第二部分 阅读理解 （共两节，满分30分）
第一节、（共10小题；每小题2分，满分20分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、和D四个选项
“Cool” is a word with many meanings. Its old meaning is used to express a temperature that is a little bit cold．As the world has changed, the word has had many different meanings. “Cool” can be used to express feelings of interest in almost anything. When you see a famous car in the street, maybe you will say, “It’s cool.” You may think, “He’s so cool,” when you see your favorite footballer. We all maximize（扩大）the meaning of “cool”. You can use it instead of many words such as “new” or “surprising”. Here’s an interesting story we can use to show the way the word is used．A teacher asked her students to write about the waterfall （瀑布） they had visited．On one student’s paper was just the one sentence, “It’s so cool. ” Maybe he thought it was the best way to show what he saw and felt. But the story also shows a scarcity（缺乏）of words. Without “cool”, some people have no words to show the same meaning. So it is quite important to keep some credibility （可信性）. Can you think of many other words that make your life as colorful as the word “cool”? I can. And I think they are also very cool .
36．We know that the word “cool” has had ________________
A．only one meaning B．no meanings
C．many different meanings D．the same meaning
37．In the passage, the word “express” means “_____________”
A．see B．show C．know D．feel
38．In the passage, the writer suggests（暗示） that the word “cool”__________
A．can be used instead of many words B．usually means something interesting
C．can make your life colorful D．may not be as cool as it seems
第二部分阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）
（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，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
In 1901, H.G. Wells, an English writer, wrote a book describing a trip to the moon. When the explorers(探险者)landed on the moon, they discovered that the moon was full of underground cities. They expressed their surprise to the “moon people” they met. In turn, the “moon people” expressed their surprise. “Why,” they asked, “are you traveling to outer space when you don’t even use your inner space?”
H.G. Wells could only imagine travel to the moon. In 1969, human beings really did land on the moon. People today know that there are no underground cities on the moon. However, the question that the “moon people” asked is still an interesting one. A growing number of scientists are seriously thinking about it.
Underground systems are already in place. Many cities have underground car parks. In some cities, such as Tokyo, Seoul and Montreal, there are large underground shopping areas. The “Chunnel”—a tunnel(隧道)connecting England and France, is now complete.
But what about underground cities? Japan’s Taisei Corporation is designed a network of underground systems, called “Alice Cities.” The designers imagine using surface space for public parks and using underground space for flats, offices, shopping, and so on. A solar dome(太阳能穹顶)would cover the whole city.
Supporters of underground development say that building down rather than building up is a good way to use the earth’s space. The surface, they say, can be used for farms, parks, gardens, and wilderness. H.G. Wells’ “moon people” would agree. Would you?
36.. The explorers in H. G. Wells’ story were surprised to find that the “moon people” ____.
A. knew so much about the earth
B. understand their language
C. lived in so many underground cities
D. were ahead of them in space technology
37.. What does the underlined word “it ”(paragraph 2)refer to?
A. Discovering the moon’s inner space.
B. Using the earth’s inner space.
C. meeting the “moon people ”again.
D. Traveling to outer space.
38.. What sort of underground systems are already here with us?
A. Offices, shopping areas, power stations.
B. Tunnels, car parks, shopping areas.
C. Gardens, car parks, power stations.
D. Tunnels, gardens, offices.
39.. What would be the best title for the text?
A. Alice Cities-cities of the future
B. Space travel with H.G. Wells
C. Enjoy living underground
D. Building down, not up
E
President Obama’s meeting with the Dalai Lama has already made China extremely angry and stirred up Tibet advocates who thought it should have come sooner. China says Tibet is part of it, and that the meeting represents an unwanted intrusion(侵犯) into its own affairs. Many Americans still see the Dalai Lama as the representative of a people treated cruelly by Chinese rule. Many Tibetans are dissatisfied with Chinese rule, and this has led to widespread rioting(暴乱) over the past few years. Theywantself-determination; fair enough. But that seems to be the only story about Tibet that is ever told. The other story is — Looking at growth, standard of living, infrastructure(基础设施), and GDP, one thing is clear: China has treated Tibetans amiably.
Since 2001, Beijing has spent $45.4 billion on development in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). The effect: double-digit GDP growth for the past nine years. About a third of the money went to infrastructure investment, including the train connecting Beijing to Lhasa. The train provides an opportunity for Tibetan goods to be sold outside of the region and for a massive increase in number of tourists, reaching more than 5.5 million in 2009 — up from close to 2 million in 2005, the year before the train. While Tibetan independence groups like Free Tibet raise concerns about the increase in tourism, Hillman，a Tibet expert, points out that “tourism is an important industry that can benefit local Tibetans.”
