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A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出一个最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
The key to happiness is how quickly you can get back your focus on what’s important.
----Anonymous
Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here's what happened. I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car’s back end by just inches!
The driver of the other car, who almost caused a big accident, started yelling bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was friendly. So, I said, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!" And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call "The Law of the Garbage Truck."
Many people are like garbage (rubbish) trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a 
place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be happy with what you did.
I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets? It was that day I said, "I'm not going to do anymore."
Successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day. What about you? If you let more garbage trucks pass you by, you'll be happier. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So, Love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don't.
56. What happened one day when the author was taking a taxi?
A. The taxi almost hit another car.
B. The taxi driver was injured.
C. The author scolded the driver of the other car.
D. The author learned a lesson from the driver of the garbage truck.
57. How did the taxi driver respond to the behaviour of the driver of the black car?
A. He yelled back at the driver.
B. He sent the driver to the hospital.
C. He was friendly towards the driver.
D. He dumped some garbage in front of his car.
58. What does the taxi driver think of people according to Paragraph 3?
A. Many people like to drive garbage trucks.
B. Many people dump garbage wherever they like.
C. Many people are warm-hearted to make others happy.
D. Many people tend to be very much depressed.
59. What can we infer from Paragraph 4?
A. The author used to have a lot of garbage trucks.
B. The author used to complain a lot.
C. The author used to have a lot of money.
D. The author used to be a good manager.
60. According to the passage, what should you do if people “dump garbage” on you?
A. Ignore them and go on with our own work.
B. Try our best to persuade them not to do that again.
C. Tell them to dump the garbage in the right place.
D. Take over their work and carry the garbage to somewhere else.
In every British town, large and small, you will find shops that sell second-hand goods. Sometimes such shops deal mostly in furniture, sometimes in books, sometimes in ornaments(装饰) and household goods, sometimes even in clothes.
The furniture may often be “antique（古时制造的，古董的）”, and it may well have changed hands many times. It may also be very valuable, although the most valuable piece will usually go to the London salerooms, where one piece might well be sold for hundreds of thousands of pounds. As you look around these shops and see the polished（精致的）wood of chests（箱子）and tables, you cannot help thinking of those long-dead hands which polished that wood, of those now-closed eyes which once looked at these pieces with love.
The books, too, may be antique and very precious; some may be rare first printings. Often when someone dies or has to move house, his books may all be sold, so that sometimes you may find whole libraries in one shop. On the border between England and Wales, there is a town which has become a huge bookshop as well. Even the cinema and castle have been taken over, and now books have replaced sheep as the town’s main trade.
There are also much more humble（卑微的）shops, sometimes simply called “junk shops”, where you can buy small house-hold pieces very cheaply. Sometimes the profits from these shops go to charity(慈善事业). Even these pieces, though, can make you feel sad; you think of those people who once treasured them, but who have moved on, to another country or to death.
Although the British do not worship（崇拜，敬仰）their ancestors（祖先）, they do treasure the past and the things of the past. This is true of houses as well. These days no one knocks them down, they are restored until they are often better than new. In Britain, people do not buy something just because it is new. Old things are treasured for their proven worth; new things have to prove themselves before they are accepted.Books found in second-hand book shops may .
| A．be copies of the earliest printing | B．be on sale for the first time |
| C．never be worth very much | D．never be rare |
What is the small town on the border between England and Wales famous for?
| A．Its sheep. | B．Its books. | C．Its cinema. | D．Its castles. |
Second-hand goods sometimes fill you with sadness because .
| A．they are too expensive for average buyers |
| B．they remind you of the original owners |
| C．they are now neglected（忽视，忽略） |
| D．they are sold for charity |
The average British person .
| A．does not respect old things because they are not fashionable |
| B．likes to build new houses simply because it is fashionable to do so |
| C．likes to buy new things because they are fashionable |
| D．does not like to buy things simply because they are fashionable |
What does the underlined word “them”(Para.4) refer to?
| A．Junk shops. | B．Profits from shops. |
| C．Old things. | D．Old houses. |
This week is National Volunteer Week, a time for the Canadian Red Cross to recognize our dedicated (有奉献精神的) volunteers who devote their time and talents from coast to coast. Over the course of the week we will use this blog to share stories about our volunteers and the amazing work they do --- a small part of the outstanding individuals across the country.
Take Saskatchewan for example. Last year that province was hit by wide-spread flooding, a hurricane and forest fires. Canadian Red Cross staff and volunteers went to work right away and helped more than 2,100 adults and 775 children recover the basic necessities of life.
