第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题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。
I was walking along Orchard Road when I realized a tall young man wearing a jacket and tie was following me. I noticed him because not many people wear a jacket and tie in the middle of a hot summer day, and I had already seen this man four times that afternoon.
To make sure he was following me, I walked on quickly, turned right into a shopping center and then stopped to look in a shop window. Soon the man appeared and stopped at another shop window. I walked on and stopped several times. When I stopped, he stopped too.
I began to be rather worried and decided to try to get rid of this strange man. When I saw a taxi coming, I jumped into it. As I was telling the taxi driver where to go, I found the man get into another taxi, which then followed mine. As the two taxies slowly made their way along Orchard Road, I looked back at the taxi behind, and saw that the stranger was looking out at me. At MRT station, I told the taxi driver to stop and I got out. As I was paying my fare, I saw the man was getting out of his taxi.
By now I got angry, so I turned and walked straight to him. I asked him why he was following me. 
At first he said he was not following me at all, but when I threatened (威胁) to call the police, he admitted he was. He then told me that he was a journalist (news reporter) and that he was writing an article on how elderly people in Singapore spend their time. He said he was observing me to gather materials for his article.
56. What is strange about the man who followed the writer?
A. He seemed to be wearing too much.
B. He was out on such a hot day.
C. He walked quickly behind.
D. He was a tall young man.
57. Why did the writer get into a taxi?
A. To test the young man. B. To call the police.
C. To lose the young man. D. To get home earlier.
58. What did the stranger do when the writer jumped into a taxi?
A. He tried to stop the taxi.
B. He got into another taxi.
C. He almost gave up following him.
D. He made his way along Orchard Road.
59. The stranger followed the writer because ______.
A. he was interested in elderly people
B. he often did such things
C. he was writing a book about old people
D. he needed materials for his article
She is only 12 years old but lives only with her younger sister. Her parents are far away from home, and she has to take care of her younger sister. She is He Can, a student at Anqing Jiangzhen Middle School in Anhui, one of the “stay-at-home children” in her town. To make money, these kids’ parents go to big cities to find jobs. Their children have to stay at home because they have to go to school.
He Can’s parents left home when she was only four. They only come back for the Spring Festival every year. Because she had to live with different relatives at different times, He Can went to eight different primary schools.
“I used to complain,” she said. “But later I understood my parents. They have to go away to make a better life for us.” He Can said her frequently (频繁地) changing life also has a good side.
“When I went to a new school, I had to try to make friends,” said He Can. “I became outgoing. Now I’m not afraid of talking to people.”
He Can said her relatives were kind to her. They taught her how to cook and wash clothes.
When He Can was going to start junior high school, her parents agreed to let her live out with her younger sister. She rents a house near the school. Sometimes their grandmother comes over and helps them.
Every day, He Can gets up at 6:00 am and cooks breakfast. Then the two girls go to school. They have supper at 6:00 pm. Then He Can does chores and helps her sister take a shower. She usually goes to bed at 9:30 pm.
Though busy, He Can is still a top student in her class. She said the secret is never to put things off until tomorrow.
“I think my life is OK,” she said. “But if possible, I would like my parents to settle down (安顿下来) and live with us.”Why does He Can live only with her younger sister?
| A．Because their parents don’t like them. |
| B．Because their parents have to work in a big city. |
| C．Because they enjoy living by themselves. |
| D．Because their schools are too far away from their home. |
Where did He Can live before she started junior high school?
| A．In her relatives’ houses. | B．In her own house. |
| C．In a house she rented. | D．In her school. |
What does He Can think of changing schools so often?
| A．She hates it and complains a lot about it. |
| B．She thinks it good for her growth. |
| C．She enjoys it because she can make more friends. |
| D．She thinks it bad for her studies. |
What is He Can’s secret of being top at studies though busy?
| A．She often asks her relatives for help. |
| B．She exercises a lot to make herself stronger. |
| C．She gives her sister some work to do. |
| D．She tries to finish everything before going to bed. |
Have you seen the film Star Wars? If you have, you’ll know what an energy–gun is, and a light–sword too. The gigantic space ship in Star Wars can destroy a whole planet in a second or two, and it does so. Fortunately, it isn’t our planet; it belongs to a distant system, far out in space.
