第二部分阅读理解（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和E）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Scott Langteau has this message for kids: Spend less time playing video games．
It’s a message that many a mom and dad have tried to impress upon many a youngster （and some not-so-youngsters） who spend perhaps a bit too much time with game controllers in hand．
But the 40-year-old Langteau isn’t a parent．He’s experienced at video games — one who played producer on three “Medal of Honor” games and co-founded his own game development company．
Langteau has just published a children’s book called “Sofa Boy,” which tells the story of a kid who spends too much time sitting on the couch with controller held in hand and the rather terrible consequences that follow．
It’s a fairy tale plucked straight from Langteau's own experiences as a lad with a fondness for video games and his own bouts with a bit of game addiction．But first, Langteau would like to make one thing clear: “I’m not saying that you shouldn’t play video games．I think video games are great, I think they do great things for kids．Instead, Langteau says his book is all about a little something called “moderation．（克制）”
_“It’s_about_being_well_rounded,” he says．“Just like with anything else, we all need to make sure that there’s a variety in what we do．”
Video gamers can be rather bad-tempered when it comes to accepting criticism about their favorite entertainment．And understandably so．After all, most people who go around talking about the dangers of playing video games tend to be outsiders — people who don’t play video games and certainly don’t understand that they can be a valuable and healthy form of entertainment．
But Langteau and “Sofa Boy” seem to be in a unique position to deliver a message of gaming moderation that the young game-savvy masses might actually listen to．After all, this is a
man who understands what it means to be a kid with a passion for games．His early experience has taught him a lesson．
1．Scott Langteau published “Sofa Boy” to_____________．
A．share his great skills on games
B．warn kids against game addiction
C．tell about his fairy tale as a kid
D．deliver a message for games
2．We can learn from the passage that____________．
A．Langteau advises the young to play games within limits
B．Langteau advises the young not to play games
C．playing video games ruins the future of kids
D．playing video games is of no benefit to kids
3．By saying “It’s about being well rounded” Langteau thinks____________．20090506
A．games do great things for kids
B．gamers are usually fat and round
C．games should be viewed from all sides
D．gamers are to blame for their behaviors
4．What topic will be discussed in the following paragraph?
A．His idea to create “Sofa Boy”．
B．His great achievement in games as a kid．
C．His hard times to set up his game company．
D．His enthusiasm for games when he was a small boy．
The small number of newborn babies, which has been caused by high prices and the changing social situation of women, is one of the most serious problems in Asia. When people talk about it, you can hear a word invented in Japan, “DINK”, which means Double Income No Kids.
In many major Asian cities like Seoul, Singapore, and Tokyo, the cost of a house is extremely high. A young couple who want to buy their own house may have to pay about $3000,000 (though prices have fallen). For a flat with one bedrooms, one dining-room, a kitchen, and a bathroom, the couple will pay about $900 a month. What’s more, if they want to have a child, the child’s education is very expensive. For example, most kindergarten charges are at least $5.000 a year. In such a situation, it’s difficult to afford children.
The number of married women who want to continue working because they enjoy their jobs. However, if they want to have children, they immediately have serious problems. Though most companies allow women to leave their jobs for a short time to have a baby, they expect women with babies to give up their jobs. In short, if they want to bring up children properly, both parents have to work, but it is hard for mothers to work. Indeed, women who want to continue working have to choose between having children or keeping their jobs.
In a word, Asian governments must take steps to improve the present situation as soon as possible.What is the main problem being discussed in the passage?
| A．The small number of newborn babies. | B．The changing social situation of women. |
| C．The high prices of houses and education. | D．The necessary steps of Asian government. |
According to the passage, which of the following is true?
| A．It is easy for a couple to afford a child in Asia. |
| B．The prices of in Asia are quite low now. |
| C．Fewer and fewer married women want to have a job. |
| D．The word “DINKS” appeared in an Asian country. |
To buy a flat and send a child to kindergarten, how much will a couple pay each year?
| A．85,000 | B．85,900 | C．$10.800 | D．$15.800 |
The writer seems to believe that Asian governments should ________.
| A．let women stay at home and have a baby | B．allow one of the parents to go out to work |
| C．care for the growing needs of women for job. | D．the companies that permit women to leave. |
Some people think that as more and more people have televisions in their homes, fewer and fewer people will buy books and newspapers. Why read an article in the newspaper, when the TV news can bring you the information in a few minutes and with pictures? Why read the life story of a famous man, when a short television program can tell you all that you want to know?
Television has not killed reading, however. Today, newspapers sell in very large numbers. And books of every kind are sold more than ever before. Books are still a cheap way to get information and enjoyment. Although some books with hard covers are expensive, many books are printed today as paperbacks (平装本), which are quite cheap. A paperback collection of short stories, for example, is always cheaper than an evening at the cinema or the theater, and you can keep a book for ever and read it many times.
Books are a wonderful provider of knowledge and pleasure and some types of books should be in every home. Every home should have a good dictionary. A good encyclopedia (百科全书), though expensive, is useful, too, because you can find information on any subject. Besides, you can have such books as history books., science textbook, cookbooks, and collections of stories and poems. Then from time to time you can take a book of poems off your shelves and read the thoughts and feelings of your favorite poets.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
| A．TV programs are a chief provider of knowledge |
| B．cinemas are the best choice in getting information |
| C．reading is a cheap way of learning and having fun |
| D．newspapers are an expensive way to enjoy oneself |
What does the sentences “Television has not killed reading, however ” underlined in the second paragraph suggest?
| A．People only need reading, though. | B．Reading is still necessary today. |
| C．Reading is more fun than television. | D．Watching television doesn’t help reading. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Fewer and fewer people will buy books. |
| B．A good dictionary should be kept in every home. |
| C．Books with hard covers sell better than paperbooks. |
| D．More people like TV programs about famous men. |
Americans, generally speaking, make an effort to be friendly with their colleagues, neighbours and other people they often run into. This often takes the form of a simple greeting like “How’s it going?” or “What’s up ?” This is simply a way of saying I see you and I recognize you.
