第三部分阅读理解（共15小题，每小题2分，共30分。）
阅读下列短文，从每题中的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳答案。
A NATIONWIDE BESTSELLER
It’s likely that everything you learned about America’s ancient history is wrong.
The new book, 1491, completely changes our understanding of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus in 1492.
DID YOU KNOW?
When Columbus landed there were probably more people in the Americas than there were in Europe.
The peoples of North America had such healthy life-styles that as late as the 19th century they continued to be the tallest people on earth.
Facts have shown that the Americas were populated as long as 33,000 years ago.
4,000 years ago Mesoamerican farmers developed corn in a feat (技艺) of genetic engineering that still isn’t completely understood.
COMMENTS ON 1491
“In the tradition of Jared Diamond & John McPhee, a totally new view of pie-Columbian America” --Richard Rhodes
“Attractively written and really absorbing ... Charles C. Mann has produced a book that’s part detective story, part epic (史诗) and part tragedy. He has taken on a vast topic: thousands of years, two huge continents, and cultures.”
-- Charles Matthews, San Jose Mercury News
“Powerful and challenging”
--Alan Taylor, Washington Post
“A pleasure to read as well as a wonderful education” -- Howard Zinn
56. On the whole, 1491 is a book mainly about America’s_______ .
A. life-styles B. population C. history D. agriculture
57. Which of the following is NOT TRUE about the comments on the book 1491 ?
A. It is interesting and instructive. B. It is attractive and culturally related
C. It is challenging and revolutionary. D. It is humorous and persuasive.
58. From this passage, we can learn______ .
A. people settled in the Americas a little earlier than 1492
B. North Americans were the tallest in the 18th century in the world
C. Mesoamerican farmers knew genetic engineering 5,000 years ago
D. the population in the Americas was smaller than that in Europe in 1492
How often do you use your car? Can you use your car less often? Do you know the following facts in the UK?
• About 50% of all car journeys are just for fun.
• Over 80% people go to work by car.
• 25% car journeys are under two miles.
• 70% car journeys are under five miles.
WALKING & CYCLING
Instead of using the car for short journeys, why not walk or ride a bicycle? Walking is a most popular form of exercise—it’s healthy and it can save you money. If you work nearby, try walking or cycling instead of driving. Walking your children to school gives them valuable road experience.
BUSES
Bus companies are using new buses: some run on new fuels which produce less pollution; some have easier access for disabled and old people. There are special traffic lanes (行车道) to make bus journeys easier and more reliable. So do something to help solve the pollution problem—let the bus take you to work and your children to school.
TRAINS
All car journeys, long or short, can be hard work. For some trips it is wiser to take the train. Leave your car at home and walk, cycle or take a bus to and from the station. Train travel is fast, safe and comfortable. Train tickets are not always expensive; some are quite cheap at discount.The writer believes that ________ can give children valuable road experience.
| A．walking to school | B．travelling by train |
| C．taking new fuel buses | D．having car journeys for fun |
What does the writer think of travelling by train?
| A．Tiring. | B．Comfortable. |
| C．Exciting. | D．Awful. |
What is the main purpose of this passage?
| A．To advise people to use cars less often. |
| B．To encourage people to travel by train. |
| C．To teach people how to use the buses. |
| D．To tell people to obey traffic rules. |
To become a doctor in the United States, students usually attend four years of medical school after they complete college. Then these young doctors work in hospitals for several years to complete a training program called a residency(住院医生实习期).
These medical residents provide hospitals with needed services in return for not much pay. They work under the supervision(管理) of medical professors and more experienced doctors. Medical residents treat patients . they carry out tests. They perform operations. They complete records. In hospitals with few nurses, residents also do work formerly done by nurses. Some medical residents work one-hundred or more hours in a single week. They often work for more than thirty-six hours at a time before they can rest.
Critics (批评家) of this system say medical residents work too long and do not get enough res. They say these young doctors may be too tired to perform their medical duties effectively. Now, the government will limit the number of hours of work that residents can work. Most doctors in training will be limited to eighty-four hours of work each week. They will have work periods of no more than twenty-four hours at one time. They will have ten hours of rest between work periods.
Medical residents will have one day each week when they do not have to work. Any work they accept outside their hospitals will be limited．Experienced doctors and medical professors will closely supervise the residents to make sure they are not too tired to work.
Many medical residents welcomed the work limits. Others, however, said the new policy may interfere with patient care and their own medical education.If a first –year college student in America wants to be a doctor, he has to wait for ___.
| A．4 years | B．8 years | C．at least 10 years | D．more than 20 years |
Medical residents are not responsible for ____.
| A．supervising students | B．treating patients |
| C．carrying patients | D．doing operations |
The underlined sentence in the 2nd paragraph means that they have to ____.
| A．work 36 hours every week | B．rest for 36 hours before they can go to work |
| C．work continuously for 36 hours | D．take a rest every 36 hours |
Why does the government limit the number of hours that residents work?
| A．medical residents get too much money. |
| B．Medical residents should go back to school to study |
| C．There are not enough work for nurses |
| D．medical residents may make mistakes if they work too long. |
The underlined word “Others” in the last paragraph refers to ___.
| A．some critics | B．some medical professors |
| C．some experienced doctors | D．some medical students |
Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that he planned to give away almost all of his vast fortune , largely to the cause of global health , during the course of his lifetime . With an estimated（估计）worth of more than $ 40 billion , according to Forbes , the project will be no small feat （功绩）for Gates . Having already provided the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with $ 24 billion to address global health issues , Gates said that eventually his entire fortune will be put towards the cause except “a few percent left for the kids.”
