraph?
| A． |
It remains a family necessity. |
| B． |
It will fall out of use someday. |
| C． |
It may increase daily expenses. |
| D． |
It is as important as the gas light. |
The Biggest Stadiums in the World
People have been pouring into stadiums since the days of ancient Greece. In around 80 A.D. , the Romans built the Colosseum, which remains the world's best known stadium and continues to inform contemporary design. Rome's Colosseum was 157 feet tall and had 80 entrances, seating 50,000 people. However, that was small fry compared with the city's Circus Maximus, which accommodated around 250,000 people.
These days,safety regulations-not to mention the modern sports fan's desire for a good view and a comfo rt able sea t -tend to k eep stad ium cap acitie s（容量 ） slight ly lo w e r. Even soccer fans tend to have a seat each; gone are the days of thousands standing to watch the match.
For the biggest stadiums in the world, we have used data supplied by the World Atlas list so far, which ranks them by their stated permanentcapacity,as well as updated information from official stadium websites.
All these stadiums are still functional,still open and still hosting the biggest events in world sport.
• Rungrado 1st of May Stadium,Pyongyang,D.P.R-Korea.Capacity.150,000.Opened：May1,1989.
• Michigan Stadium,Ann Arbor, Michigan,U.S. Capacity:107,601.Opened.October1, 1927.
• Beaver Stadium,State College,Pennsylvania,U.S.Capacity:106,572.Opened:September17,I960.
• Ohio Stadium,Columbus,Ohio,U.S.Capacity:104,944.Opened:October7,1922.
• Kyle Field,College Station,Texas,U.S.Capacity:102,512.Opened:September24,1927.
1.How many people could the Circus Maximus hold?
| A． |
104,944. |
B． |
107,601. |
C． |
About150,000. |
D． |
About 250,000. |
2.Of the following stadiums,which is the oldest?
| A． |
MichiganStadium. |
| B． |
BeaverStadium. |
| C． |
OhioStadium. |
| D． |
KyleField. |
3.What do the listed stadiums have in common?
| A． |
They host big games. |
| B． |
They have become tourist attractions |
| C． |
Theywere built by Americans. |
| D． |
They are favored by architects |
Romecanbepriceyfortravelers, whichiswhymanychoosetostayinahostel( 旅社). ThehostelsinRomeofferabedinadormroomforaround
＄25anight,andforthat,you'lloftengettostayinacentrallocation(位置) withsecurity andcomfort.
YellowHostel
If I had to make just one recommendation for where to stay in Rome, it would beYellowHostel.It'soneofthebest-rated hostelsinthe city,andforgood reason.It'saffordable,andit'sgotafunatmospherewithoutbeingtoonoisy.Asanaddedbonus,it'sclosetothemaintrainstation.
Hostel AlessandroPalace
If you love social hostels, this is the best hostel for you in Rome. HostelAlessandroPalaceisfun.Staffmembersholdplentyofbareventsforguestslikefree shots,barcrawlsandkaraoke.There'salsoanareaontherooftopforhangingoutwith othertravelersduringthesummer.
YouthStation Hostel
If you'relooking for cleanlinessanda modernhostel,look no further thanYouthStation.Itoffersbeautifulfurnishingsandbeds.Thereareplentyofotherbenefits,too;itdoesn'tchargecitytax;ithas both air conditioning and a heaterfortherooms;it also hasfree Wi-Fi ineveryroom.
Hoteland Hostel Des Artistes
Hotel and Hostel Des Artistes is located just a 10-minute walk fromthe central city station and it'sclose to all of the city's main attractions. The staff is friendly and helpful,providing you with a map of the city when you arrive,and offering advice if you requiresome. However,you need to pay 2 euros a day for Wi-Fi.
What is probably the major concern of travelers who choose to stay in a hostel?
| A． |
Comfort. |
B． |
Security. |
C． |
Price. |
D． |
Location. |
Which hotel best suits people who enjoy anactive social life?
| A． |
Yellow Hostel. |
B． |
Hostel AlessandroPalace. |
| C． |
YouthStationHostel. |
D． |
HotelandHostelDesArtistes. |
What is the disadvantage of Hotel and Hostel Des Artistes?
| A． |
It gets noisy at night. |
| B． |
Its staff is too talkative. |
| C． |
It charges for Wi-Fi. |
| D． |
It's inconveniently located. |
Who is a genius? This question has greatly interested humankind for centuries.
Let's state clearly: Einstein was a genius. His face is almost the international symbol for genius. But we want to go beyond one man and explore the nature of genius itself. Why is it that some people are so much more intelligent or creative than the rest of us? And who are they?
In the sciences and arts, those praised as geniuses were most often white men, of European origin. Perhaps this is not a surprise. It's said that history is written by the victors, and those victors set the standards for admission to the genius club. When contributions were made by geniuses outside the club-women, or people of a different color or belief-they were unacknowledged and rejected by others.
A study recently published by Science found that as young as age six, girls are less likely than boys to say that members of their gender（性别）are "really, really smart." Even worse, the study found that girls act on that belief Around age six they start to avoid activities said to be for children who are "really, really smart." Can our planet afford to have any great thinkers become discouraged and give up? It doesn't take a genius to know the answer: absolutely not.
Here's the good news. In a wired world with constant global communication, we're all positioned to see flashes of genius wherever they appear. And the more we look, the more we will see that social factors（因素）like gender, race, and class do not determine the appearance of genius. As a writer says, future geniuses come from those with "intelligence, creativity, perseverance（毅力）, and simple good fortune, who are able to change the world."
12. What does the author think of victors' standards for joining the genius club?
| A． |
They're unfair. |
B． |
They're conservative. |
| C． |
They're objective. |
D． |
They're strict. |
13. What can we infer about girls from the study in Science?
| A． |
They think themselves smart. |
| B． |
They look up to great thinkers. |
| C． |
They see gender differences earlier than boys. |
| D． |
They are likely to be influenced by social beliefs |
14. Why are more geniuses known to the public?
| A． |
Improved global communication. |
| B． |
Less discrimination against women. |
| C． |
Acceptance of victors' concepts. |
| D． |
Changes in people's social positions. |
15. What is the best title for the text?
| A． |
Geniuses Think Alike |
B． |
Genius Takes Many Forms |
| C． |
Genius and Intelligence |
D． |
Genius and Luck |