All the wisdom of the ages and all the stories that have delighted mankind for centuries are easily and cheaply available to all of us within the covers of books. The most unfortunate people in the world are those who have never discovered how satisfying it is to read good books.
Reading is the pleasure of the mind, which means that it is a little like a sport: your eagerness and knowledge and quickness make you a good reader. Reading is fun, not because the writer is telling you something, but because it makes your mind work. Your own imagination works along with the author's or even goes beyond his. Your experience, compared with his, brings you to the same or different conclusions, and your ideas develop as you understand his.
Every book stands by itself, like a one--family house, but books in a library are like houses in a city. Although they are separate, together they all add up to something. They are connected with each other and with other cities. Books influence each other; they link the past, the present and the future and have their own generations, like families. Wherever you start reading, you connect yourself with one of the families or ideas, and in the long run, you not only find out about the world and the people in it but also you find out about yourself, too.
Reading can only be fun if you expect it to be. If you concentrate on books somebody tells you "you ought" to read, you probably won't have fun. But if you put down a book you don’t like and try another till you find one that means something to you, and then relax yourself with it, you will almost certainly have a good time and if you become, as a result of reading, better, wiser, kinder, or more gentle, you won't have suffered during the process.
72. In the writer's opinion, in fact reading is a process of ________.
A. listening to the author B. accepting the author's ideas
C. communicating with the author and yourself D. judging the author's work
73. The writer thinks that the most unfortunate people are those _______.
A. who don't have any books B. who can't enjoy reading books
C. who don’t like books D. who read too many books
74. To find pleasure in reading, you should read the books _______.
A. written by famous writers B. written in humor style
C. which you like to read D. which are recommended by your friends
75. The author's purpose in writing the passage is to _______.
A. show the importance of reading B. tell us how to make reading more effective
C. tell us how to read D. show the pleasure of reading
Edinburgh takes on Leinster in their Rugby Union match on Friday evening where it should be a dry night with some clear spells. It will feel chilly in the wind, with temperatures at the start of the match around only 6℃ (430F).
There will be some light rain on Friday afternoon for the races in Newbury. It will stay rather cloudy and will feel cold in the wind with a high of 8 ℃. But the weather will not be too much of a problem for the event.
A slow moving storm system spreads cloud, rain and colder weather across New York. This will be the case, not only tonight, but right through until Friday. Saturday the weather will start to change to a more spring pattern with mild and fine weather again on Sunday, when the biggest American football match kicks off.
Keep an umbrella handy.
A cold front will push eastward from Texas to the southern half of the Mississippi Valley by Friday evening. Strong two severe thunderstorms have already developed, from eastern Kansas and western Missouri southward to central and eastern Texas. All outdoor sports events will be impossible in these areas.
60. If you want to watch the Rugby match on Friday, you'd better .
A. wear warm clothes and a raincoat B. wear warm clothes
C. take an umbrella with you D. wear a sport suit
61. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A. There will not be any sports matches or races in central and eastern Texas because of the coming thunderstorm.
B. The weather will be fine when the football match starts in New York.
C. The races will continue in Newbury in spite of the rainy weather.
D. Mississippi Valley runs from north to south.
62. What can we learn from the passage?
A. Bad weather happens abruptly in New York.
B. The races in Newbury will be cancelled because of the weather.
C. 6 ℃ is a high temperature for the season when the match takes place.
D. Edinburgh and Leinster refer to two Rugby teams in the passage.
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
阅读下面短文,从每题后所给的四个选项A、B、C、D中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Without proper planning, tourism can cause problems. For example, too many tourists can crowd public places that are also enjoyed by the inhabitants of a country. If tourists create too much traffic, the inhabitants become annoyed and unhappy. They begin to dislike tourists and to treat them impolitely. They forget how much tourism can help the country’s economy. It is important to think about the people of a destination country and how tourism affects them. Tourism should help a country, keep the customs and beauty that attract tourists. Tourism should also advance the wealth and happiness of local inhabitants.
Too much tourism can be a problem. If tourism grows too quickly, people must leave other jobs to work in the tourism industry. This means that other parts of the country’s economy can suffer.
On the other hand, if there is not enough tourism, people can lose jobs. Businesses can also lose money. It costs a great deal of money to build large hotels, airports, air terminals, first- class roads, and other support facilities(配套设施)needed by tourist attractions. For example, a major international class tourism hotel can cost as much as 50 thousand dollars per room to build. If this room is not used most of the time, the owners of the hotel lose money.
Building a hotel is just a beginning. There must be many support facilities as well, including roads to get to the hotel, electricity, sewers to handle waste, and water. All of these support facilities cost money. If they are not used because there are not enough tourists , jobs and money are lost.
56.Which of the following do you think has been discussed in the part before this selection?
A. It is extremely important to develop tourism.
B. Building roads and hotels is essential.
C. Support facilities are highly necessary.
D. Planning is of great importance to tourism.
57.Too much tourism can cause all these problems EXCEPT ________ .
A. a bad effect on other industries B. a change of tourists’ customs
C. over - crowdedness of places of interest D. pressure on traffic
58.It can be inferred from the text that ________ .
A. the author doesn’t like tourism developing so fast
B. local people will benefit from tourist attraction
C. other parts of a country’s economy won’t benefit from tourism much
D. we can't build too many support facilities
59.The author thinks it is good for local people to know that tourism will ________ .
A. waste a lot of money B. weaken their economy
C. help establish their customs D. help improve their life
The most popular way to welcome the new year in the United States is to have a big party. Some parties are at people’s homes. But in recent years, it has become more and more common
For Americans to go to a hotel or a club or a restaurant on the night of December the 31st. There they can have dinner, drink champagne ( a kind of wine), and dance.
