第三部分阅读理解(共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分)
请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Marco Polo was born in Venice in 1254．He was the most famous Westerner to visit Asia during the Middle Ages．He wrote a book about his travels．In his book he wrote about all the things he saw and heard．Many people read the book, but few believed what Marco Polo said．He spoke of strange people and places that nobody knew about at that time．But, he even said, “What I have written down is only half of what I have seen．”
As a young man, Marco Polo decided to travel together with his father．It took them more than three years to travel to China．He became the Chinese emperor’s (皇帝)friend．He learned the Chinese language when he traveled around and talked to many people．Before he reached the age of 30 he was made a Chinese official．After nearly 17 years in the east, Marco and his father prepared to return home．When they finally arrived in Venice, their family and friends were surprised to see them again．They had been away for almost 25 years and everybody thought that they must have died a long time ago．
56、What did Marco Polo write about in his book?
A. About Venice． B. About the Chinese emperor．
C. About what he saw and heard in Asia． D. About how he returned home．
57、What did Marco Polo learn Chinese for?
A.To become a Chinese official．
B.To become the Chinese emperor’s friend．
C.To become a translator for his father.
D. To travel around conveniently in China．
58、Which is NOT true according to the text?
A. Marco Polo and his father had been in China for 17 years．
B. Marco Polo and his father spent nearly 5 years returning home．
C. Marco Polo’s father died on the way home．
D. Marco Polo spent more than three years traveling from Venice to China．
59、By saying “What I have written down is only half of what I have seen…”, Marco Polo meant that_________．
A.he only saw half of the country during his stay in China
B.there were still a lot more he couldn’t write down
C. half of the people went to China during that time
D. he wanted to write down the other half of what he saw in China
THE WAY TO READ FAST
Perhaps you have been told about some habits（习惯） which stop a person reading fast、and have been strongly asked to break those habits which you might have.
Do you still have any of these bad habits7 Check yourself by answering "yes" or "no" to
these questions:
1. Do you move your lips(嘴唇) when reading silently？
2. Do you point to words with your finger as you read?
3. Do you move your head from side to side as you read?
4. Do you read one word at a time?
If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, start at once to break the habit.
If you move your lips, hold your fingers over them, or hold a piece of paper between your lips while you are reading. Then if your lips move, you will know it and can stop them.
If you point to words, hold the two sides of your book, one side with your left hand, the other side with your right hand. Then you will not have a free finger to use in pointing while reading.
If you move your head, place your chin（下巴）in one hand, and hold your head still(不动地，静止地).
If you read no more than one or two or three words at a time, you need to work very hard in learning to take in more words at each glance(看一眼) as your eyes travel across the lines of words.You may hold your fingers over your lips while reading
| A．to hold a piece of paper between them |
| B．to stop yourself talking to others |
| C．to tell others to be silent |
| D．to feel whether y our lips move or not |
When your eyes travel across the lines of words,
| A．you need to read the words out |
| B．you need to look at every word carefully |
| C．you need to read several words at a time |
| D．you need to remember every word |
When you read,
| A．don’t use your finger to point to words |
| B．don’t hold your books with your hands |
| C．don’t hold your head still |
| D．don’t do any of the things mentioned(提到)above. |
When other nine-year–old kids were playing games , she was working at a petrol station．When other teens were studying or going out , she struggled to find a place to sleep on the street．But she overcame these terrible setbacks to win a highly competitive scholar and gain entry to Harvard University．
Her amazing story has inspired a move , “ Homeless to Harvard : The Liz Murray Story ”, shown in late April．
Liz Murray , a year- old American girl , has been writing a real-life story of willpower and determination．
Liz grew up in the shadow of two drug-addicted．There was never enough food or warm clothes in the house．Liz was the only member of the family who had a job．
Her mother had AIDS and died when Liz was just 15 years old．The effect of that loss became a turning point in her life．Connecting the environment in which she had grown up with how her mother had died , she decided to do something about it．
Liz went back to school．She threw herself into her studies , never telling her teachers that she was homeless．At night , she lived on the streets．
“ What drove me to survive had to do with understanding , by understanding that there was a whole other way of being．I had only experienced a small part of the society , ” she wrote in her book “ Breaking Night ”．
She admitted that she used envy to drive herself on．She used the benefits that come easily to others , such as a safe living environment , to encourage herself that “ next to nothing could hold me down ”．
She finished high school in just two years and won a full scholarship to study at Harvard University．But Liz decided to leave her top university for a couple of moths earlier this year in order to take care of her father , who has also developed AIDS．“ I love my parents so much．They are drug addicts．But I never forget that they love me all the time．”
Liz wants moviegoers to come away with the idea that changing your life is “ as simple a making a decision．”In which order did the following thing happen to Liz ?
a．Mum died b．Worked at the petrol station
c．Got admitted into Harvard d．had trouble finding a place to sleep
| A．b-a-d-c | B．a-b-d-c | C．d-b –a –c | D．b-d-a –c |
What decision did Liz make that changed her life ?
| A．To go back to school | B．To go to the best university |
| C．To survive | D．To live a different life from her parents |
What actually drove her on towards her goal ?
| A．Envy | B．Her love for her parents |
| C．He Mum’s death | D．Her willpower and determination |
When she wrote “ I had only experienced a small part of the society ”, she _____
| A．wanted to encourage herself |
| B．suggested something she wanted for her life |
| C．suggested people often look back |
| D．meant that she had little experience |
I came to study in the United States a year ago .Yet I did not know the real American society until I was injured in a car accident because after the accident I had to see a doctor and go to court.
