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、D）中，选出最佳选项。
Does your cordless phone crackle (噼噼响) , fade, or go dead when you move only a few feet from the base? If so, we recommend that you try a Techtalk cordless phone.
Techtalk cordless phones arc the only ones with the patented Cellular 6 technology. The result is a phone with excellent clarity, range, and security.
Clarity: It's essential that you communicate efficiently and effectively. No static (静电), echo, or crackling will ever interfere (干扰) with your conversations on a Tcchtalk phone.
Range: Techtalk provides up to four times the range of an ordinary cordless phone. It will go anywhere you need it throughout your home in your yard, even around the Block.
Security: Some cordless phones allow other cordless phone users to overhear (偷听) your conversations. Not Techtalk. We guarantee (保证) complete privacy whenever you talk to your friends, family , or business associates.
You decide an ordinary cordless phone or Techtalk? Visit your favorite electronics store this month and take a Techtalk home for a 30-day trial. If you don't agree that it's superior to all other cordless phones, return it for a full refund.
56. This passage is _________.
A. a newspaper article B. an advertisement C. a letter D. a scientific introduction
57. What is Techtalk?
A. A kind of cordless phones.
B. A company that used cordless phones.
C. A new technology that reduces static.
D. A mobile phone with the patented Cellular 6 technology.
58. This month, you can ________.
A. get a reduced price on a Techtalk
B. try a Techtalk at home
C. get any cordless phone which you like
D. exchange a Techtalk phone for an ordinary phone.
Australia is famous for its beautiful beaches. And Australian people love swimming and going to the beach. But it wasn't always that way.
Different Climate, Different Habits
When Europeans first invaded (侵略）Australia, the only people here who were good at swimming were the Aboriginal people. The Europeans came from climates where it was too cold to swim. However the warm climate of Australia soon changed their attitude to swimming. At first, only men swam. They swam without any clothes on— there were no women to see them.
Cover up!
By the 1880s and 1890s visiting the beach was very fashionable. People wore everyday street clothes—much more than people wear at the beach today.
In those days people believed they should cover their most body so it would not be seen by the opposite sex. Special bathing costumes (服装） were designed for women. This costumes used a lot of cloth and were very heavy when wet, making it difficult to swim.
Laws Made and Laws Changed
The government decided to stop men swimming naked. It passed a law which forbade bathing between 6 am and 7 am. But in 1903，the laws changed; people could swim in the daytime, but they had to wear neck-to-knee costumes.
The Shrinking Costume
As time passed, swimming costumes became smaller and more convenient.
At first men and women were covered from neck to knee. Then arms became bare. Then more of the legs were uncovered. Each new change was regarded by many as shocking and rude and people wrote letters to the newspapers complaining about the new costume. Nowadays some people go to special "nude beaches" to swim naked.
However, most people cover their bodies more than they did ten years ago—not because they think bare skin is shocking—but to protect their skin from the harmful rays of the sun. Which of the following statements about the climate of Australia is TRUE?
| A．It made European settlers think differently about swimming. |
| B．It changed European settlers' swimming costume. |
| C．It made European settlers feel much hotter. |
| D．It made European settlers have to swim naked. |
What should swimmers do during the late 19th century?
| A．They should hide when they meet a person of the opposite sex. |
| B．They should cover their body to avoid being seen by the opposite sex. |
| C．They should wear many heavy clothes on beaches. |
| D．They should wear special wet costumes designed for them. |
What does the underlined sentence mean?
| A．People were surprised by each new change and criticized it. |
| B．People were amazed by each new change and praised it. |
| C．Only newspapers were in favor of each new change. |
| D．Only newspapers thought poorly of each new change. |
What can we conclude from the last paragraph?
| A．People worry about getting skin cancer from too much sun. |
| B．People protected their swimming costumes from too much sun. |
| C．People are greatly shocked by the nude beaches. |
| D．People think it rude to swim with the smaller costumes. |
Beijing had its coldest morning in almost 40 years and its biggest snowfall since 1951. Britain is suffering through its longest cold snap (寒潮）since 1981. And freezing weather is hitting the US south.