Infrastructure improvements have not only helped grow the economy but also have aided in modernizing remote parts of Tibet, an area with 3 million people about twice the size of France.
Though Tibet is seriously puzzled by the "special contradiction" of the Dalai Lama, the central government stressed the need for Tibet to develop using the "combination of economic growth, well-off life, a healthy eco-environment, and social stability and progress" and The government is offering Tibetans the same bargain it has offered the rest of the country: in exchange for a great rise in living standards, the government requires citizens to stop having the right to free worship and free speech. Even if Tibetan residents never signed the contract, they have benefited from its policy—a fact Obama might keep in mind when he meets the Dalai Lama.
67. What does the underlined word “amiably” in the first paragraph mean?
A. rudely B. kindly C. politely D. coldly
68. According to the writer’s viewpoint it can be inferred that .
A. it doesn’t matter much to the Chinese government whether Tibetan problems exist
B. all the Americans agree with their president Obama’s meeting with the Dalai Lama
C. Hillman and Free Tibet hold different attitudes towards the increase in tourism
D. the Tibet Autonomous Region is an area of dense(稠密的) population
69. What can be learnt about the writer from the passage? The writer ______ .
A. urges the Chinese government to promote economy in Tibet
B. has an obvious political trend
C. describes what a happy life Tibetans are living to the public
D. states the facts as they are
70. The writer’s attitude towards the economical policy of the Chinese government in Tibet is ____ .
A. positive B. negative C. doubtful D. pessimistic
D
For John and Amy Cervantes, birthdays have always been a big deal — a welcome excuse to celebrate life. When their eldest son, Alex, turned three, in 2005, they invited 20 friends to a nearby park and hired a clown to paint faces and make balloon animals.
Not long after that, the couple were brainstorming ways to teach Alex about giving to others. “That’ s when a spark went off,” says Amy. “We wanted to do something that would have a strong effect on our community, that wasn’t already being done, and that our young children could participate in. I started wondering what less fortunate kids do on their birthdays. The next day, we called a local shelter.” What they learned is that homeless children typically don’t do anything to celebrate. No cake. No gifts. No party.
Several weeks later, the family threw a party at the shelter for the children who had birthdays that month. They decorated, served cake, and led 50 kids in the uncertain situation. Alex helped fill and pass out goody bags and presents. Since that first party, the couple have turned their simple idea into Birthday Blessings, a nonprofit that hosts monthly parties at ten shelters in and around Charlotte, North Carolina. The group also delivers baby supplies to new moms in the shelters. And it considerately sends treats to elementary schools so homeless kids can celebrate their birthdays with friends.
To date, Birthday Blessings has thrown more than 500 parties and handed out over 22,000 favors to nearly 4,000 homeless children. The idea is spreading fast, with additional chapters set to start in Atlanta, Cincinnati, and northeast Indiana. Birthday Blessings is operated entirely by volunteers with Amy, a stay-at-home mom, in charge. John attempts his career as an investment adviser while setting up the group’s similar network and running its capital campaign. The charity will take almost anything — toys, baby items — as long as it’s not used. “These kids never get anything new,” John says. “It makes a big difference to them psychologically.”
Being part of this“labor of love,” as Amy puts it, is already making an impression on the boys. When Alex turned seven, his grandparents sent a birthday check. “The first thing he said when he opened it,” Amy recalls, “was that he wanted to give half to the birthday kids.”
63. “a spark went off,” in Para 2 is closest in meaning to_______ .
A. Something was burning B. there was a little hope
C. they were excited.D. some good idea flashed into their mind.
64. The couple held a party at the shelter because_____ .
A. The children had birthdays that month
B. They felt sympathy for the homeless children
C. They wanted to make good impression on the children
D. They wanted to show that they were generous and kind
65. From the passage we can learn_______ .
A. The homeless children typically receive gifts and eat cakes on their birthdays
B. The group carefully sends treats to all the children in elementary schools
C. Birthday Blessings has performed different activities to aid the homeless children.
D. The couple are responsible for their own community in North Carolina
66. Which would be the best title for the passage?
A. Labor of Love B. Nonprofit Organization
C. Warm-hearted Volunteers.D. Fortunate Children
C
Could the solution to world future energy needs lie in the ocean? It’s possible.
