III. 阅读理解（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A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
It’s hard to believe that before 1985, people in Britain didn’t use mobile phones. That was the year when the first mobile phone company began operation in the UK, although in other parts of Europe mobiles had been used for several years.
Early mobiles were much larger than they are today. Some of them weighed about 5 kg and the owners had to pay several thousand pounds for them. By the beginning of the 1990s, companies in the UK had updated their mobile phones so they were more like the mobiles used all over Europe. Those phones weighed about 500g, and the batteries lasted longer，whereas before they had lasted for only one hour’s talk-time.
Nowadays, some of our mobiles weigh as little as 50g and have a talk-time of up to five hours and a battery life of up to 10 days. About 80% of UK adults now own a mobile phone, and there are now almost 50 million mobile phone users in the UK.
Nobody had ever expected mobile phones to become so popular. One huge surprise was the increase in the use of text messages. Twenty years ago, people didn’t hear of “texting”. Now, over one billion text messages are sent every month in the UK. People are also using their mobile phones as music centers, as personal organizers and to surf the Internet.
Mobile phones are developing all the time and people are predicting that soon nobody will want to leave his house without one in his pocket. Mobile phones will no longer be just useful, but necessary for people in the UK.
41. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Mobile phones in the UK are getting smaller and lighter.
B. Mobile phones in the UK have more functions now.
C. Mobile phones in the UK are developing very slowly.
D. The history development of mobile phones in the UK.
42. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Mobile phones in the UK appeared earlier than in other parts of Europe.
B. In the UK some early mobile phones were about 100 times as heavy as those today.
C. In the UK more than twelve billion text messages are sent every year.
D. The British use mobiles to enjoy music, organize personal lives and surf the Internet.
43. When was the first mobile phone company started in the UK?
A. In 1985. B. Before 1985. C. In 1990. D. In 1970.
44. Which word can replace the underlined “whereas” in the second paragraph?
A. when B. while C. just D. till
45. What does the last paragraph mainly tell us?
A. Mobile phones will be predicting daily life in the UK.
B. Mobile phones will be more popular in the UK.
C. Mobile phones will be necessary for people in the UK.
D. Mobile phones will develop quickly.
Bicycle Safety
Operation Always ride your bike in a safe, controlled manner on campus(校园). Obey rules and regulations. Watch out for walkers and other bicyclists, and always use your lights in dark conditions.
Theft Prevention Always securely lock your bicycle to a bicycle rack---even if you are only away for a minute. Register your bike with the University Department of Public Safety. It’s fast, easy, and free. Registration permanently records your serial number, which is useful in the possible recovery of the bike stolen.
Equipment
Brakes Make sure that they are in good working order and adjusted properly.
Helmet A necessity, make sure your helmet meets current safety standards and fit properly.
Lights Always have a front headlight---visible at least 500 feet in front of the bike. A taillight is a good idea.
Rules of the Road
Riding on Campus As a bicycle rider, you have a responsibility to ride only on streets and posted bicycle paths. Riding on sidewalks or other walkways can lead to a fine. The speed limit for bicycles on campus is 15mph, unless otherwise posted. Always give the right of ways to walkers. If you are involved in an accident, you are required to offer appropriate aid, call the Department of Public Safety and remain at the scene until the officer lets you go.
Bicycle Parking Only park in areas reserved for bikes. Trees, handrails, hallways, and sign posts are not for bicycle parking, and parking in such posts can result in a fine.
If Things Go Wrong
If you break the rules, you will be fined. Besides violating rules while riding bicycles on campus, you could be fined for:
No bicycle registration------------------------$25
Bicycle parking banned-------------------------$30
Blocking path with bicycle -------------------$40
Violation of bicycle equipment requirement -----$35Registration of your bicycle may help you __________.
| A．find your stolen bicycle |
| B．get your serial number |
| C．receive free repair services |
| D．settle conflicts with walkers |
If you lock your bicycle to a tree on the campus, you could be fined __________.
| A．$25 | B．$30 | C．$35 | D．$40 |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．A guide for safe bicycling on campus. |
| B．Directions for bicycle tour on campus. |
| C．Regulations of bicycle race on campus. |
| D．Rules for riding motor vehicles on campus. |
Children love playing games. That is a well-known fact. Kids learn how to play games at a very early age, and once they find a game they love, they can play for hours and hours. In fact, games for kids are so popular that there is an entire industry dedicated(献身) to designing and selling them. There seems to be a fun game for kids for every occasion. Christmas and birthday are often celebrated with the family tradition of gifting a new game.
In recent years, however, Internet games and gaming system seem to have taken kids’ world by storm. Online games for kids have quickly become a very popular way to pass the time with small children and teens alike. Online games are a great way to have fun, and they can be quite educational as well. Many online games created for specific age groups encourage grade-appropriate development and educational skills.
Hundreds of websites offer fun and educational games to kids. Many of these sites are created by big names, such as National Geographic, which we can trust. They offer free games that parents know are proper for children. Parents are encouraged to go online and research online games proper for their children’s age before allowing their kids to play these games. Parents want to look for parental controls such as the ability to set or monitor their children’s playtime.
