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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。
Prana, our beautiful golden retriever（金毛猎犬）whose name means “breath of life”, isn’t with us any more．She died of cancer several years ago．But, while sharing our home, she brought such joy and love into our lives that we still miss her．
There are so many wonderful stories about the love in this dog, but my favorite is the one that created an indelible image of how to graciously give what is needed without reserve（储备）．
It was an autumn day in Minnesota．But the weather didn’t seem to know the difference between fall and winter．Unexpectedly, we were hit with a big snow fall, for which no one was prepared．
We have two apple trees in our backyard．Prana loved apples．When she went outside, she’d grab an apple, stick it far back in her mouth, and sneak it into the house to save for enjoyment later．The apples had been on the ground and were often muddy so I wasn’t always happy that Prana had brought them into the house．Sensing my disapproval, she would turn her head so I wouldn’t see her hidden treasure．It was our little game．
On the day that it snowed too early in the season, Prana went outside and I watched her from the window．I noticed that she was crazily digging holes and bringing the apples to the surface so they could be seen above the snow．I wondered why she was doing this．She seemed to be entirely busy digging up as many apples as possible during her yard time．
When I called her back into the house, she had her usual one apple in her mouth．About five minutes later, I looked outside-the yard was completely covered with birds．Prana had dug up all those apples for her bird and squirrel friends to eat．She knew that they wouldn’t have stored enough food to survive such an early winter!
Tears sprung to my eyes as I witnessed this beautiful act of unconditional love from an animal who taught us how to serve life with such grace．
56．We still miss Prana because ________．
A．she liked playing with the birds
B．she always brought apples into the house
C．she made our lives enjoyable and full of love
D．she dug up apples for her bird friends
57．The underlined word indelible in Paragraph 2 means ________．
A．unimportant B．unbelievable C．impossible D．unforgettable
58．Prana dug up as many apples from the snow as possible so that ________．
A．she could help her owner store away many apples
B．her bird and squirrel friends could have food in cold weather
C．she could have fun in her yard time
D．she could have something to play with in the house
59．I was deeply moved by Prana because ________．
A．she gave what is needed with grace
B．she dug up so many apples in such cold winter
C．she gave unconditional love to me with such grace
D．she tried her best to save the birds from the snow
I recently turned fifty, which is young for a tree, midlife for an elephant , and ancient for a sportsman, Fifty is
a nice number for the states in the US or for a national speed limit but it is not a number that I was prepared to have hung on me．Fifty is supposed to be my father’s age．but now I am stuck with this number and everything it means．
A few days ago, a friend tried to cheer me up by saying, “ Fifty is what forty used to be ．”He had made an
inspirational point, Am I over the hill ?People keep telling me that the hill has been moved, and I keep telling them that he high-jump bar has dropped from the six feet I once easily cleared to the four feet that is impossible for me now．
“ Your are not getting older, you are getting better ．” says Dr．Joyce Brothers ．This, however, is the kind
of doctor who inspires a second opinion．
And so．as I approach the day when I cannot even jump over the tennis net．I am moves to share some thoughts on aging with you．I am moved to show how aging feels to me physically and mentally．Getting older．of course, is obviously a better change than the one that brings you eulogies(悼词)．In fact , a poet named Robert Browning considered it the best change of all :
Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to me．
Whether or not Browning was right , most of my first fifty years have been golden ones, so I will settle for
what is ahead being as good as what has gone by．I find myself moving toward what is ahead with a curious blend ( 混合) of both fighting and accepting my aging, hoping that the philosopher(哲学家) was right when he said ．”Old is always fifteen years from now．”
5．The author seems to tell us in Paragraph I that
A．time alone will tell B．time goes by quickly
C．time will show what is right D．time makes one forget the past
6．When the author turned fifty , people around him
A．tried to comfort him B．got inspiration with him
C．were friendlier with him D．found him more talkative
7．The author considers his fifty years of life
