.
第二部分 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。
Where is that noise coming from? Not sure? Try living with your eyes closed for a few years. Blind people are better at locating sounds than people who can see, a new study says, without the benefits of vision the ears seem to work much better.
Previous studies have shown that blind people are better than others at reaching out and touching the sources of sounds that are close by. Researchers from the University of Montreal wanted to see if blind people were also better at locating sounds that are far away. Twenty-three blind people participated in the study. All had been sightless for at least 20 years. Fourteen of them had lost their vision before age 11. The rest went blind after age 16. The experiment also included 10 people who could see but were wearing blind-folds.
In one task, volunteers had to pick the direction of a sound coming from about 3 metres away. When the sound was in front of them or slightly off center in front, both groups performed equally well.
When sounds came from the side or the back, however, the blind group performed much better than the blindfolded group. The participants who had been blind since childhood did slightly better than those who lost their sight later.
Recognizing the locations of distant sounds can be a matter of life-or-death for blind people,say the researchers. Crossing the street, for instance, is much harder when you can’t see the cars coming.
Still, the researchers were surprised by how well the blind participants did, especially those who went blind after age 16. In another experiment, the scientists also found that parts of the brain that normally deal with visual information became active in locating sound in the people who were blind by age 11. These brain parts didn’t show sound-location activity in the other group of blind people or in the sighted people. The scientists now want to learn more about the working of brains of “late-onset” blind people.
36. The recent study shows blind people are better at telling ________________.
A. The sources of loud sounds. B. the locations of distant sounds
C. the direction of sharp sounds D. the distance of a sound in front of them
37. Which would be a proper title for the passage?
A. A Research on Blind People B. Where is That Noise Coming from?
C. Hearing Better in the Dark D. What If Living Without Your Eyes?
38. If people were asked to tell the direction of a sound from the side, who would perform best?
A. Those who are blind. B. Those who have gone blind since children.
C. Those who went blind at age 16. D. Those who are blindfolded.
39. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Whether to be able to locate the sounds can be of vital importance for the blind.
B. All the volunteers in the experiment are sightless.
C. All the participants did equally well when picking sounds from whatever direction.
D. The later people become blind, the better they can perform in telling the direction of sounds.
40. What do we know about that parts of brain dealing with visual information are active in locating sounds?
A. This happens in almost all the testers.
B. This only occurs in the people who were blind after age 16.
C. It remains nothing new to the scientists any more.
D. It remains a mystery why it is so.
B
The worst danger is a house on fire when people are asleep. Always be ready to leave through a window into the garden by making sure you can open it if necessary. If you should be on holiday in a tall building or hotel, make sure you know where the fire escape(太平梯) is. When you can’t find any way out, try to find pieces of cloth and make a rope to get out of a window to safety. If you smell burning in your home, get out right away. If you can’t breathe properly because of smoke on your way out, crawl(爬) on your hands and knees because smoke rises and the air will be cleaner near the floor. Smoke is a killer and more people die from breathing it in than actually being burned.
Fire in a cinema hall or public place often means people pushing to reach a door. Keep your head up with arms up in front of your chest. This protects your chest and gives you the best chance to breathe. Above all, don’t get frightened!
60. When a tall building is on fire, people______.
A.can leave by coming down the fire escape B.should first check the room window
C.had better find a long rope D.must lie down on the floor at once
61. People can leave a burning house through a window if ______.
A.there is smoke in the room B. there is no other way out
C .they can’t breathe properly D. they want to put out the fire
62. There are several things to do to keep one safe. Which of the following is not talked about in the passage?
A.Leave the house right away when you smell something burning.
B.Raise your head and keep your chest from being hurt.
C.Get out of the house by crawling on the floor.
D.Rush out of the house, dressed in wet clothes.
63. Which of the following is not true?
A.In a fire, more deaths are caused by smoke.
B.The most important thing is not to be frightened in a fire.
C.When a public place is on fire, people usually push to leave.
D.Be ready to leave a burning house through a window if there is a garden down below.
第三部分：阅读理解（每小题2分，满分40分）
第一节：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标号涂黑。
A
Mr. Hart, a London taxi driver, has a new black taxi. With his taxi, he hurries through the busy streets every day.
