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。
The host poured the tea into the cup and placed it on the small table in front of his guests, who were a father and daughter, and put the cover on the cup. Apparently thinking of something, he hurried into the inner room, leaving the thermos (热水瓶) on the table. His two guests heard a cupboard opening.
They remained sitting in the sitting room, the ten-year-old daughter looking at the flowers outside the window, the father just about to take his cup, when the crash came, right there in the sitting room. Something was hopelessly broken.
It was the thermos, which had fallen to the floor. The girl looked over her shoulder, shocked, staring. It was mysterious. Neither of them had touched it, not even a bit. True, it hadn't stood steadily when their host placed it on the table, but it hadn't fallen then.
The explosion caused the host to rush back. Gawking at the steaming floor, the host said "It doesn't matter! It doesn't matter!"
The father started to say something. Then he said softly, "Sorry, I touched it and it fell."
"It doesn't matter," the host said.
When they left the house, the daughter said, "Daddy, did you touch it?"
"No. But it stood so close to me. "
"But you didn't touch it. I saw your reflection in the window glass. "
The father laughed. "What then would you give as the cause of its fall?"
"The thermos fell by itself. The floor is not smooth. Daddy, why did you say that you …"
"That won't do, girl. It sounds more acceptable when I say I knocked it down. There are things which people accept less the more you defend them. The truer the story you tell, the less true it sounds. "
The daughter was lost in silence for a while. Then she said, "Can you explain it only in this way?"
"Only in this way," her father said.
56. Which statement is a possible theme of this story?
A. People rarely tell the truth.
B. You can't always make people believe the truth.
C. If you defend yourself, people will believe you.
D. People should take the blame for what they didn't do.
57. It can be inferred from the story that the father _______.
A. didn't know the host well B. felt satisfied that he didn't tell the truth
C. was sorry that he told the truth D. didn't think the host would believe the truth
58. From the story we know that the daughter ________.
A. thought her father should tell the truth B. didn't know why the thermos fell
C. knocked over the thermos D. strongly objected to her father's explanation
59. The underlined "gawking at" probably means _______.
A. staring at with anger B. looking at curiously
C. glancing at hopelessly D. looking at in a dull way
Robert Spring, a 19th century forger (伪造签字者), was as good at his profession that he was able to make his living for 15 years by selling false signatures of famous Americans. Spring was born in England in 1813 and arrived in Philadelphia in 1858 to open a bookstore. At first he make some money by selling his small but genuine of early U.S. autographs (亲笔签字). Discovering his ability at copying handwriting, he began imitating signatures of George Washington and Ban Franklin and writing them on the title pages of old books. To make less the chance of detection (发觉), he sent his forgeries (伪造物) to England and Canada for sale and circulation (销售).
Forgers have a hard time selling their products. A forger can't approach a respectable buyer but must deal with people who don't have much knowledge in the field. Forgers have many ways to make their work look real. For example, they buy old books to use the aged paper of the title page, and they can treat paper and ink with chemicals.
In Spring's time, right after the Civil War, Britain was still fond of the Southern states, so Spring invented a respectable maiden lady known as Miss Fanny Jackson, the only daughter of General "Stonewall" Jackson. For several years Miss Fanny's economic problems forced her to sell a great number of letters and manuscripts belonging to her famous father. Spring had to work very hard to satisfy the demand. All this activity did not prevent Spring from dying in poverty, leaving sharp-eye experts the difficult task of separating this forgeries from the originals.Why did Spring sell his autographs in England and Canada?
| A．There was a greater demand there than in America. |
| B．There was less chance of being detected there. |
| C．Britain was Spring's birthplace. |
| D．The price were higher in England and Canada. |
After the Civil War, there was a great demand in Britain for _______.
| A．Southern money |
| B．signatures of George Washington and Ben Franklin |
| C．Southern manuscripts and letters |
| D．Civil War battle plans |
Robert Spring spent 15 years _______.
| A．running a bookstore in Philadelphia |
| B．corresponding with Miss Fanny Jackson |
| C．as a forger |
| D．as a respectable dealer |
According to the passage, forgeries are usually sold to _______.