A peaceful B．ordinary C．satisfactory D．regretful
8．We can infer from the passage that
A．the old should led a simple life B．the old should face the fact of aging
C．the old should take more exercise D．the old should fill themselves with curiosity
Lying in the sun on a rock, the cougar （美洲狮） saw Jeb and his son, Tom, before they saw it．Jeb put his bag down quickly and pulled his jacket open with both hands, making himself look big to the cougar．It worked．The cougar hesitated, ready to attack Jeb, but ready to forget the whole thing, too．
Jeb let go of his jacket, grasped Tom and held him across his body, making a cross．Now the cougar’s enemy looked even bigger, and it rose up, ready to move away, but unfortunately Tom got scared and struggled free of Jeb．
“Tom, no!” shouted his father．
But Tom broke and ran and that’s the last thing you do with a cougar．The second Tom broke free, Jeb threw himself on the cougar, just as it jumped from the rock．They hit each other in mid-air and both fell．The cougar was on Jeb in a flash, forgetting about Tom, which was what Jeb wanted．
Cougars are not as big as most people think and a determined man stands a chance, even with just his fists．As the cougar’s claws（爪子）got into his left shoulder, Jeb swung his fist at its eyes and hit, hard．The animal howled（吼叫）and put its head back．Jeb followed up with his other fist．Then out of the comer of his eye, Jeb saw Tom．The boy was running back to help his father．
“Knife, Tom,” shouted Jeb．
The boy ran to his father’s bag, while Jeb started shouting as well as hitting, to keep the cougar’s attention away from Tom．Tom got the knife and ran over to Jeb．The cougar was moving its head in and out, trying to find a way through the wall Jeb was making out of his arms．Tom swung with the knife, into the cougar’s back．It howled horribly and ran off into the mountains．
The whole fight had taken about thirty seconds．
1．Why did Jeb pull his jacket open when he saw the cougar?
A．To get ready to fight． B．To frighten it away．
C．To protect the boy． D．To cool down．
2．What do we know about cougars?
A．They are afraid of noises． B．They hesitate before they hit．
C．They are bigger than we think． D．They like to attack running people．
3．How did Jeb try to hold the cougar’s attention?
A．By keeping shouting and hitting． B．By making a wall out of his arms．
C．By throwing himself on the cougar． D．By swinging his fists at the cougar’s eyes．
4．Which of the following happened first?
A．The cougar jumped from the rock． B．Tom struggled free of his father．
C．Jeb asked Tom to get the knife． D．Jeb held Tom across his body．
I recently turned fifty, which is young for a tree, midlife for an elephant , and ancient for a sportsman, Fifty is a nice number for the states in the US or for a national speed limit but it is not a number that I was prepared to ave hung on me．Fifty is supposed to be my father’s age．but now I am stuck with this number and everything it means．
A few days ago, a friend tried to cheer me up by saying, “ Fifty is what forty used to be ．”He had made an inspirational point, Am I over the hill ?People keep telling me that the hill has been moved, and I keep telling hem that he high-jump bar has dropped from the six feet I once easily cleared to the four feet that is impossible for me now．
“ Your are not getting older, you are getting better ．” says Dr．Joyce Brothers ．This, however, is the kind of doctor who inspires a second opinion．
And so．as I approach the day when I cannot even jump over the tennis net．I am moves to share some thoughts on aging with you．I am moved to show how aging feels to me physically and mentally．Getting older．of course, is obviously a better change than the one that brings you eulogies（悼词）．In fact , a poet named Robert Browning considered it the best change of all :
Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to me．
Whether or not Browning was right , most of my first fifty years have been golden ones, so I will settle for what is ahead being as good as what has gone by．I find myself moving toward what is ahead with a curious blend （混合）of both fighting and accepting my aging, hoping that the philosopher（哲学家） was right when he said ．”Old is always fifteen years from now．”
20．The author seems to tell us in Paragraph I that _____
A．time alone will tell B．time goes by quickly
C．time will show what is right D．time makes one forget the past
21．When the author turned fifty , people around him _____
A．tried to comfort him B．got inspiration with him
C．were friendlier with him D．found him more talkative
22．The author considers his fifty years of life ______
A peaceful B．ordinary
C．satisfactory D．regretful
23．We can infer from the passage that _____
A．the old should led a simple life B．the old should face the fact of aging
