第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下面的短文，从A,B,C,D四个选项中，选出最佳选项
My elder brother Steve, in the absence of my father who died when I was six, gave me important lessons in values that helped me grow into an adult. For instance, Steve taught me to face the results of my behavior. Once when I returned in tears from a Saturday baseball game, it was Steve who took the time to ask me what happened. When I explained that my baseball had soared through Mrs. Holt’s basement window, breaking the glass with a crash, Steve encouraged me to confess(坦白) to her. After all, I should have been playing in the park down Fifth Street and not in the path between buildings. Although my knees knocked as I explained to Mrs. Holt, I offered to pay for the window from my pocket money if she would return my ball. I also learned from Steve that personal property is a sacred thing. After I found a shiny silver pen in my fifth-grade classroom, I wanted to keep it, but Steve explained that it might be important to someone else. He reminded me of how much I’d hate to lose to someone else the small dog my father carved from a piece of wood. I returned the pen to my teacher, Mrs. Davids, and still remembered the smell of her perfume as she patted me on my shoulder.
Yet of all the instructions Steve gave me, his respect for life is the most vivid in my mind. When I was twelve I killed an old brown bird in the yard with a BB gun. Excited with my accuracy, I screamed to Steve to come from thehouse to take a look. I shall never forget the way he stood for a long moment and stared at the bird on the ground. Then in a dead, quiet voice, he asked, “Did it hurt you first, Mark?” I didn’t know what to answer. He continued with his eyes firm, “The only time you should even think of hurting a living thing is if it hurts you first. And then you think a long, long time. “ I really felt terrible then, but that moment stands out as the most important lesson my brother taught me.
56. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. The relationship between Mark and Steve
B. The important lesson Mark learned in school
C. Steve’s important role in Mark’s growing process.
D. Mark and Steve’s respect for living things.
57. It can be inferred from the passage that when Mark confessed to Mrs. Holt, ____.
A. he felt surprised B. he was light-hearted
C. he felt frightened D. he behaved bravely
58. In the story about the pen, which of the following lessons did Steve teach his brother?
A. Respect for personal property.
B. Respect for life.
C. Sympathy for people with problems.
D. The value of honesty.
59. Which of the follow is true according to the passage?
A. Mark was still a boy when he wrote this passage.
B. Even if a living thing hurts you, you should not kill it without hesitation
C. When a living thing hurts you, you should kill it.
D. Mark lost the small dog his father raised.
The winter holidays are a special time at the White House. Each year, about 44,000 people come to see the holiday decorations or to attend holiday parties at the President’s home in Washington, D.C.
I was able to attend a press preview of the holiday decorations recently, which was hosted by First Lady Laura Bush. This year’s theme for the decorations is “All Things Bright and Beautiful.” The decorations are all made of fresh flowers, garlands(花环), and fruits. The flowers will have to be changed every few days to keep the look fresh.
The main Christmas tree is in the Blue Room. It’s an 18-foot fir tree—tall enough that the chan-delier(吊灯) had to be removed to make room for it. Fresh white lilies(百合), crystal garlands, and white lights decorate the White House Christmas tree. The room smells of pine and lilies.
Mrs. Bush was asked whether she called the tree a holiday tree or a Christmas tree. “We know that Americans celebrate the season in a lot of different ways,” she said. “We’ll have a party and a reception here at the White House later during the month. But I think we’ve always called this the White House Christmas tree.”
Another centerpiece of the decorations each year is the gingerbread house(姜饼屋), made by chief Thaddeus Dubois.“This is his second gingerbread house,” Mrs. Bush said. “And this year Dubois painstakingly(辛苦地，辛勤地) made it special.” The gingerbread house was made with 100 pounds of gingerbread, 150 pounds of white and dark chocolate, and clear, poured sugar windows. A strand of white lights inside the Gingerbread White House made it glow.
40. Mrs. Bush chose “All Things Bright and Beautiful”as the theme for the decorations to ______. .
A. highlight nature’s beauty B. show the great wealth of the family
C. express her love of the country D. differ from other people’s ideas
41. Which of the following can probably be used to describe the White House after the decorations?
A. New and clean. B. Elegant(高贵的) and beautiful.
C. Smelly and shaky. D. Luxurious(豪华的) and serious.
42. The passage is mainly about ______. .
A. how Americans observe Christmas
B. decorating the White House for holidays
C. the differences between a holiday tree and a Christmas tree
D. how to select a present for the White House
第二部分：阅读理解
Shanghai—Shanghai officials are welcoming a new national-water law that they say will help them protect the upper reaches of the Huangpu River and other water ways in Shanghai.