It’s important to share stories from volunteers to truly appreciate what they do. Christine Hoffman is a Disaster Response Volunteer in Canadian Red Cross in Saskatchewan. She’s a veteran Red Crosser for about 16 years. Still nothing could have prepared her for the call she took in the Recovery Center last year in response to flooding in Maple Greek. This story is best told in her own words. This is what she said:
“I will never forget the first phone call I took in the Recovery Centre. A young man called asking what services Red Cross was offering in town. As we were talking, he told me he had a rope in his backyard but he thought he would be using it for other reasons. My heart stopped. I told him to come to see us so we could work together on a plan to improve his situation. He came in a little while later. Nearly two hours later he left standing straight up with tear- filled eyes. He thanked me for convincing him to come in. His home had been destroyed, but together we put together a plan and he was eventually able to move back into his own home.”
During National Volunteer Week 2011, let’s thank Christine, and the many other volunteers like her. Thanks for making us proud!According to the second paragraph, Canadian Red Cross’ action is ______
| A．slow | B．quick | C．helpless | D．disappointing |
Which of the following is closet in meaning to the underlined word “veteran” in the third paragraph?
| A．Careless | B．Experienced | C．Unskillful | D．Optimistic |
The underlined words in the forth paragraph expressed Christine Hoffman’s feeling of ____
| A．excitement | B．anger | C．happiness | D．nervousness |
What can we infer from what Christine Hoffman said?
| A．The young man felt sad for Christine Hoffman because of her poor experience |
| B．The young man was persuaded by Christine Hoffman and decided to live on |
| C．Christine Hoffman made the young man sad and he cried |
| D．Christine Hoffman offered to give the young man a little money to help him |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．How to become a volunteer |
| B．An excellent volunteer and her family |
| C．Volunteers and their amazing work |
| D．What the Canadian Red Cross does |
Plastic is everywhere because plastic is an extremely useful material. It is cheap, strong and lightweight. What’s more, it can take on nearly any form or shape, from soft and stretchy (有弹性的) to hard and glasslike.
Plastic, however, is far from perfect. It may even be bad for us. Studies now suggest that poisonous chemicals can get out of some types of plastic, get into our bodies, and cause a variety of health problems, including cancer, birth defects and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (注意缺陷障碍).
Two types of chemicals in particular have raised special concern lately. They are called phthalates (邻苯二甲酸盐) and Bisphenol-A (二酚基丙烷), BPA for short. Not all plastic products contain them. But the ones that do are surrounded by controversy (争议). That’s because experts disagree on how dangerous these chemicals are.
Plastic is a single word, but plastic isn’t just one thing. What all plastics share in common are plasticizers -- special chemicals that allow the material to be changed into nearly any shape or texture. Plasticizers (塑化剂) are added to plastic during the manufacturing process.
Phthalates and BPA are two types of plasticizers that work in different ways. Phthalates add softness to things like shampoo bottles, raincoats and rubber. They are also used in perfumes and makeup. BPA, on the other hand, gives a hard, clear, almost glasslike feel to products such as infant bottles. BPA also appears in food and soda cans, DVDs and other unexpected places.
How do these chemicals get into us? When plastic is heated in the microwave or dishwasher, chewed on or scratched, the chemicals can seep (渗透) out of the plastic. Even though we can’t see them, we eat them, drink them and breathe them in.
Scientists and parents are especially worried about young children, who tend to chew on everything, including plastic.Dozens of countries, including the European Union, Japan, Canada and Mexico have already banned phthalates from products made for children younger than three. California and Washington have done the same. And a number of other states are considering similar rules. As for BPA, Canada became the first country to ban the chemical from baby bottles. A dozen states are considering it.What can we know about the plastic from the first paragraph?
| A．Its characters and effects. | B．Its wide use and bad points. |
| C．Its importance and chemicals. | D．Its popularity and advantages. |
Which of the following products contains BPA?
| A．A soft plastic cup. | B．A pencil eraser. |
| C．A baby milk bottle. | D．A new perfume. |
Phthalates and BPA can get into us __________.
| A．through mouth or nose | B．through blood transfusion |
| C．by feeling plastic products | D．by heating in the microwave |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．A new ban on plastic products. | B．Problems caused by the plastic. |
| C．Good points of the plastic. | D．The use of plasticizers. |
One day when I was driving on the freeway, I noticed all the way there were large dividing walls, which had been built between it and the road running parallel to it, for noise reduction (减少) and a sense of separation. The purpose was to create a sense of privacy (隐私) for people on the other side.