Whatever happened to global warming?
Such weather doesn't seem to fit with warnings from scientists that the earth is warming because of greenhouse gases. But experts say the coldness doesn't deny global warming at all—it's just a blip in the long-term heating trend.
"It's part of natural variability(变化性），" said Gerald Meehl, a senior scientist at the National Centre for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo. With global warming, he said，"We'll still have record cold temperatures. We'll just have fewer of them. ”
Scientists say man-made climate change does have the potential to cause more frequent and more severe weather extremes, such as heat waves, storms, floods, droughts and even coldness. But experts did not connect the current cold weather to climate change.
So what is going on?
"We basically have seen just a big outbreak of Arctic air over populated areas of the Northern Hemisphere，"Arndt said. In the atmosphere, large rivers of air travel roughly west to east around the globe between the Arctic and the tropics. But recently, this air flow has become bent into a pronounced (明显的）“z” pattern, moving from north and south. If you live in a place where it brings air up from the south, you will get warm weather. In fact, record highs were reported this week in Washington state and Alaska.
But in some other unlucky parts of the globe, Arctic air is moving down from the north. And that's how you get the low temperature in Beijing, and 18 inches of snow in parts of Britain, where a member of Parliament who said the snow "clearly indicates a cooling trend " was laughed at by colleagues.
The “z” pattern arises naturally from time to time, but it is not clear why it's so strong right now, said Michelle Heureux, a meteorologist at the Climate Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The center says the pattern should begin to weaken in a week or two. Many areas are suffering low temperature except __________.
| A．Beijing |
| B．Washington state and Alaska |
| C．the US south |
| D．Britain |
The underlined word “blip” in Paragraph 3 means __________.
| A．temporary phenomenon |
| B．abnormal phenomenon |
| C．common phenomenon |
| D．rare phenomenon |
From the text, it can be learned that __________.
| A．global warming trend has proved wrong |
| B．there will be less coldness in the future |
| C．the “ z ” pattern Arctic air flow seldom happens |
| D．scientists haven't found out the reason of coldness |
The present coldness is probably caused by __________.
| A．climate change |
| B．Arctic air traveling west to east |
| C．the “z” pattern Arctic air flow |
| D．the cooling trend |
At first, the earth's surface layer (层）was made up of huge blocks of hard, solid rocks. Then slowly, the rocks broke up into smaller and smaller pieces. Finally stones, pebbles(砾石）and grains of sand were formed. Many sorts of plants and animals lived and died on the surface of the earth. Their remains mixed up with the stones, pebbles and formed soil. The outmost layer of the earth is soil.
There are many ways in which large pieces of rock break up into smaller ones. Wind, water, heat and cold help to break up rocks. When winds blow grains of sand against a large rock for a long time, the softer layers of the rock are slowly worn away. These leave holes and cracks (裂缝）in the rock, which become bigger and finally the rock breaks up into smaller pieces.
The moving water of streams and rivers also helps to break up rocks. As the water moves along, it carries with small pieces of rock. These rub the larger ones. Thus, the larger rocks are worn down to smaller pieces.
The heat of the sun is also helpful in breaking up rocks. When the sun shines, the rocks become very hot. If these rocks are suddenly cooled, they may crack. Ice also plays a part in making soil. Water in the cracks can turn into ice in cold weather. As this happens, it becomes bigger and the cracks become wider, and finally break up into smaller pieces. According to the passage, soil __________.
| A．forms very slowly |
| B．is a mixture only of stones, pebbles and sand |
| C．makes up the layers of the earth |
| D．is becoming smaller and smaller |
Which of the following speeds up the breaks of rocks most?
| A．Hot weather. |
| B．Cold water. |
| C．Sharp changes in temperature. |
| D．More dead plants in the cracks. |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The remains of many plants and animals can form soil. |
| B．If a large rock never moves, it will never break up. |
| C．Even if a large rock never moves, it will break up. |
| D．Ice in the cracks helps to break up rocks. |
The best title for this passage should be __________
| A．Soil from rock |
| B．Ways to break up rocks |
| C．Soil on the earth |
| D．Soil, outmost layer of the earth |
Most people know that Marie Curie was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, and the first person to win it twice. However, few people know that she was also the mother of a Nobel Prize winner.