We are not talking about oil, but another potential untapped energy resource called “methane hydrates”.
Methane hydrates are hard, ice-like white solids that form naturally in deposits (沉积物) on ocean floors. They arecomposed of water and highly concentrated methane produced by the microorganisms living in the deposits.
The remarkable thing is that you can hold a flame to a piece of methane hydrate and it will catch on fire. It’s been called “burning ice.”
Methane hydrates are spread around the world. These deposits may in the future become a very important fuel resource. One researcher calculated that a small area off the Southeastern coast of America may contain methane hydrates equal to 30 times the annual U.S. consumption of natural gas.
Right now there are very significant technical and financial challenges facing us before we could exploit this as a resource. Scientists around the world are studying these challenges. One big issue is how to get these methane hydrates off the ocean floor, causing undersea landslides and tidal waves.
Another issue is how to handle the matter after it is brought up. It’s also unclear whether it would make more sense to “mine” solid hydrates or tap the gases found with them. And many deposits may occur in low concentrations with no commercial potential.
Japan, which has no oil supplies of its own, has thrown itself into burning ice research because it has deposits off its shores which could make Japan less dependent on foreign suppliers of oil.
The U.S. Department of Energy and Congress are also supporting research. However, the US administration’s energy policy is focused on traditional fossil (化石) fuels. And at least for now, developing burning ice into a fuel source isn’t high on the energy industry’s list. But if natural gas continues to rise in price, exploiting burning ice might become economically practical.
59. What’s the meaning of the underlined word in Paragraph Two?
A. not existed B. Unseen C. available but not used D. unreal
60. What can you learn from the text?
A. Burning ice has been used in some countries.
B. Applying burning ice tops the energy list in America.
C. Burning ice exists in few countries.
D. There are still some problems in developing the burning ice
61. Why has Japan already begun to develop the burning ice?
A. It is a developed country. B. They want to help other countries.
C. It lacks oil supplies of its own. D. America asked Japan to do so.
62. Which one is the best title of the text?
A. World Energy Shortage B. Burning Ice Holds Hope as Fuel Source
C. Methane Hydrates D. Methane Hydrates Spread around the World
B
Wild Blue is a none-of-a-kind, geography-oriented exploration and adventure center for children aged 3 through 10．Our mission is to immerse(使沉浸于)children and their families in experiences that relate to the people，places and natural elements of the wonderful planet we live on．All our programs are developed and led by our own world-class team of explorers and educators．The following is a brief introduction to some of our classes：
Global Kitchen
All over the world，people gather together to share meals．In this class, children will learn about the cuisine of a foreign country or region while they create a delicious snack． Recipes will be kid-friendly, and use ingredients(原料)from the country of origin．Your child will learn healthy，easy-to-create recipes he can bring home to share!
Documentary Filmmaking
This 50-minute video documentary film class is specially designed for our 6and 7 years old explorers．Classes will concentrate on the basics of visual storytelling and include subject discovery, story development, storyboard, filming，editing and presenting．Participants will work as a team to produce their own documentary, which will then be screened for friends and family at the course’s conclusion．
Exploring the Wonders of Earth
Designed specifically with our youngest explorers in mind, this semester-long program will expose your child to a wide variety of exciting scientific events that occur on our planet，from chocolate melting，to volcanoes erupting，to seeds sprouting．Through this course children will begin to develop an awareness of the science that makes the earth a marvelous place．
A World of Arts and Crafts
Whether you are seeking to simply extend your child’s time at Wild Blue or looking for a favorite pastime，we offer our own unique version of arts and crafts．Focusing on using found objects，this course encourages children to draw creative inspiration from cultures around the world．This course is available，upon request, as an additional class in your child’s schedule．
55. The passage is mainly about ______.
A. an interesting exploration to the outer space
B. various tips on how to explore
C. an exploration program designed for children
D. a vivid description to an exploring experience
56. In the “Global Kitchen” class, children will _____.
A. learn to create a delicious snack of his own country or region
B. focus on learning complex recipes
C. enjoy the food over the process of making
D. mainly use ingredients that are unpolluted and good to children’s health
57. Those who sign up for thedocumentary filmmaking class．
A. should be children with advanced filmmaking ability
B. can do filmmaking with his partner as wellas his families
C. can work both individually or as a pair
D. will present their works in the end
58. If one parent intends to develop his child’s love for science, which course can he take?
A. Global Kitchen B. Documentary Filmmaking
C. Exploring the Wonders of Earth D. A World of Arts and Crafts