C．the old should take more exercise D．the old should fill themselves with curiosity
Lying in the sun on a rock, the cougar （美洲狮）saw Jeb and his son, Tom, before they saw it．Jeb put his bag down quickly and pulled his jacket open with both hands, making himself look big to the cougar．It worked．The cougar hesitated, ready to attack Jeb, but ready to forget the whole thing, too．
Jeb let go of his jacket, grasped Tom and held him across his body, making a cross．Now the cougar’s enemy looked even bigger, and it rose up, ready to move away, but unfortunately Tom got scared and struggled free of Jeb．
“Tom, no!” shouted his father．
But Tom broke and ran and that’s the last thing you do with a cougar．The second Tom broke free, Jeb threw himself on the cougar, just as it jumped from the rock．They hit each other in mid-air and both fell．The cougar was on Jeb in a flash, forgetting about Tom, which was what Jeb wanted．
Cougars are not as big as most people think and a determined man stands a chance, even with just his fists．As the cougar’s claws（爪子）got into his left shoulder, Jeb swung his fist at its eyes and hit, hard．The animal howled（吼叫）and put its head back．Jeb followed up with his other fist．Then out of the comer of his eye, Jeb saw Tom．The boy was running back to help his father．
“Knife, Tom,” shouted Jeb．
The boy ran to his father’s bag, while Jeb started shouting as well as hitting, to keep the cougar’s attention away from Tom．Tom got the knife and ran over to Jeb．The cougar was moving its head in and out, trying to find a way through the wall Jeb was making out of his arms．Tom swung with the knife, into the cougar’s back．It howled horribly and ran off into the mountains．
The whole fight had taken about thirty seconds．
16．Why did Jeb pull his jacket open when he saw the cougar?
A．To get ready to fight． B．To frighten it away．
C．To protect the boy． D．To cool down．
17．What do we know about cougars?
A．They are afraid of noises． B．They hesitate before they hit．
C．They are bigger than we think． D．They like to attack running people．
18．How did Jeb try to hold the cougar’s attention?
A．By keeping shouting and hitting． B．By making a wall out of his arms．
C．By throwing himself on the cougar． D．By swinging his fists at the cougar’s eyes．
19．Which of the following happened first?
A．The cougar jumped from the rock． B．Tom struggled free of his father．
C．Jeb asked Tom to get the knife． D．Jeb held Tom across his body．
Our “Mommy and Me” time began two years ago．My next-door neighbor and fellow mother, Christie, and I were out in our front yards, watching seven children of age 6 and under ride their bikes up and down．“I wish I could take one of my children out alone,” said Christie．
Then we worked out a plan: When Christie takes one of her children out, I’ll watch her other three．And when she watches two of mine, I’ll take someone out．
The children were extremely quick to accept the idea of “Mommy and Me” time．Christie’s daughter, McKenzie, went first．When she returned, the other children showered her with tons of questions．McKenzie was smiling broadly．Christie looked refreshed and happy．“She’s like a different child when there’s no one else around,” Christie shared with me quickly．With her mother all to herself, McKenzie didn’t have to make an effort to gain attention．
Just as Christie had noticed changes in McKenzie, I also discovered something different in each of my children during our alone times．For example, I am always surprised when my daughter, who is seldom close to me, holds my hand frequently．My stuttering（口吃的）son, Tom, doesn’t stutter once during our activities since he doesn’t have to struggle for a chance to speak．And the other son, Sam, who’s always a follower when around other children shines as a leader during our times together．
The “Mommy and Me” time allows us to be simply alone and away with each child —talking, sharing, and laughing, which has been the biggest gain．Every child deserves（应得到）to be an only child at least once in a while．
20．What is the text mainly about?
A．The experience of the only child being with mother．
B．The advantage of spending time with one child at a time．
C．The happy life of two families．
D．The basic needs of children．
21．Right after McKenzie came back, the other children were _____________．
A．happy B．curious C．regretful D．friendly
22．What is one of the changes the author finds in her children?
A．The daughter acts like a leader． B．Sam holds her hand more often．
C．The boys become better followers． D．Tom has less difficulty in speaking．
23．The author seems to believe that ___________．
A．having brothers and sisters is fun
B．it’s tiring to look after three children
C．every child needs parents’ full attention
D．parents should watch others’ children