Born in September，1897，Irene Curie was the first of the Curies' two daughters. Along with nine other children whose parents were also famous scholars, Irene studied in their own school, and her mother was one of the teachers. She finished her high school education at the College of Sevigne in Paris.
Irene entered the University of Paris in 1914 to prepare for a degree in mathematics and physics. When World War I began, Irene went to help her mother, who was using X-ray facilities (设备）to help save the lives of wounded soldiers. Irene continued the work by developing X-ray facilities in military hospitals in France and Belgium. Her services were recognized in the form of a Military's Medal by the French government.
In 1918，Irene became her mother's assistant at the Curie Institute. In December 1924，Frederic Joliot joined the Institute, and Irene taught him the techniques required for his work. They soon fell in love and were married in 1926. Their daughter Helene was born in 1927 and their son Pierre five years later.
Like her mother, Irene combined family and career. Like her mother, Irene was awarded a Nobel Prize, along with her husband, in 1935.
Unfortunately, also like her mother, she developed leukemia because of her work with radioactivity (辐射能）. Irene Joliot-Curie died from leukemia on March 17，1956. Why was Irene Curie awarded a Military's Medal?
| A．Because she received a degree in mathematics. |
| B．Because she contributed to saving the wounded. |
| C．Because she won the Nobel Prize with Frederic. |
| D．Because she worked as a helper to her mother. |
Where did Irene Curie meet her husband Frederic Joliot?
| A．At the Curie Institute. |
| B．At the University of Paris. |
| C．At a military hospital. |
| D．At the College of Sevigne. |
When was the second child of Irene Curie and Frederic Joliot born?
| A．In 1932. |
| B．In 1927. |
| C．In 1897. |
| D．In 1926. |
In which of the following aspects was Irene Curie different from her mother?
| A．Irene worked with radioactivity. |
| B．Irene combined family and career. |
| C．Irene won the Nobel Prize once. |
| D．Irene died from leukemia. |
In 1901，H. G. Wells, an English writer, wrote a book describing a trip to the moon. When the explorers (探险者)landed on the moon, they discovered that the moon was full of underground cities. They expressed their surprise to the "moon people" they met. In turn, the "moon people" expressed their surprise. "Why, "they asked, "are you traveling to outer space when you don't even use your inner space?"
H. G. Wells could only imagine travel to the moon. In 1969, human beings really did land on the moon. People today know that there are no underground cities on the moon. However, the question that the "moon people" asked is still an interesting one. A growing number of scientists are seriously thinking about it.
Underground systems are already in place. Many cities have underground car parks. In some cities, such as Tokyo, Seoul and Montreal, there are large underground shopping areas. The "Chunnel"， a tunnel (隊道)connecting England and France, is now complete.
But what about underground cities? Japan's Taisei Corporation is designed as a network of underground systems, called "Alice Cities". The designers imagine using surface space for public parks and using under-ground space for flats, offices, shopping, and so on. A solar dome (太阳能穹顶)would cover the whole city.
Supporters of underground development say that building down rather than building up is a good way to use the earth's space. The surface, they say, can be used for farms, parks, gardens, and wilderness. H. G. Wells, "moon people" would agree. Would you? The explorers in H. G. Wells' story were surprised to find that the "moon people" ________ .
| A．knew so much about the earth |
| B．understood their language |
| C．lived in so many underground cities |
| D．were ahead of them in space technology. |
What does the underlined word "it" (in Paragraph 2)refer to?
| A．Discovering the moon's inner space. |
| B．Using the earth's inner space. |
| C．Meeting the "moon people" again. |
| D．Traveling to outer space. |
What sort of underground systems are already here with us?
| A．Offices, shopping areas and power stations. |
| B．Tunnels car parks and shopping areas, |
| C．Gardens, car parks and power stations. |
| D．Tunnels, gardens and offices. |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Alice Cities-cities of the future. |
| B．Space travel with H. G. Wells |
| C．Enjoy living underground |
| D．Building down, not up |