The Worst Part
Mom is usually home on Sunday but this week she was going to a big golf game and I was all alone in the house. I was mad at Mom for divorcing Dad.
I kept looking at the telephone until I couldn’t stand it any longer. I picked up the receiver and dialed Dad’s number over in Bakersfield. I even remembered to dial 1 first because it was long distance. “You promised to phone me this week but you didn’t,” I said, feeling I had to talk to him.
“Take it easy, kid,” he said. “I just didn’t get around to it. I was going to call this evening
. The week isn’t over yet.”
I thought about that.
“Something on your mind?” he asked.
“I hoped you would call, so I waited and waited.” Then I was sorry I said it.
“There was heavy snow in the morning,” he said, “I had to chain up on highway 80 and lost time.”
I know putting chains on eight big wheels in the snow is no fun. I felt a little better, as long as we were talking. “How is Bandit?” I asked.
There was a funny silence. For a minute I thought the line was dead. Then I knew something must have happened to my dog.
“Well, kid—”, he began. “My name is Leigh!” I almost yelled. “I’m not just some kid you met on the street!”
“Keep your shirt on, Leigh,” he said. “When I had to stop along with some other truckers to put on chains, I left Bandit out of the cab, I thought he would get back … I have sent out a call to CB radio, but I didn’t get an answer yet.” I was about to say I understood when there came the bad part, the really bad part. I heard a boy’s voice say, “Hey, Bill, Mom wants to know when we’re going out to get the pizza?”
45.From the story we know that________.
A.Leigh’s dad never ha
d a rest on Sundays
B.Leigh was a deserted boy
C.Leigh’s dad lived in another city
D.Leigh’s mother often went to golf games
46.What happened to Bandit?
A.It was frozen to death. B.It was let out of the cab and got lost
C.It was killed by a truck. D.It ran off Highway 80 and into the mountain.
47.The underlined sentence “Keep your shirt on” probably means “________”.
A.Listen to reason B.Stop talking C.Calm down D.Keep warm
48.The worst part in Leigh’s eyes may be that________
A.his dad got remarried B.his parents got divorced
C.his dad didn’t love him D.his mom didn’t take him to pizza
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题;每小题3分,满分60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。
One of the most wonderful things about having a positive attitude is that it can touch many people in the course of everyday life.
Recently I stopped by a store to get a newspaper and a bottle of juice. The young woman at the check-out counter said, “That’ll be three dollars in all please.”She then glanced down at the paper I was buying and said, “I’m sick and tired of all the negative material on the front pages. I want to read some good news for a change.”She then said, “In fact, I think someone should publish a Good News newspaper——a paper with wonderful, inspirational stories about people overcoming difficulties and doing good things for others. I’d buy one every day!”She then thanked me for coming in and said, “Maybe we’ll get lucky tomorrow; maybe we’ll get some good news!”We both laughed, and I thought: she just made my day.
The following day after work I dropped by the same store again to pick up bottled water and a newspaper; but a different young lady was behind the counter. As I checked out I said, “Good afternoon”, and handed her my money . she said nothing, and didn’t smile or make a gesture. She just handed me my change and said in a bored voice, “Next!”
It hit me right between the eyes. Two people, the same age; one had made me feel great , while the other had made me feel that I had inconvenienced her by showing up.
The choices we make and attitudes we show influence lives every day in positive or negative ways. So every morning you should ask yourself:“Who do I want to be today—‘The Grouch(不高兴的人)’or ‘The Good News Girl’?”Your answer will go a long way toward determining the quality of your life and that of those around you.
1. From the first salesgirl’s words we know that______________.
A. she was sick and tired of people with bad manners
B. she didn’t like the bad news in the newspaper
C. she liked reading all kinds of stories
D. she thought it was boring to sell newspapers
57. After the author bought the newspaper the first day, he_____________.
A. had a sad day B. kept thinking about what the girl had said
C. read the newspaper carefully
D. was in a pleasant mood all day
3. The other salesgirl’s attitude towards the author the next day was_____________.
A. humorous B. enthusiastic C. cold D. positive
4. The author learned from his experience that_____________.
A. a Good News newspaper would be very popular
B. a positive attitude creates warmth and happiness
C. good relationships matter a lot
D. he needed to change the quality of his life
Europeans should try to stay indoors if ash from Iceland's volcano starts settling, the World Health Organization warned Friday as small amounts fell in Iceland, Scotland and Norway.