After the accident .my roommate called a doctor for me. I was very grateful and determined to repay him one day. But the next day, he asked me to pay him $200 for what he had done. I was astonished. He had good reason to charge me, he said. And if I wanted to collect money from the person who was responsible for my injury, I’d have to have a good lawyer. And only a good doctor can help me get a good lawyer .Now that he had helped me find a good doctor, it was only fair that I should pay him.
But every day I went to see the doctor, I had to wait about 50 minutes. He would see two or three patients at the same time, and often stop treating one so as to see another. Yet he charged me $115 each time .The final examination report was made up of ten lines, and it cost me $215.
My lawyer was all smiles the first time we met. But after that he avoided seeing me at all. He knew very well the other party was responsible for the accident, yet he hardly did anything. He simply waited to collect his money. He was so irresponsible that I decided to dismiss(解雇) him. And he made me pay him $770.
Now I had to act as my own lawyer. Due to my inexperience, I told the insurance company（保险公司） the date I was leaving America. Knowing that, they played for time…and I left without getting a cent.A good doctor is necessary and important for the author to __________.
| A．be properly treated |
| B．talk with the person responsible for the accident |
| C．recover before he leaves America |
| D．eventually get the responsible party to pay for his injury |
The word “charge” in the third paragraph means_________ .
| A．be responsible | B．accuse | C．ask as a price | D．claim |
Both the doctor and the lawyer in this passage are very__________.
| A．friendly | B．selfish | C．professional | D．busy |
What conclusion can you draw from the story?
| A．Going to court is something very common in America. |
| B．One must be very careful while driving a car. |
| C．There are more bad sides in America than good sides. |
| D．Money is more important than other things in the US. |
What will man be like in the future—in 5000 or even 50, 000 years from now? We can only make guesses, of course, but we can be sure that he will be different from what he is today, for man is slowly changing all the time.
Let us take an obvious example. Man, even five hundred years ago , was shorter than he is today. Now, on average, men are about three inches taller. Five hundred years is a relatively short period of time, so we may assume that man will continue to grow taller. Again, in the modem world we use our brains a great deal. Even so, we still make use of only about 20% of the brain’ s capacity(容量). As time goes on , however , we shall have to use our brains more and more, and eventually we shall need larger ones! This is likely to bring about a physical change too: the head, in particular the forehead, will grow larger. Nowadays our eyes are in constant use. In fact , we use them so much that very often they become weaker and we have to wear glasses. But over a very long period of time it is likely that man’ s eyes will grow stronger.
On the other hand, we tend to make less use of our arms and legs. These, as a result, are likely to grow weaker. At the same time, however , our fingers will grow more sensitive（敏感的） because they are used a great deal in modern life.
But what about hair? This will probably disappear from the body altogether in course of time because it does not serve a useful purpose any longer. In the future, then, both sexes are likely to be bald.
Perhaps all this gives the impression that future man will not be a very attractive creature to look at! This may well be true. All the same, in spite of all these changes, future man will still have a lot in common with us. He will still be a human being, with thoughts and emotions similar to our own. … The passage mainly tells us that _______.
| A．man’s life will be different in the future. |
| B．future man will look quite different from us. |
| C．man is growing taller and uglier as time passes. |
| D．human’s organs’ functions will become weak “ |
The change in man’s size of forehead will probably be because ___________.
| A．he makes use onIy20% of the brain’s capacity. |
| B．his brain has grown larger over the past centuries. |
| C．the other 80% of his brain will grow in due time |
| D．he will use his brain more and more as time goes on : |
What will be true about a human being in the future?
| A．He will be hairless because hair is no longer useful. |
| B．He will have smaller eyes and will wear better glasses. |
| C．His fingers will grow weaker because he won’t have to make use of them. |
| D．He will think and feel in a different way. |
It is implied that ________.
| A．human beings will become less attractive in the future |
| B．less use of a bodily organ may lead to its degeneration(退化,) |
| C．human beings hope for a change in the future life |
| D．future life is always predictable |
One of our biggest fears nowadays is that our kids might some day get lost in a “sea of technology” rather than experiencing the natural world. TV and computer games are leading to a serious disconnect between kids and the great outdoors, which will change the wild places of the world, its creatures and human health for the worse, unless adults get working on child’s play.
Without having a nature experience, kids, can turn out just fine, but they are missing out a huge enrichment of their lives. That contributes to everything from their physical health and mental health, to stress levels, creativity and cognitive (认知的) skills. Experts predict modern kids will have poorer health than their parents---and they say a lack of outside play is surely part of it; research suggests that kids do better academically in schools with a nature component(成份) and that play in nature develop leadership by the smartest, not by the toughest. Even a tiny outdoor experience can create wonder in a child. The three-year-old turning over his first rock realizes he is not alone in the world. A clump of trees on the roadside can be the whole universe in his eyes. We really need to value that more.
Kids are not to blame. They are overprotected and frightened. It is dangerous out there from time to time, but much stress from computers is replacing breaking an arm as a childhood process of passage.
Everyone, from developers, to schools and outdoorsy citizens, should help regain for our kids some of the freedom and joy of exploring, taking friendship in fields and woods that strengthen love, respect and need for landscape. As parents, we should devote some of our energies to taking our kids into nature. This could yet be our greatest cause.According to the passage, children without experiencing nature will______
| A．keep a high sense of wonder |
| B．be over-protected by their parents |
| C．be less healthy both physically and mentally |
| D．change wild places and creatures for the better |
According to the author, children’s breaking an arm is_____
| A．the fault on the part of their parents |
| B．the natural experience in their growing up |
| C．the result of their own carelessness in play |
| D．the effect of their repetitive stress from computers |
In writing this passage, the author mainly intends to______
| A．blame children for getting lost in computer games |
| B．encourage children to protect parks from encroachment |
| C．show his concern about children’s lack of experience in nature |
| D．inspire children to keep the sense of wonder about things around |