This got me thinking: How often do we put up mental barriers that keep us distant from others? Lifting the artificial barriers that keep us apart can offer opportunities to express our goodwill and create better relationships. If we can do like this, maybe our life will be a little different.
There is a little post office in a nearby town, and since it is closer to me than the post office in my own town, I go there. One day, with many people jammed into the little building, a man came hurrying in to mail a letter, and the girl at the counter saw he had too little postage on it. She told him he needed 2 more cents. Obviously he was a little at a loss. He had hurried over from his office, and didn’t have any money on him or time to stand in line. He was going to run back to get the needed money and wait in line again, but he hurried to get the letter mailed in the first place.
As we were watching him, one woman volunteered a two-cent stamp, and the whole line became very quiet. It was a beautiful moment. The man hesitated for a little while and asked her if she was sure, and she assured him she was fine with giving him the stamp. He offered to go back to his office to get the two cents, and she told him not to bother.
It was a small thing, but it meant something to both of the people involved, and to the rest of us. We aren’t a yard that needs defining or a freeway that needs barriers. We are human beings who can contribute to each other’s wellbeing by taking time to pay attention and interact. After all, we are all parts of a whole living in society.The purpose of the first paragraph is to __________.
| A．summarize the main idea |
| B．give detailed information |
| C．tell readers the author’s opinion |
| D．introduce the topic |
What happened after the man being told he needed two more cents?
| A．The man went back to his office immediately. |
| B．The man turned to a lady for help. |
| C．A woman offered a stamp to the man. |
| D．The man waited in line patiently. |
What can we learn about the author?
| A．She pays too much attention to privacy. |
| B．She believes people should participate in the world around them. |
| C．She confuses real barriers with false ones. |
| D．She insists all small things always have the greatest meaning. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Artificial Barriers | B．Unnecessary Separation |
| C．An Unforgettable Experience | D．The Kindness of People |
Are you an optimist? Do you look at your glass and see it as half full? Do you believe that every cloud has a silver lining and that things generally turn out for the best? Do you believe that if something is meant to be, it will be? If you reply “yes” to all of these questions, then you are an optimist. You probably are enthusiastic, cheerful and outgoing. You may be successful at work and in love.
But you may be misguided because things don’t turn out for the best. You may believe that when one door closes another one opens (for example, you may fail to obtain a new job; another chance will come around soon). Wrong. When one door closes, another door slams (砰然关上) in your face. That’s bitter reality.
Now a book has been published which confirms what pessimists (悲观者) have suspected all along. It’s called The Positive Power of Defensive Pessimism. Its author argues that defensive pessimism can lead to positive results. Defensive pessimism is a strategy used to manage fear, anxiety and worry. Defensive pessimists prepare for the things by setting low outcomes for themselves. They carefully consider everything that may go wrong and plan for ways to handle these problems. And this gives them a sense of control. Lawrence Sanno, a psychology professor, says, “What’s interesting about defensive pessimists is that they tend to be very successful people, so their low opinion of the situation’s outcomes is not realistic. They use it to motivate themselves to perform better.”
So far, so good. This is not rocket science. Defensive pessimists prepare carefully and consider what might go wrong, whether at work, on date or even in a sports game. It makes sense to have a back-up plan. There are many sayings in English urging caution. For example, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” And “Don’t count your chickens until they hatch.” To have a confident and optimistic approach to life’s problems is good. But listen to what Woody Alien, the American comedian says, “Confidence is what you have before you understand the problem.”
There are pros and cons to being an optimist and a pessimist. Don’t feel bad if you see the glass half empty. You are a realist. But lighten up and hook up with someone who sees the same glass half full.What’s the passage mainly about?
| A．A book that has recently been published. |
| B．How to become successful in life. |
| C．The dangers of being too optimistic. |
| D．The benefits of defensive pessimism. |
The underlined sentence “This is not rocket science” (Para. 4) means __________.
| A．it’s not a dangerous thing to do |
| B．it is quite simple to understand |
| C．the cost is not so high |
| D．there is no real proof |
Which of the following English expressions would a defensive pessimist believe?
| A．Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. |
| B．The glass is half full not half empty. |
| C．Whatever will be, will be. |
| D．Every cloud has a silver lining. |
The writer would probably describe himself as __________.
| A．an optimist | B．a defeatist | C．a realist | D．a scientist |