The great empty spaces of the universe are no problem in star Wars. The fighters know how to fold space over, like a sheet of paper, so that very distant stars are brought close together; they call it “hyperspace”. This means, of course, that their ships don’t have to creep along at the speed of light. If they did that, they would take years, even centuries, to reach the battlefield. Hyperspace allows them to travel as “supralight” speed and get there in a couple of hours. It’s good clean fun (健康无害的娱乐) though.
We certainly don’t know all about physics yet, but we do have the work of Albert Einstein. He asked us to believe that nothing could travel faster than light through an empty space --- but don’t let that miserable idea spoil the film for you, even though all our observations up to now have shown that Einstein was dead right --- forget it. Sit back and watch those energy–shells blow up the hated enemy. The Star Wars princess is extremely beautiful.
The more we “discover”, the more we must admire Einstein. He knew it all before us --- by about 1910 in fact. We observe certain very high speed particles (微粒), and they behave exactly as Einstein predicted they would. We can give them a speed almost equal to light, but they never quite reach light speed. He predicted that a very fast–moving object, as it flashed by a stationary observer(静止的参照物), would seem to have much greater weight than usual. And that, too, was proved correct.
So far as scientific theory or evidence is concerned, there is no such thing as hyperspace, no such speed as supralight. Space is as we know it, and light speed is the highest possible speed. “But,” say the story-writers, “that’s only true at present. We don’t know all about physics yet. Who knows --- who knows if there isn’t another set of facts just waiting to be discovered; another universe perhaps, just round the corner?”
Einstein seems to have been prepared for that too. In his theories he emphasized the word “relative”. Everything --- speed, weight, time, etc. --- is relative to something else. Nothing, by itself is real or absolute. So if there is another universe somewhere, we shall only know about it relative to ourselves. So far there’s no sign of it. But for the future, well, who knows?
51．What is the purpose of science – fiction stories and films?
They point out the way ahead, and scientists are grateful.
They encourage us in our searching for the truth.
They show us what the future universe will be like.
They are written and made to entertain us.
52．If you see Star Wars, what might spoil it for you, according to the passage?
A．Einstein’s theories.
B．The uncomfortable surroundings of the theatre.
C．The ugly actress and actors.
D．The rude audience.
53．Einstein predicted that the increase in weight .
applies only to big things, like huge space–ships
is apparent only to the stationary observer
is a real increase
remains even after the objective has stopped moving
54．Einstein’s theories emphasized .
A．everything is relative to something else B．the universe is infinite (无限的)
C．light speed is the highest possible speed D．there is another universe somewhere
55．Although Einstein did not observe the behavior of high–speed objects, .
his theories predicted they travels at light speed
his theories predicted them with great accuracy
he knew they would be discovered
he predicted them in the year 1910
第三部分：阅读（共两节，满分40分）
第一节：阅读理解（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。
In 1997, a group of twenty British women made history. Working in five teams with four women in each team, they walked to the North Pole. Apart from one experienced female guide, the other women were all ordinary people who had never done anything like this in their lives before. They managed to survive in an environment which had defeated several very experienced men during the same time period.
The women set off as soon as they were ready. Once on the ice, each woman had to ski along while dragging a sledge weighing over 50 kilos. This would not have been too bad on a smooth surface, but for long distances, the Arctic ice is pushed up into huge piles two or three meters high, and the sledges had to be pulled up one side and carefully let down the other so that they didn’t become damaged. The temperature was always below the freezing point and sometimes strong winds made walking while pulling so much weight almost impossible. It was also very difficult for them to put up their tents when they stopped each night.
In such conditions, the women were making good progress if they covered fourteen or fifteen kilometers a day. But there was another problem. Part of the journey was across a frozen sea with moving water underneath the ice and at some points the team would drift back more than five kilometers during the night. That meant that after walking in these very severe conditions for ten hours on one day, they had to spend part of the next day covering the same ground again. Furthermore, each day it took three hours from waking up to setting off and another three hours every evening to set up the camp and prepare the evening meal.
So, how did they manage to succeed? They realized that they were part of a team. If any one of them didn’t pull her sledge or get her job done, she would endanger the success of the whole expedition. Any form of selfishness could result in the efforts of everyone else being completely wasted, so personal feelings had to be put on one side. At the end of their journey, the women agreed that it was mental effort far more than physical fitness that got them to the North Pole.
41.What was so extraordinary about the expedition?
A.There was no one to lead it.
B.The women did not have any men with them.
C.It was a new experience for most of the women.