WHO spokesman Daniel Epstein said the microscopic(微小的) ash is potentially dangerous for people when it starts to reach the Earth because inhaled(吸入) particles can enter the lungs and cause respiratory problems. And he also said Europeans who go outside might want to consider wearing a mask.
Other experts, however, weren't convinced the volcanic ash would have a major effect on peoples' health and said WHO's warnings were "hysterical." They said volcanic ash was much less dangerous than cigarette smoke or pollution. Volcanic ash is made of fine particles of fragmented volcanic rock. It is light gray to black and can be as fine as talcum powder. During a volcanic eruption, the ash can be breathed deep into the lungs and cause irritation even in healthy people. But once it falls from a greater distance — like from the cloud currently hovering above Europe — its health effects are often minimal, experts say.
"Not all particles are created equal," said Ken Donaldson, a professor of respiratory toxicology at the University of Edinburgh, "In the great scheme of things, volcanic ash is not all that harmful." And he said most Europeans' exposure to volcanic ash would be negligible and that only those in the near districts of the Icelandic volcano would likely be at risk.
Dr. Stephen Spiro, a professor of respiratory medicine and deputy chair of the British Lung Foundation, said the further the particles travel, the less dangerous they will be. "The cloud has already passed over northern Scotland and we haven't heard of any ill effects there," he said. Spiro said to wear masks or stay indoors to avoid volcanic ash was "over the top" and "a bit hysterical."
1. The text is mainly about .
A. the effect of volcanic ash
B. the health risk of volcanic ash
C. the disadvantages of volcanic ash
D. the opinions on health risk of volcanic ash
2. Which one is true according to Paragraph3?
A. The volcanic ash’s effects on Europeans were little.
B. The ash caused irritation even in healthy people.
C. Other experts thought WTO’S warnings were useful.
D. The volcanic ash was more dangerous than cigarette smoke or pollution.
3. The underlined word “hysterical” in Paragraph4 most probably means .
A. amazing B. practical C. valuable D. overstated
4. What can we learn from the passage?
A. The volcanic ash wouldn’t be harmful to people.
B. All experts thought the volcanic ash did great harm to our health.
C. People close to the volcano would likely be at risk according to some experts.
D. Europeans should stay indoors because Iceland's volcano starts settling.
第三部分阅读理解(共15小题;每小题2分,满分30分)
请认真阅读下列短文,从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题纸上将该项涂黑。
John Davis doesn’t use his GPS system in his car. Instead of guiding the direction, the Delaware farmer uses it to determine where and how much fertilizer to use on the crops on his 4,000-acre family-owned farm. Technological advances like that last year helped Davis and other Ohio farmers set a record for corn product. Ohio's corn crop in 2009 totaled 546 million bushels(蒲式耳), despite a cooler and wetter than normal spring, a dry summer and a delayed, wet harvest. Davis said. “I knew it would be a good crop, but it was much better than we expected.”
A farmer can map his fields on GPS, spotting where soil turned out to be least fertile(肥沃的) and using more fertilizer the next year in those areas where corn didn’t grow as well.
Although Ohio farmers produced more corn, it was grown on less land than in past years. Total area used for corn in Ohio was 3.35 million acres, about the same as in 2008 but down from 3.85 million acres in 2007, said Dwayne Siekman, director of the Ohio Corn Growers Association. “When you look at the total number of acres in Ohio used for corn, it’s clear that farmers are able to do more with less,” he said. “American farmers can grow five times more corn on 20 percent less land than they did in the 1930s, saying that modern farming techniques are necessary for a growing demand in the world today.” That technology includes using improved seeds that can withstand(忍受) greater temperature extremes and pests, Siekman said.
Farmers aren't the only ones who benefit. Consumers(消费者) do, too, as food costs reduce in the face of “enough supplies of corn,” said Fred Yoder, who runs a 1,500-acre corn, soybean and wheat farm in Plain City. “This is the best, highest-producing corn crop that I've raised in 30 years,” he said.