| A．sharp-eyed experts | B．persons who aren't experts |
| C．book dealers | D．owner of the old books |
Who was Miss Fanny Jackson?
| A．The only daughter of General "Stonewall" Jackson. |
| B．A little-known girl who sold her father's papers to Robert Spring. |
| C．Robert Spring's daughter. |
| D．An imaginary person created by Spring. |
If you exhibit positive characteristics such as honesty and helpfulness, the chances are that you will be thought as a good-looking person, for a new study has found that the perception （认知） of physical attractiveness is influenced by a person's personality．
The study, which was led by Gary W．Lewandowski, has found that people who exhibit negative characteristics, such as unfairness and rudeness, appear to be less physically attractive to observers．In the study, the participants viewed photographs of opposite-sex individuals and rated them for attractiveness before and after being provided with information about their personalities．
After personality information was received, participants also rated the probability of each individual' s becoming a friend and a dating partner．Information on personality was found to significantly change the probability, showing that cognitive （认知的） processes modify （修改） judgments of attractiveness．
"Thinking a person as having a desirable personality makes the person more suitable in general as a close relationship partner of any kind," said Lewandowski．
The findings show that a positive personality leads to greater expectation of becoming friends, which leads to greater expectation of becoming romantic partners and, finally, to being viewed as more physically attractive．The findings remained consistent regardless of how "attractive" the individual was formerly thought to be or of the participants' current relationship status．
"This research provides a positive outcome by reminding people that personality goes a long way toward determining your attractiveness; it can even change people's impressions of how good-looking you are," said Lewandowski．In the study the participants were required to _____．
| A．try to make friends with each other |
| B．try to prove positive characters make people more attractive |
| C．exhibit negative characters such as unfairness and rudeness |
| D．rate one's attractiveness by photos before and after knowing her or his personality |
Which of the following is WRONG according to the passage?
| A．The research reminds people to pay more attention to the personality． |
| B．Personality can change people's impressions of one's appearance． |
| C．The judgment of one's attractiveness always stays unchanged． |
| D．Positive personality may lead to more friends． |
The passage is written in a（n） _____ tone．
| A．subjective | B．objective | C．skeptical | D．negative |
Who are the intended readers of this passage?
| A．People with positive characteristics． |
| B．Good-looking people． |
| C．People with negative characteristics． |
| D．General people． |
Kataria is the founder of the worldwide laughter movement. The celebration of World Laughter Day is a positive activity for world peace and is intended to build up a global sense of brotherhood and friendship through laughter. The first “World Laughter Day” gathering took place in Mumbai, India, on 11th January, 1998. 12,000 members from India and international Laughter Clubs attended it. Now there are over 5,000 Laughter Clubs worldwide on all 5 continents.
“HAPPY—DEMIC” was the first World Laughter Day gathering outside India. It took place on 9th January, two years after the Mumbai gathering. In Copenhagen, Denmark, more than 10,000 people gathered at Town Hall Square. The event went into Guinness Book of World Records. “World Laughter Day” is now organized on the first Sunday of May every year. Hundreds of people gather worldwide on that day to laugh together.
Today, many people fear widespread international terrorism. The world has never faced so much unrest before. People are at war within themselves. Laughter is a universal language, which has the ability to unite humanity without religion. Laughter can build a common connection between various religions and create a new world order. The idea may sound over -ambitious(野心太大的), and maybe it is. But maybe it is not. It is our deep belief that laughter and only laughter can unite the world, building up a global sense of brotherhood and friendship.
Studies also say that laughter helps your body do the following: lower blood pressure; lighten depression; reduce stress; work out the heart, especially for those who are unable to perform physical exercise. So in life, when you can laugh, you should laugh loudly and with your entire body-because it’s good for you.The purpose of celebrating World Laughter Day is ________.
| A．to build up a global sense of brotherhood and friendship through laughter |
| B．to build a common connection between various religions |
| C．to reduce stress and lighten depression |
| D．to lower blood pressure |
The first World Laughter Day gathering outside India took place________.
| A．on 11th January, 1998 | B．on the first Sunday of May |
| C．on 9th January, 1996 | D．on 9th January, 2000 |
The author’s attitude towards laughter movement is ________.