With so many options to choose from, parents and children will find it easy to find fun games and activities on the Internet. And nowadays, being able to use a computer is a very important skill for children to learn, so playing on the computer is definitely both educational and fun. Children are sure to learn new skills about any subject with the right, trusted website.The industry of games for kids is fast growing probably because ________.
| A．the workers are good at designing |
| B．children are mostly crazy about games |
| C．people would like to celebrate birthdays |
| D．kids don’t like to do their homework |
Which of the following is TRUE of National Geographic Games?
| A．The news is updated every day. |
| B．There is a large amount of information. |
| C．It can help parents to control kids’ playtime. |
| D．The games on it are good for kids’ mental and physical health. |
What’s the author’s attitude to children’s playing computer games?
| A．Supportive. | B．Worried. | C．Negative. | D．Doubtful. |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Traditional games and modern games |
| B．Computer games harmful to the youth |
| C．Games for kids changing a lot ever since |
| D．Internet games with fun and education |
Like every language, American English is full of special expressions, phrases that come from the day-to-day life of the people and develop in their own way.
Our expression today is “to face the music”. When someone says, “Well, I guess I’ll have to face the music,” it does not mean he’s planning to go to the concert. It is something far less pleasant, like being called in by your boss to explain why you did this and did that, and why you didn’t do this or that. Awful music indeed, but it has to be faced. At sometime or another, every one of us has to face the music, especially as children. We can all remember father’s angry voice, “I want to talk to you.” and only because we did not obey him. What an unpleasant business it was!
The phrase “to face the music” is familiar to every American, young and old. It is at least 100 years old. And where did this expression come from? The first explanation comes from the American novelist, James Fenimore Looper. He said, in 1851, that the expression was first used by actors while waiting to go on the stage. When they got their cue(提示) to go on, they often said, “Well, it’s time to face the music.” And that was exactly what they did—facing the orchestra(管弦乐队) which was just below them. And an actor might be frightened or nervous as he moved on to the stage in front of an audience that might be friendly or perhaps hostile, especially if he forgot his lines. But he had to go out. If he did not, there would be no play. So the expression “to face the music” came to mean “having to go through something, no matter how unpleasant the experience might be, because you knew you had no choice.”
Other explanations about the expression go back to the army. When the men faced an inspection(视察) by their leader, the soldiers would be worried about how well they looked. Was their equipment clean, shiny enough to pass the inspection? Still the men had to go out and face the music of the band as well as the inspection. What else could they do?
Another army explanation is more closely linked to the idea of facing the results and accepting the responsibility for something that should not have been done. For example, when a man is forced out of the army because he did something terrible, he is dishonored. The band does not play. Only the drums tap a sad, slow beat. The soldier is forced to leave, facing such music as it is and facing the back of his horse.How many ways does the phrase “to face the music” comes from?
| A．1. | B．2. | C．3. | D．4. |
What’s the meaning of “to face the music”?
| A．To face something far less pleasant. | B．To face the stage. |
| C．To face the back of one’s horse. | D．To face one’s leader. |
The underlined word “hostile” means ________.
| A．unfriendly | B．dislike | C．unkind | D．unnecessary |
America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while—then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us develop more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending(延伸) sometimes deeply into both families.
Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality(好客) easily.
Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don’t show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at homes, but truly can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily routine. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.
For the Americans, it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accept their hospitality at home!The writer of this passage must be ________.
| A．an American | B．a Chinese | C．a professor | D．a student |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families. |
| B．Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives. |
| C．Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy. |
| D．Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break. |
From the last two paragraphs we can learn that when we arrive in America to visit an American friend, we will probably be ________.
| A．warmly welcomed at the airport | B．offered a ride to his/her home |
| C．treated hospitably at his/her home | D．treated to dinner in a restaurant |
The underlined words “generous with our time” in Paragraph 3 probably mean ________.
| A．strict with time | B．willing to spend time |
| C．careful with time | D．serious with time |
A suitable title for this passage would probably be “________”.
| A．Americans’ and Chinese’s views of friendships | B．Americans’ hospitality |
| C．Friendships between Chinese | D．Friendships between Americans |
In the US, people prefer waiting for a table to sitting with people they don’t know. If you are sitting at a table with people you don’t know, it is impolite to light up a cigarette without first asking if it will disturb them.
At American restaurants and coffee shops you are usually served tap water(自来水) before you order. You may find the bread and butter is free, and if you order coffee, you may get a free refill.
Most cities and towns have no rules about opening and closing times for stores or restaurants, though they usually do make rules for bars. Especially in large cities, stores may be open 24 hours a day.
Servings in restaurants are often large, too large for many people. If you can’t finish your meal but would like to enjoy the food later, ask your waitress or waiter for a “doggie bag”. It may have a picture of a dog on it, but everybody knows you’re taking the food for yourself. Supper and dinner are both words for the evening meal. Some people have “Sunday dinner”. This is an especially big noon meal.
Tips are not usually added to the check. They are not included in the price of the meal, either. A tip of about 15% is expected and you should leave it on the table when you leave. In some restaurants, a check is brought on a plate and you put your money there. Then the waiter or waitress brings you your change.Which statement is TRUE?
| A．American people like sitting with people they don’t know. |
| B．A hostess always seats a small group at a large table. |
| C．American people never sit with people they don’t know. |
| D．American people will not light a cigarette if the people who sit at the same table mind their smoking. |
What is served before you order?
| A．Bread | B．Butter | C．Coffee | D．Cold water |
What are the opening and closing times for stores and restaurants in the US?
| A．There are no rules about opening and closing times for stores and restaurants. |
| B．Stores may be open 24 hours a day in every city. |
| C．Especially in large cities, stores may be open around the clock. |
| D．You can enter a bar at any time in the US. |