D.The women had not met one another before.
42.On the expedition, the women had to be careful to avoid ________.
A. falling over on the ice B. being left behind
C. damaging the sledges D. getting too cold at night
43.It was difficult for the women to cover 15 kilometers a day because _________.
A. they got too tired B. the ice was moving
C. they kept getting lost D. the temperature were too low
44.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the text?
A. Weather conditions. B. Protective clothing.
C. Preparing food. D. Feelings and relationships.
45.What is the main message of the text?
Motivation and teamwork achieve goals.
Women are mentally stronger than men.Severe conditions encourage people to succeed.
Nothing is impossible to a willing mind.
One of the traditions which is now a necessary part of Christmas is that of Father Christmas, or Santa Claus. According to the modern legend, he is a magical figure who visits all the children of the world during the night before Christmas Day, leaving presents which they find the next morning. He flies through the night sky in a sledge pulled by reindeer, and enters houses by climbing down chimneys. This strange legend is based on the life of a man called Nicholas, but in fact we know very little about him. Historians think he was a Christian bishop(主教) in Turkey in about 285－350 A. D. One of the stories about him is that he helped three poor girls. No one would marry them because they were so poor. To provide them with money for their weddings, Nicholas secretly dropped some gold coins down the chimney of their house. After Nicholas died, he was made a saint(圣人) by the church. (The name Santa Claus thus comes from St Nicholas.) His feast day was celebrated in December, and parents started giving their children secret presents from St Nicholas. Over the years, this custom became part of our Christmas traditions.
Recently, a psychologist has claimed that Father Christmas is “the perfect fantasy” for children. According to Professor Anthony Clare, children love the character of Father Christmas because he is like an ideal father: he loves children and gives them presents, but he never criticizes them, is never angry, and children do not even need to thank him for the presents. Other writers, however, point out that Father Christmas can be a frightening character to some children. Jane Bidder says that some children are terrified of this fat, bearded old man. It can certainly confuse many children. As parents, we warn our children to be careful of strangers and never to let them into the house, and yet we tell children that a strange man will come into their bedroom at night! Some children can become very worried about this idea and fear that he is a kind of burglar.
Most children, however, understand from their parents and from the media that Father Christmas is basically a benign character, and look forward to his annual visit with joy and excitement.
46. The main point of the first paragraph is that ________.
Father Christmas is an important part of Christmas
the tradition of Father Christmas is a modern idea
Father Christmas is a magical figure who can fly
the legends about Father Christmas are not true
47. The writer mentions details such as Father Christmas’s sledge, the reindeer and the way he climbs down chimneys because he/she ____________.
wants to make it clear that these things are impossible
is describing the history of St Nicholas
wants everyone to believe that Father Christmas is real
is explaining the modern legend of Father Christmas
48. Why does the writer mention the story about St Nicholas helping three poor girls?
It shows us that historians know very little about him.
This story explains why parents give secret presents to children.
It supports the writer’s main point that Father Christmas is based on an untrue story.
This story explains why we celebrate Christmas in December.
49. In the last paragraph, the word “benign” means _________.
A. religious B. friendly C. frightening D. unreal
50. The best title for this passage would be __________.
A. Is Father Christmas Dangerous? B. The True History of St Nicholas
C. The Legend of Santa Claus D. The Traditions of Christmas
If you feel at present that you don’t have enough friends in your life, one reason may be that you have let yourself become too busy to make time for the relationships you already have. Starting and keeping friendship requires effort and commitment.
Many of us let our lives become so busy with work and other responsibilities that we don’t get around to scheduling time for pleasure and renewal（叙旧）with the friends, relatives and acquaintances we already have.
Making the effort to call your friends more regularly and to accept more of the invitations you receive from others can improve your social life in a hurry!
Are there any people you could call right now and be sure to receive a pleasant welcome? Are there people that you could count onto help you in time of difficulty? Can you have close talks with them? Do you have fun when you are together? Are you happy to have them in your life?
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If you haven’t seen much of them lately, is it because you have become too busy? Have you grown apart? Was there an argument?
If the main reason you haven’t been getting together with the people you already know is that you have got too busy. take a good look at how you spend your time. Compare it with your real values and priorities（优先考虑的事）in life. Is your busy lifestyle really bringing you the quality of life that you want?
|
A．Too busy for Friendship? B．Too busy with work?
C．How to Spend Your Time D．How to Make New Friends