| A．positive | B．negative | C．uninterested | D．objective |
The passage is mainly about ________.
| A．World Laughter Day and its significance |
| B．the worldwide laughter movement |
| C．a universal language |
| D．laughter. |
Wanted，Someone for a Kiss
We’re looking for producers to join us on the sound of London Kiss 100 FM．You’ll work on the station’s music programs．Music production experience in radio is necessary，along with rich knowledge of modern dance music．Please apply in writing to Producer Vacancies，Kiss 100．
Father Christmas
We’re looking for a very special person，preferably over 40，to fill our Father Christmas suit．
Working days：Every Saturday from November 24 to December 15 and every day from December 17 to December 24 except Sundays，10∶ 30 －16∶ 00．
Excellent pay．
Please contact the Enterprise Shopping Centre，Station Parade，Eastbourne．
Accountants Assistant
When you join the team in our Revenue Administration Unit，you will be providing assistance within all parts of the Revenue Division，dealing with post and other general duties．If you are educated to GCSE grade C level we would like to talk to you．This position is equally suitable for a school leaver or for somebody who has office experience．
Wealden District Council
Software Trainer
If you are aged 24—45 and have experience in teaching and training，you could be the person we are looking for．You should be good at the computer and have some experience in program writing．You will be allowed to make your own decisions，and to design courses as well as present them．Pay upwards of ￡15，000 for the right person．Please apply by sending your CV （简历）to Mrs．R．Oglivie，Palmlace Limited．Who should you get in touch with if you hope to work in a radio station?
| A．Wealden District Council． | B．Producer Vacancies，Kiss 100． |
| C．The Enterprise Shopping Centre． | D．Mrs Oglivie，Palmlace Limited． |
We learn from the ads that the Enterprise Shopping Centre needs a person who．
| A．is aged between 24 and 40 | B．may do some training work |
| C．should deal with general duties | D．can work for about a month |
Which position is open to recent school graduates?
| A．Accountants Assistant． | B．Father Christmas． |
| C．Producer，London Kiss． | D．Software Trainer． |
What kind of person would probably apply to Palmlace Limited?
| A．One with GCSE grade C level． |
| B．One having good computer knowledge. |
| C．One with some office experience． |
| D．One trained in producing music programs． |
“The price of books for our students is just getting higher and higher and，combined with the rising cost of tuition，it’s killing these students，”said Peter Jason，a college professor．“Remember，students are one of the poorest groups of people in America．Almost half of them have at least one part-time job．In fact，one of my students has three jobs．And she still manages to have high scores and go to school full-time.”
Textbook prices are traditionally high．Adding to that problem，many college teachers change textbooks year after year；they either upgrade to a new edition or switch to an entirely different textbook．This further hurts students because if an instructor no longer uses a particular textbook，that book has no resale value．
Dr．Jason decided to make lire a little easier and a lot cheaper for his students by writing his own book on public speaking．“Many books have an increased price because of CD-ROMs，lots of color photographs and pictures．I talked to my students，and many of them，like me，prefer to keep things simple! So，a few years ago，I wrote my own textbook．Compared to most other public speaking books，mine is half the number of pages，and one-third the price．That is，$30 instead of $90．When I wrote a second edition last year，students only had to buy the 35 new pages, For only $7．00，they had almost a new book. Now my loose-leaf textbook enjoys great popularity among the students．Maybe in the future more writers and publishers will try it．”What did Dr. Jason say about students at college?
| A．They are short of money． | B．They need better textbooks |
| C．They should do part-time jobs． | D．They are trying to get high scores． |
What did Dr．Jason decide to do to help the students?
| A．To choose cheaper textbooks． | B．To write a textbook himself． |
| C．To speak to his students. | D．To use old textbooks． |
How much does a public speaking textbook usually cost?
| A．About 7 dollars. | B．About 30 dollars. |
| C．About 37 dollars． | D．About 90 dollars． |
Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Dr Jason's textbook has CD-ROMs and nice pictures. |
| B．More writers and publishers will write simpler textbooks． |
| C．Dr．Jason teaches public speaking at a college． |
| D．Dr-Jason’s textbook is not well received． |