One day when he was having a short rest, a young man jumped into his taxi. "To the station as fast as you can," shouted the man in a very unfriendly way. "My train leaves at three o'clock." Mr. Hart did his best, but there was a lot of traffic. At every corner there was a red light. "Hurry up, man! I don't want to miss my train," said the young man. "And I don't want to have an accident," replied Mr. Hart quickly. While he was driving, Mr. Hart suddenly recognized the man's face. He was a thief. The police were looking for him. His picture was in the newspapers. Mr. Hart raced through the street and drove through red lights. Soon there was a police car behind him. Mr. Hart raced on until he reached the station. He stopped in front of the station at two minutes to three, and the young man quickly jumped out of the taxi.
"Stop! Stop!" cried Mr. Hart. At that moment the police car stopped, too. "Quick! He is the thief!" shouted Mr. Hart. Two policemen rushed into the station. Three minutes later they returned with the young man. "Well done!" a policeman said to Mr. Hart as they were taking the thief to the police car.
56. The young man wanted to________.
A. go back home by train B. drive through the busy street
C. take the 3:00 train to London D. leave London as soon as possible
57. How did Mr. Hart know that the young man was a thief?
A. He had never met such a rude person as the young man.
B. He had seen the young man's picture in the newspapers.
C. The police told him something about the young man.
D. The young man was trying to run away.
58. Mr. Hart raced through the street and drove through red lights so that ________.
A. he could drive faster than the police car B. he could reach the station on time
C. he could get the attention of the policemen D. he could go home earlier than usual
59. Where did the policemen catch the young man?
A. In Mr. Hart's taxi. B. In the station. C. In the street. D. At the corner.
E
Special trees that grow faster, fight pollution, produce better wood, and even sense chemical attacks are being planted by scientists in the US.
When 40 per cent of Hawaii's US$14 million-a-year papaya (木瓜)industry was destroyed by a virus five years ago, work began on creating genetically engineered (转基因的) trees.
Researchers successfully introduced seeds that were designed to resist the virus. Since then, more and more people have been testing genetically engineered trees.
Some researchers put special bacteria into trees to help them grow faster and produce better wood. Others are trying to create trees that can clean polluted soil.
Meanwhile fruit farmers are looking for trees that are strong enough to resist worms, and paper companies want trees that produce more wood and therefore more paper.
The Pentagon (五角大楼) even gave the researchers US$500,000 this year after they developed a pine tree that changes its colours if it senses a chemical attack.
So far, the poplar, eucalyptus (杨树与桉树), apple and coffee trees are among those being engineered. All this can be done today because we have a better understanding of tree genomes (基因组).
However, some people fear that the genetically engineered trees will cause dangerous results. They are worried that the new trees will breed with natural species and change the balance of the forest environment.
"It could be destructive," said Jim Diamond, an environmentalist. "Trees are what is left of our natural environment and home to many endangered species."
But researchers insist that science could give nature a fighting chance against both natural and man-made dangers.
They hope to answer the critics by stopping the new trees from breeding, so their effect on the environment can be controlled.
57. Which kind of tree is not the ones that scientists are planting in the US?
A. Trees that worms can't hurt.
B. Trees that can protect themselves at a chemical attack.
C. Trees that can resist wind better.
D. Genetically engineered trees.
58. What caused the American scientists to work on special trees?
A. They think science could give nature a fighting chance against both natural and man-made dangers.
B. Great numbers of trees have been lost due to attacks by viruses.
C. Researchers successfully introduced seeds designed to resist the virus.
D. Tree genomes are mapped out so scientists know how to improve trees.
59. Which of the following was probably the first kind of trees being engineered?
A. Papaya. B. Pine. C. Apple. D. Poplar.
60. Why did critics think engineered trees dangerous? Because _______.
A. these trees can destroy the balance of nature
B. everything except trees has been genetically engineered
C. trees are home to many endangered species
D. these trees may affect normal trees
D
“Up until about five years ago, students at this school could have worn anything they wanted on Halloween,” said Rosemarie Nielson, a sixth-grade teacher at St. Theresa School, a Roman Catholic elementary school in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx where there is a prohibition on toy weapons.
“When you consider all the horrific things that have happened in recent years, including 9/11, I can’t blame any school for wanting to stay away from anything that might promote violence,” Ms. Nielson said.
Mary Ellen Manniello, whose daughter, Courtney, 9, is a fourth grader at St. Gabriel School, a Roman Catholic elementary school in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, said she understood why officials had banned weapons with costumes. “They’re learning more about guns from issues in the street than educational issues.”