Americans also show this friendliness in “small talk”. Small talk is a casual conversation that Americans engage in when they meet on the street, in the shop or in the office before a meeting. Usually the topics of such small talk will be something that everyone is familiar with, the weather, sports, traffic, hobbies or what’s on television. The topic of the conversation is not as important as the effort make to spend a few minutes with the other person. Small talk shows that you are a considerate person who is interested in others and who is willing to take the time to get to know people.
Small talk is used in the business world to create a friendly atmosphere and to put everyone at ease before the serious matters of business are discussed. Often businessmen will spend a few minutes talking about the weather or sports before a meeting. This form of small talk only lasts a few minutes before the American businessman wants to “get down to business.”
Asians are very skilled at making casual conversation. However, they often find it difficult to make small talk with Americans because they don’t know what to say, how to say it and who to say it to. Americans may see Asians who are reluctant to make small talk as unfriendly and cold. American people ask others how it is going because .
| A．they are curious about others’ affairs |
| B．they are eager to help others |
| C．they want to start a long conversation |
| D．they only want to show their kindness |
Businessmen talk about weather before a meeting .
| A．so that everyone present will feel relaxed |
| B．in order that everyone will be warned against the possible bad weather |
| C．because weather is very important to American people |
| D．in order to make people fresh |
The word “reluctant” means .
| A．willing | B．eager | C．unwilling | D．skilled |
Which of the following is not true according to the passage?
| A．You should keep the conversation short. |
| B．Asians are not friendly and don’t like to talk with others |
| C．“To get down to business” means to start the work. |
| D．The topics of the small talk are not very important. |
Looking back on my childhood, I am convinced that naturalists are born and not made. Although we were all brought up in the same way, my brothers and sisters soon left their pressed flowers and insects. Unlike them, I had no ear for music and languages. I was not an early reader and I could not do mental arithmetic.
Before World War I we spent our summer holidays in Hungary. I have only the dim(模糊的) memory of the house we lived in, of my room and my toys. Nor do I recall clearly the large family of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who gathered next door. But I do have a clear memory of the dogs, the farm animals, the local birds, and above all, the insects.
I am a naturalist, not a scientist. I have a strong love of the natural world and my enthusiasm had led me into varied investigations（调查研究）. I love discussing my favorite topics and enjoy burning the midnight oil reading about other people’s observations and discoveries. Then something happens that brings these observations together in my conscious（清醒的） mind. Suddenly you fancy you see the answer to the riddle, because it all seems to fit together. This has resulted in my publishing 300 papers and books, which some might honor with the title of scientific research.
But curiosity, keen（敏锐的） eyes, a good memory and enjoyment of the animal and plant world do not make a scientist: one of the excellent and essential qualities required is self-discipline, a quality I lack. A scientist, up to a certain point, can be made. A naturalist is born. If you can combine the two, you get the best of both worlds.The first paragraph tells us the author ______.
| A．was interested in flowers and insects in his childhood |
| B．lost his hearing when he was a child |
| C．didn’t like his brothers and sisters |
| D．was born into a naturalist’s family |
The author can’t remember his relatives clearly because _______.
| A．he didn’t live very long with them |
| B．the family was extremely large |
| C．he was too young when he lived with them |
| D．he was fully occupied with observing nature |
It can be inferred from the passage that the author was _______.
| A．a scientist as well as a naturalist | B．a naturalist but not a scientist |
| C．no more than a born naturalist | D．first of all a scientist |
The author says that he is a naturalist rather than a scientist probably because he thinks he _______.
| A．has a great deal of trouble doing mental arithmetic |
| B．lacks some of the qualities required of a scientist |
| C．just reads about other people’s observations and discoveries |
| D．comes up with solutions in a most natural way |
A new research shows that in Britain more and more people are returning to the old tradition that the whole family have a meal at table. Worrying about the obesity and breakdown of a family, people change their eating habits so greatly, according to analysis. They find the number of the family having a meal together increases by 5% from 2002 to 2004, and most people who have meals with their family come from the rich social class.
The new discovery makes doctors and the people struggling against obesity extremely excited. Giving up the tradition that the whole family have a meal together is exactly one of the reasons for a series of problems including children’s overweight. If a child has a meal in front of the television or the computer alone, he will often eat some fast food.
Jason Collins is one of the persons returning to the old tradition. Collins is a manager of a bake(烘面包) house. He finds after he gets used to having a meal at home with his child, the child becomes much more obedient(听话的). Dr. Jin is a child psychologist, and she expresses welcome to this result of the study. She says it can make parents have a very good chance to chat with the child when the whole family have a meal together. What makes people change their eating habit back to the old tradition in Britain?
| A．Worrying about their children. | B．Worrying about some social problems. |
| C．Worrying about the living expense. | D．Worrying about health and family problems. |
We can infer from the passage that _______.
| A．people’s eating habit has much effect on their family |
| B．most rich people have meals with their family |
| C．most children have the problem of overweight |
| D．most children don’t like having dinner with the parents |
How do the people who hope to lose weight feel about the new discovery?
| A．They feel glad. | B．They feel surprised. |
| C．They feel sorry. | D．They feel disappointed. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The child having dinner with his parents doesn’t like watching TV. |
| B．Children become overweight all because of having dinner alone. |
| C．The family having dinner together is more united and friendly. |
| D．The reason a child has dinner alone is that he likes fast food. |