The new law, which came into effect yesterday, updates a law enacted（颁布） in 1988 that focused on supplying water to needy areas, but didn’t pay a great deal of attention to environmental protection.
The previous law, for example, gave local authorities power over waterways in these areas, but didn’t pay attention to the sources of those rivers and lakes. So, Shanghai was responsible for cleaning and protecting the lower reaches of the Chang Jiang River but had no say in how the river’s upper reaches, which feed into Shanghai, are maintained.
The new law will make it easier to control the amount of waste that ends up in local rivers and reduce inefficient use of waterways, said Zhang Jia-yi, director of the Shanghai Water Affairs Bureau, on the bureau’s website commenting on law yesterday.
Zhang said the new law focuses on the efficient use of water sources and emphasizes the harmonious development of China’s population, its economy and environment.
Zhang also emphasizes the city will crack down on companies and individuals that pollute the city’s water sources. The bureau sets up a special force to investigate(调查) water pollution in March.
So far this year, the bureau has published more than 3 million in fines on various polluters, Zhang said.
36. The best title for the news report should be ______.
A. A new Law Is Born
B. A New Water Law to Protect Rivers
C. Is it Necessary to Protect the Rivers
D. Make Full Use of Water Sources
37. The underlined phrase “crack down on” means _____.
A. bring up carefullyB. speak highly of
C. deal with seriously D. destroy completely
38. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. The law in 1988 is suitable for the new requirements.
B. The new law will stop waste being poured into the Chang Jiang River.
C. A lot of polluting units have been fined this year.
D. The new law and the old one are the same in protecting the environment.
39. We can infer from the passage that _____ .
A. the problem of protecting the water sources wasn’t paid much attention to
B. no laws were carried out to manage the water sources in Shanghai.
C. the new law mainly emphasizes how to make use of the water sources.
D. companies or individuals that polluted the water sources didn’t get fined.
第二部分：阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
In today’s world, almost everyone knows that air pollution and water pollution are harmful to people’s health. However, not all the persons know that noise is also a kind of pollution, and that is harmful to human health, too.
People who work and live under noisy conditions usually become deaf. Today, however, scientists believe that 10 percent of workers in Britain are being deafened by the noise where they work. Many of the workers who print newspapers and books, and who weave（织） cloth become deaf. Quite a few people living near airports also become deaf. Recently it was discovered that many teenagers in America could hear no better than 65-year-old persons, for these young people like to listen to pop music and most of pop music is a kind of noise. Besides, noise produced by jet planes or machines will make people’s life difficult and unpleasant, or even make people ill or even drive them mad.
It is said that a continuous noise of over 85 decibels（分贝） can cause deafness. Now the governments in many countries have made laws to control noise and make it less than 85 decibels.
In China, the government is trying to solve not only air and water pollution problems but also noise pollution problems.
36. The passage is mainly about ______ .
A. air pollution B. water pollution C. noise pollutionD. world pollution
37. According to the passage, a continuous noise of _______decibels can make people deaf.
A. less than 85 B. less than 65 C. about 65 D. more than 85
38. 10 percent of the workers in Britain are being deafened because _______ .
A. they are working in noisy places
B. they often listen to pop music
C. they live near airports
D. they are too busy to listen to others’talk
39. The government of China is trying to reduce ______.
A. only the air pollution
B. only the air and water pollution
C. only the water pollution
D. the air, water and noise pollution
A San Francisco self-service laundry（自助洗衣店） may be one of the world’s most unusual places to surf the Internet but a fashionable club on Moscow’s Red Square is definitely the most fashionable, according to a Yahoo survey of the globe’s best cybercafés(网吧).
The winners of the first Yahoo Mail Internet Café Awards were published on Wednesday to mark the 10th anniversary(纪念日) of the world’s first cybercafé in London’s West End.