This year, the school has gone one step further and is prohibiting all costumes at its Halloween festivities. Ms. Manniello said it had become “a chaotic scene,” with parents helping their children change into their costumes at school.
Some parents said the no-weapons policy for Halloween costumes went too far and denied children a chance to express themselves.
“Halloween has always been the one day when it was acceptable for our children to be dressed like somebody they are not, like a cowboy or a pirate or a person from outer space, and now we’re taking that away from them,” said Laura Santoro, a nurse from New Milford, Conn., whose 7-year-old son, Johnny, is a second grader at Northville Elementary School there.
Ms. Santoro said that her son would dress as Capt. Jack Sparrow, the character played by Johnny Depp in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, at the school’s Halloween party, but that he would not be allowed to take a sword — part of a policy that caught her by surprise last Halloween.
“I sent my son to school last year dressed as a special force Power Ranger, and he was told that he couldn’t take along his red laser blaster, which really surprised me, because the laser is red and made of plastic and lights up, and it could never, ever be mistaken for a real gun,” Ms. Santoro said. “I mean, come on, the whole thing is getting really sad.”
53. What do you think is the writer’s purpose of writing the passage?
A. To introduce to the public the no-weapons policy for Halloween costumes.
B. To state parents’ attitudes towards the no-weapons policy for Halloween costumes.
C. To tell the public that children should bring any weapons for Halloween costumes.
D. To analyse the fact that the no-weapons policy for Halloween costumes goes too far.
54. According to the passage, some parents understand the no-weapon policy for Halloween costumes because ____________.
A. schools should take a cautious approach to Halloween to prevent violence.
B. children are buying real guns in the street and there is always violence now.
C. those parents like to help their children change into their costumes at school.
D. children are learning more about guns from educational issues.
55. Which of the following is probably right according to the passage?
A. Children could bring any weapons into school five or six years ago.
B. The parents surveyed are those whose children are in elementary schools.
C. Guns are necessary on Halloween for children to express themselves.
D. Jack Sparrow is an actor who at one time acted as a pirate in a movie.
56. What do the underlined words “laser blaster” in the last paragraph refer to?
A. A kind of costume. B. A real gun.
C. A toy weapon. D. A kind of plastic.
C
Play is the basic business of childhood, and in recent years research has shown the great importance of play in the development of a human being. From earliest infancy (婴儿), every child needs opportunity and right materials for play, and the main tools of play are toys. The main function of toys is to suggest, encourage and play. To succeed in this, they must be good toys, which children will play with often, and will come back again and again. Therefore, it is important to choose suitable toys for different stages of a child’s development.
In recent years research on infant development has shown that the standard a child is likely to reach, within the range of his inherited abilities, is largely determined in the first three years of his life. So a baby’s ability to benefit from the right play materials should not be underestimated. A baby who is encouraged, talked to and shown things and played with, has the best chance of growing up successfully.
In the next stage, from three to five years old, curiosity knows no bounds. Every type of suitable toys should be made available to the child, for trying out, experimenting and learning, for discovering his own particular ability: Bricks and jigsaws and construction toys; painting, scribbling and making things; sand and water play; toys for imaginative and pretending play—the first social games for learning to play and get on with others.
But at the third stage of play development—from five to seven or eight years old— the child is at school. But for a few more years play is still the best way of learning, at home or at school. It is easier to see which type of toys the child most enjoys.
Until the age of seven or eight, play and work mean much the same to a child. But once reading has been mastered, then books become the main source of learning. Toys are still interesting and valuable, which lead up to new hobbies, but their significance has changed to a child of nine or ten years old, toys and games mean, as to adults, relaxation and fun.
49. According to the first passage we know that as a child grows up ______.
A. he should be allowed to choose his own toys.
B. he should be given the same toys.
C. he should be given fewer and fewer toys.
D. he should be given different toys.
50. According to the passage, the abilities a child has inherited from his parents ______.
A. determine his character
B. will not change after the age of three.
C. partly determined the standard he is likely to reach
D. to a large extent determine the choice of toys
51. We learn from the passage that a child has boundless curiosity ______.
A. when he is two B. when he is around four
C. when he is six D. when he is eight
52. The passage is mainly about _______.
A. the role of play in a child’s development B. the importance of schooling
C. the importance of pre-school education D. the choice of toys for youngster