1. Most people usually use the GPS system for ______.
A. driving their cars B. telling the position C. mending the car D. supplying the sunshine
2. The farmers in Ohio use GPS to ______.
A. check if the soil is fertile in some areas B. control the rain of the place
C. water the crops if the weather is dry D. draw the map of all the crops
3. Why did Ohio farmers produce more corn?
A. Because they expanded more land to grow corn
B. Because they turned to technological advances
C. Because they used more and more fertilizer.
D. Because they supplies themselves with more money.
4. From the passage, we can know _____.
A. John Davis hadn’t expected a good harvest.
B. farmers grew less land than in the 1930s
C. improved seeds cost much more money
D. the output of corn in the same field is increased.
Section One
The city is an accumulation of human civilization. Just as the American social philosopher (哲学家) Lewis Mumford put it, it is a special system which, fine and compact, has been designed to preserve the fruits of human civilization. Many Western languages have developed their versions of the term “civilization” from the same Latin (拉丁语的) word “civitas”(meaning “city” ), and it is by no means a coincidence. The city has played a significant role in the perfection of order in human society.
Section Two
The emblem, showing the image of three people ― you, me, him/her holding hands together, symbolizes the big family of mankind. Inspired by the shape of the Chinese character “世” (meaning the world), the design conveys the organizers' wish to host an Expo which is of global scale and which displays the various urban cultures of the world.
Section Three
Created from the inspiration of Chinese character “人”, the design roots deeply in Chinese culture. It tells the world the eternal core (永恒的核心) and theme of Shanghai World Expo will be always human. The mascot “Haibao” will become the messenger for the theme of World Expo 2010 Shanghai China “Better City, Better Life”.
The basic structure of the Chinese character “人” in which each stroke supports each other also shows the concept that the beautiful life should depends on mutual-help. If the human are willing to support one another, the harmony among human, nature, and society will be available. Such an urban life will be nice.
Haibao’s confident smile is expressing his sincere greeting from China ― “World Expo 2010 Shanghai China welcomes you!”
1. Section One mainly tells us about ______.
A. the part cities play in human civilization B. the development of the word “city”
C. why the Expo is held in Shanghai D. where human civilization originated
2 The underlined word “it” in Section One refers to ______.
A. the civilization B. the philosopher C. the word D. the city
3. Which correctly matches the sections with the pictures described in the passage?
Pictures |
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A. |
Section One |
Section Two |
Section Three |
B. |
Section Two |
Section Three |
Section One |
C. |
Section Three |
Section Two |
Section One |
D. |
Section Three |
Section One |
Section Two |
4. The second paragraph in Section Three explains how the creation is connected with the _____ of the Chinese word “人”.
A. story B. meaning C. shape D. usage
Anchors on China Central Television (CCTV) will need to do some fast talking to replace the popular English acronyms(首字母缩略词) they’re now banned from using. Shanghai Daily reports that “anchors at (CCTV) have been banned from saying the English acronyms NBA, CBA, GDP, and the like in their programs.”
The replacement for those handy acronyms? Chinese presenters must use the full Chinese name, standardized by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.
Although CCTV presenters must already have a score of at least 94 in their government-rated oral Mandarin proficiency exam, saying the full name of organizations like the CBA or WTO ― 10 and 6 character’s long separately ― is sure to challenge even the most skillful anchors. CCTV sports anchor Sun Zhengping
tells Shanghai Daily, “A full Chinese explanation of the English initials must be followed if my tongue slips. It is a little trouble but a necessary one because not every audience member can understand the initials.”
Although the government isn’t giving any official explanation for the shift, it is believed to have to do with a proposal by Huang Youyi, director of the China International Publishing Group, at March’s NPC meeting. In his speech, Huang said, “With more and more publications mixing Chinese with English, measures and regulations should be adopted to avoid English invading Chinese. If we don’t pay attention and don’t take measures to stop the expansion of mixing Chinese with English, Chinese won’t be a pure language in a couple of years.”
Although China is far from the first country to take measures to protect local languages (the French and Québécois beat them to it by a long way), acronyms are more about saving time than they are about corrupting a language, we would think. Good luck to the CCTV anchors.
1. CCTV anchors have to “do some fast talking” because they can no longer ______.
A. speak as slowly as they like B. mix English into Chinese
C. use shortened Chinese expressions D. have so much time for their program
2. When Sun Zhengping said “if my tongue slips”, he meant “if I _____”.
A. habitually use an English acronym B. speak a little bit too fast
C. make a mistake in pronunciation D. say something impolite or improper
3. What’s Huang Youyi’s proposal?
A. Using full English names instead of short forms.
B. Translating Chinese terms into proper English.
C. Avoiding Chinese words mixing into English.
D. Keeping our mother tongue as a pure language.
4. What’s the main idea of the last paragraph?
A. China has fallen behind in the matter. B. The ban is not necessary.
C. Chinese shouldn’t be corrupted. D. CCTV anchors will have a hard time.