Among the top picks were the unusual Brain Wash in San Francisco, named as “the height of Internet café with self-service laundry” and Moscow’s Phlegmatic Dog, selected as Most Stylish with its “unique combination of comfort and hi-tech”. Taking the Best UK Internet Café award was Café Curve in Brighton, southern England—“a must for anyone who likes style, comfort, typing and keeping in touch”. And the title of the world’s Most Remote Internet Café went to an internationally funded centre in Timbuktu, Mali.
The winners were chosen by a team of judges who considered travelers’ more than 1,000 nominations(提名) of cybercafés in 111 countries. The results have been collected in a Rough Guides e-book.
In the decade since London’s Café Cyberia first opened its doors in 1994, approximately 20,000 Internet cafés have sprung up in 171 countries, according to Yahoo Mail.
“Despite the fact that home and work Internet access is now commonplace, Internet cafés fulfill the same role as they did 10 years ago,” Eva Pascoe, a co-founder of Café Cyberia, said in a statement. “They are the post offices of the wired generation.”
48. The purpose of Yahoo Mail Internet Café Awards is ______ .
A. to honor the 10th anniversary of Yahoo
B. to celebrate the rapid development of Internet cafés
C. to mark the 10th anniversary of London’s Café Cyberia
D. to promote the most fashionable club
49. Which is NOT the correct match of the following cybercafés?
A. Café Curve in Brighton—the Best UK Internet Café award
B. The internationally funded centre in Timbuktu — the world’s Most Remote Internet Café
C. Moscow’s Phlegmatic Dog—the most fashionable
D. Brain Wash in San Francisco—combination of comfort and hi-tech
50. What does the last sentence “They are the post offices of the wired generation.” imply?
A. Internet surfers communicate with each other on Internet rather than by posting letters.
B. Internet cafes start the same service as post offices.
C. Post offices and Internet cafes are of the same importance to surfers.
D. Post offices turn to be Internet cafes in e-mail times.
Municipal(市政府) regulations normally ban anything from smoking in public places to parking in certain zones. But officials in the Brazilian town of Biritiba Mirim, 70km (45 miles) east of Sao Paulo, have gone far beyond that. They plan to prohibit residents from dying early because the local cemetery(墓地) has reached full capacity.
There’s no more room to bury the dead, they can’t be cremated(火化) and laws forbid a new cemetery. So the mayor has proposed a strange solution: outlaw death. Mayor Roberto Pereira says the bill is meant as a protest against federal regulations that prohibit new or expanded cemeteries in preservation areas. “They have not taken local demands into consideration”, he claims.
A 2003 decree(法令) by Brazil’s National Environment Council forbids burial grounds in protected areas. Mr. Pereira wants to build a new cemetery, but the project has been stopped because 98% of Biritiba Mirim is considered a preservation area.
Biritiba Mirim, a town of 28,000 inhabitants(居民), not only wants to prohibit residents from passing away. The bill also calls on people to take care of their health in order to avoid death. “I haven’t got a job, nor am I healthy. And now they say I can’t die. That’s ridiculous,” Amarildo do Prado, an unemployed resident said.
The city council is expected to vote on the regulation next week. “Of course the bill is laughable, illegal, and will never be approved,” said Gilson Soares de Campos, an assistant to the mayor. “But can you think of a better resolution to persuade the government to change the environmental decree that is prohibiting us from building a new cemetery?” The bill states that “offenders will be held responsible for their acts”. However, it does not say what the punishment will be.
44. What is the bill to be proposed by the officials in Biritiba Mirim?
A. Ban on smoking in public places.
B. Ban on parking in certain zones.
C. Prohibiting residents from dying early.
D. Forbidding buried grounds in preservation.
45. What can we infer from the phrase “have gone far beyond that”?
A. Officials in Biritiba Mirim have nothing of these regulations.
B. The bill to be proposed by officials in Biritiba Mirim is much too unexpected.
C. Officials in Biritiba Mirim have been to many places around the world.
D. The officials in Biritiba Mirim have built too many cemeteries in their town.
46. What’s the attitude of the mayor of Biritiba Mirim towards the federal regulations?
A. He objects to them.
B. He gives strong backing to them.
C. He asks the residents for advice on them.
D. He remains silent about them.
47. Which of the following is TRUE according to the article?
A. The mayor of the town wants to build a new cemetery against federal regulation.
B. The residents of the town sing the praises of the bill.
C. The government is going to change the environmental decree.
D. No better resolution of the problem has been thought out.