So what has made the richest man in the world to channel his resources so heavily into one interest ? Gates believes that “the equality of opportunity” in which Americans take such pride needs to extend to other nations around the world . Improving the health of the populations , he says , has proven to be an essential method in helping poor countries to be financially successful . “National borders allow inequalities ,” said Gates : “We all need to take a more global view , rather than just saying my country is doing well . We have to step up these health issues , knowing how few resources are going into them .”
Gates said that both his parents set an example for him as a child . His father , William H. Gates , was the head of the local Planned Parenthood , and his mother , Mary , volunteered for the United Way . As he gathered his fortune , Gates knew he would eventually want to give back as well , but he didn’t expect to devote himself whole-heartedly to one project until he was about 60.
However , Gates , 47 , began to question his ability to wait that long . “It seemed there was a real time urgency,” Gates said . “I started to think , How many lives could I save before then ?”Bill Gates believes that one important way of developing poor countries is .
| A．to set up more foundations for them |
| B．to aid them with natural resources |
| C．to put more effort into the health issues in them |
| D．to help them take a more global view |
It can be learned from the text that Bill Gates thinks .
| A．Americans should care about people in other countries |
| B．Americans should treat fellow citizens well |
| C．Americans should devote themselves to certain projects |
| D．Americans can be world-famous by giving away vast fortune |
Bill Gates gave away his vast fortune earlier than he had expected because of .
| A．his weakening health condition | B．his parents’ suggestions |
| C．his great success in business | D．his concerns for suffering people |
Reading to dogs is an unusual way to help children improve their literacy skills （读写能力）With their shining brown eyes, wagging tails, and unconditional love, dogs can provide the nonjudgmental listeners needed for a beginning reader to gain confidence （自信心） , according to Intermountain Therapy Animals (ITA) in Salt Lake City. The group says it is the first program in the country to use dogs to help develop literacy in children, with the introduction of Reading Education Assistance Dogs (READ).
The Salt Lake City Public Library is sold on the idea. “Literacy specialists admit that children who read below the level of their fellow pupils are often afraid of reading aloud in a group, often have lower self-respect, and regard reading as a headache,” said Lisa Myron, manager of the children’s department.
Last November the two groups started “Dog Day Afternoon” in the children’s department of the main library. About 25 children attended each of the four Saturday-afternoon classes, reading for half an hour. Those who attended three of the four classes received a “pawgraphed” book at the last class.
The program was so successful that the library plans to repeat it in April, according to Dana Thumpowsky, public relations manager. What is mainly discussed in the text?
| A．Children’s reading difficulties. | B．Advantages of raising dogs. |
| C．Service in a public library. | D．A special reading program. |
Specialists use dogs to listen to children reading because they think _______.
| A．dogs are young children’s best friends |
| B．children can play with dogs while reading |
| C．dogs can provide encouragement for shy children |
| D．children and dogs understand each other |
By saying “The Salt Lake City Public Library is sold on the idea”, the writer means the library_______.
| A．uses dogs to attract children | B．accepts the idea put forward by ITA |
| C．has opened a children's department | D．has decided to train some dogs |
A “pawgraphed” book is most probably _______.
| A．a book used in Saturday classes | B．a book written by the children |
| C．a prize for the children | D．a gift from parent |
Mr. Briggs got a job with an insurance company(保险公司) after he left school and went around visiting people in their homes to sell them life insurance. One day, after he had been working for the company for about a year, the insurance manager sent for him and said, “Mr. Briggs, I have been looking at your record as a salesman with our company, and there is one thing that surprises me about it. Why have you been selling insurance only to people over 95 years old, and why have you been giving them such generous（宽厚的）conditions? You’ll ruin our company if you go on like that.”
“Oh, no, sir,” answered Mr. Briggs at once, “Before I started work, I looked at the figures(数字) for deaths in this country during the past ten years, and I can tell you that few people die at the age of 95.” Before he worked in an insurance company, what was Mr. Briggs?______.
| A．He was a worker. | B．He was an official. |
| C．He was a student. | D．He was a businessman. |
The word “ruin” in the second paragraph means .
| A．lose | B．break | C．leave | D．destroy |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Mr. Briggs had studied the figures for deaths for several years. |
| B．Mr. Briggs began to look at the figures after he started work. |
| C．A great number of very old people die every year. |
| D．The number of the very old people who died every year is small. |