Most New Year’s parties have something in common. First of all, they are usually noisy. People sing and bands (乐队)play. And often, guests pull a cracker(爆竹) when the clock strikes twelve at midnight. People think that loud sounds would drive away the evil spirits of the old year before the new year begins.
For many people New Year’s Eve is the night when they can drink as much as they like. Some New Year’s celebrations have ended sadly for people who got drunk and had driving accidents. Radio’s and television’s announcements warn people of the danger of drunk driving. Some places offer free rides home for drunken people.
The biggest and noisiest New year’s party in the United States takes place at Times Square in New York City. Thousands of people gather there. Some of them ring bells or let off crackers. Others blow whistles or car horns. And at 12 o’cloIk, they begin to cheer as an electric sign in the shape of a red apple lights up on top of a tall building.
Americans keep up one other important tradition as the new year begins. They make decisions about how to improve themselves in the year ahead. Experts say that the most common New Year’s decisions in the United states are to eat less. But many Americans also promise themselves to stop smoking, or stop drinking wine, or to be nicer to their friends and families.
Experts find fewer than ten percent of Americans carry out their New Year’s decisions. Few want to give up this tradition. Almost everyone seems to enjoy looking back over the year that has just ended and looking forward to a nice beginning of a new year. ,
72. The article is about _____.
A. some important traditions in the USA
B. when and where Americans welcome the new year
C. New year’s celebrations in the USA
D. American ways of life and their interests
73. On New Year’s Eve _____ in America.
A. parties are held in different places
B. people are encouraged to drink as much as they like
C. some places offer free rides home for everyone
D. people begin to shout as soon as they see a red apple
74. . Most new year’s parties are usually noisy, because______.
A. people sing songs B. bands play music
C. guests pull crackers D. people want to get rid of bad luck of the old year
75. In order to prevent car accidents _____ on New Year’s Eve.
A. many Americans promise to stop drinking wine
B. drunken people are forbidden to drive, but can be driven home for free in some places
C. little wine is served at New year’s celebrations
D. people are warned of the danger of drinking too much
Weekend one-day out
A walk along the Great Wall
Beijing Hikers is organizing a hike in a village along the Great Wall in Changping District, north of downtown Beijing. The walk will take around three hours covering a distance of 10 kilometers.
Time: 8:30 a. m. ~ 4:30 p. m, Dec. 4
Cost: 200 yuan (US $ 25) per adult, 150 yuan (US $ 18. 50) for under-12s.
Meeting place: 8:30 a. m. in front of Starbucks at Lido Holiday Inn, Jiangtai Lu.
To sigh-up (one day before the hike) and more information, contact Huijie at 139 1002 5516.
Skiing and hot springs
Cycle China plans a day’s skiing fun at a resort around Beijing followed by an outdoor hot spring bath for your sore(酸痛的) body.
Cost: 350 yuan (US $ 43. 40)
Time: 8:30 a. m ~ 6:30p. m, Dec. 4
Location: Meet at the office of Cycle China, opposite the east gate of Jingshan Park, Xicheng District.
For more information and reservation, email reserve @ cyclechina. com or call 139 1188 6524.
Horse riding
This is a trip to a professional horse-riding club with well-trained bilingual instructors, offering lessons to people who love riding and those willing to learn more. The club is located in Hebei Province next to the Kangxi Grassland.
Time: 1:30a. m~ 4:30p. m, Dec. 4
Cost: 330 yuan (US$40. 74) including one hour’s riding, transportation, guide, lunch.
To sigh-up and more information, contact Lucy at 8580 5080 or 130 1117 1326.
68. This passage is written mainly for ________.
A. travel agencies B. holiday-makers C. guides D. sportsmen
69. If Mary, who is ten years old, wants to hike along the Great Wall with her parents, they will pay_____ dollars.
A. 400 B. 450 C. 68. 50 D. 65
70. If you are interested in the knowledge about horse-riding, you’ll contact_________.
A. 139 1188 6515 B. 139 1188 6524 C. 130 1117 1326 D. 139 1002 5516
71. Cycle China is ________.
A. a website which offers travelling information B. a traveling agency
C. a trainer for skiing D. a resort which offers hot spring bath
Washington D. C. is the capital of the United States. It’s the center of national government. It’s a busy, working city with a large population. But what is more, Washington is also a city of history and culture.
Washington was created in 1790 when Congress ( the highest law-making body of the U. S. A. ) decided to place the nation’s new capital in the east of the country. It was build halfway between the northern and southern states of America. And of course it was named after George Washington, the first President of the United States.
There are many tourist sights in Washington. Perhaps the most important tourist sight is the Capital Building. This house is the Congress.
Another world-famous building in Washington is the White House. This is the home and office of the President of the United States. Most visitors are, however, surprised by how small the White House actually is.
Washington is also a great culture city. The Library of Congress contains one of the largest library collections in the world. The Smithsonian Museum holds the nation’s largest collection of cultural materials. And the John F. Centre is a famous centre of art and culture. It has many great musical and theatre performances throughout the year.
64. The writer mainly talks about ______.
A. Washington B. the history of Washington
C. buildings and sights in Washington D. the history and culture of Washington
65. From the passage we know that Washington is situated in ________.
A. the east of the U. S. A. B. the centre of the U. S. A.
C. the center of the middle point from north to south, of the country
D. the east and halfway from the north
66. . The white House impresses the people most for ______.
A. its white colour B. its size
C. it as the home and office of the president D. its history
67. . The writer introduces Washington in the order of _____.
A. population, history and culture
B. hostory and culture
C. general introduction, history, sights and culture
D. generall introduction, history, sights, buildings and culture