第三部分:阅读理解(共15小题,每题2分,满分30分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。
For years I wanted a flower garden. I’d spend hours thinking of different things I could plant that would look nice together.
But then we had Matthew. And Marvin. And the twins, Alisa and Alan. And then Helen. Five children. I was too busy raising them to grow a garden.
Money was tight, as well as time. Often when my children were little, one of them would want something that cost too much, and I'd have to say, "Do you see a money tree outside? Money doesn't grow on trees, you know."
Finally, all five got through high school and college and were off on their own. I started thinking again about having a garden.
I wasn't sure, though. I mean, gardens do cost money, and after all these years I was used to living on a pretty lean, no-frills budget.
Then, one spring morning, on Mother's Day, I was working in my kitchen. Suddenly, I realized that cars were tooting their horns as they drove by. I looked out the window and there was a new tree, planted right in my yard. I thought it must be a weeping willow, because I saw things blowing around on all its branches. Then I put my glasses on - and I couldn't believe what I saw. There was a money tree in my yard!
I went outside to look. It was true! There were dollar bills, one hundred of them, taped all over that tree. Think of all the garden flowers I could buy with one hundred dollars! There was also a note attached: "IOU eight hours of digging time. Love, Marvin."
Marvin kept his promise, too. He dug up a nice ten-by-fifteen foot bed for me. And my other children bought me tools, ornaments, a trellis (棚架), a sunflower stepping stone and gardening books.
That was three years ago. My garden's now very pretty, just like I wanted. When I go out and weed or tend my flowers, I don't seem to miss my children as much as I once did. It feels like they're right there with me.
I live up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where winters are long and cold, and summers are too short. But every year now, when winter sets in, I look out my window and think of the flowers I'll see next spring in my little garden. I think about what my children did for me, and I get tears in my eyes - every time.
I'm still not sure that money grows on trees. But I know love does!(430 words)
1. By saying “Do you see a money tree outside .….,” the mother actually means “________”
A.Observation is the best teacher. B.Seeing is believing.
C.The outsider sees the most of the game. D.It is not easy to gain money
2. The best title for the passage would probably be_______.
A.My flower garden B.Marvin helps to realize my dream
C.Love in Michigan D.Money grows on trees
3. The underlined word “no - frills” in the fifth paragraphs is similar in meaning to_______.
A.wasteful B.tight C.absurd D.helpful
4. From the last but the third paragraph we can infer that the mother is_______
A.divorced when she was young B.not caring for her kids any longer
C.alone but not at all lonely D.prouder with her garden than with her kids.
It was a quiet village in which there was a military camp. It was far from the towns and cities and there were some high mountains around. Of course it was a good place for training the new soldiers. But it was difficult for the young men to go outside. Mr. White, an officer of forty, was strict with them and he hardly let them leave the camp.
Once Mr. White was ill in bed. He couldn’t work and a young officer, Mr. Hunt, began to train the new soldiers instead of him. He knew the young men well and let nine soldiers go to the nearest town to have a holiday. But night fell and none came back to the camp. He was worried about it and stood at the gate. It was five to twelve when Mr. Hunt decided to go to the town and see what was happening with the young men. He started the car quickly and set off. At that moment the nine soldiers came back. It seemed they were all drunk. Of course they found the officer was angry.
“I’m sorry, sir,” said the first soldier. “I left the town on time. But something was wrong with my bus on my way here. I had to buy a horse and made it run fast. Bad luck! It died and I had to run back.”
And the other seven soldiers said they were late for the same reasons. It was the last soldier’s turn. He said, “I’m sorry, sir. I got on a bus on time, but…”
Having heard this, the officer became even angrier and stopped him at once. He called out, “If you say something was wrong with your bus, I’ll punish you at once!”
“No, no, sir,” said the young man. “My bus was all right, but the dead horses were in its way!” The military camp was built in the village to _______.
A.stop the soldiers going to towns |
B.stop the soldiers meeting their friends |
C.train the new soldiers |
D.make the young men live quietly |
Mr. Hunt let the nine soldiers have a holiday because _______.
A.he was kind to them |
B.they felt lonely |
C.they had something important to do |
D.they were the best of all |
The young officer was worried because _______.
A.a traffic accident had happened to the nine soldiers |
B.he was afraid something happened to the nine soldiers |
C.he didn’t think the nine soldiers would come back |
D.the nine soldiers drank too much in the town |
The nine soldiers returned to the camp late because _______.
A.something was wrong with their buses |
B.their horses died on the return way |
C.it took them much time to run back |
D.they all had drunk much in the town |
Which answer do you think right?
A.I’ll believe only the last soldier. |
B.The officer believed the nine soldiers. |
C.I’ll believe none of the nine soldiers. |
D.The officer won’t punish his soldiers. |
A young man applied for a job as a farmhand. When the farmer asked for his qualifications(资历), he said, “I can sleep when the wind blows.”
This puzzled the farmer. But he liked the young man, and hired him.
A few days later, the farmer and his wife were awakened in the night by a violent storm. They quickly began to check things out to see if all was safe from damage. They found that the doors of the farmhouse had been safely fastened, and a lot of wood had been set next to the fireplace.
The young man slept soundly.
The farmer and his wife then looked at their property (财产) carefully. They found that the farm tools had been placed in the storage room, safe from the bad weather. The tractor had been moved into the garage. The barn was properly locked. Even the animals were calm. All was well.
The farmer then understood the meaning of the young man’s words, “I can sleep when the wind blows.”
The farmhand did his work loyally. When the sky was clear, he had prepared for the storm in case it broke. So when the wind blew, there was no need for him to be afraid. He could sleep in peace. The underlined word “fastened” in Para. 3 can be replaced by ______.
A.closed | B.damaged | C.taken | D.moved |
From the passage, we can learn that ______.
A.at first the farmer understood his words well |
B.the young man was awakened in the night by a violent storm |
C.the young man had prepared for the storm before it came |
D.the young man was too sleepy to wake up in the night |
The best title for this passage is ______.
A.Sleeping in peace through the storm | B.A violent storm |
C.A young man and his dream | D.A clever farmer |
Which of the following proverbs can best explain the story?
A.Lookers-on see more than players |
B.Two heads are better than one |
C.A stitch(针)in time saves nine |
D.No man can do two things at a time |
He was the baby with no name. Found and taken from the north Atlantic 6 days after the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, his tiny body so moved the salvage (救援) workers that they called him “our baby.” In their home port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, people collected money for a headstone in front of the baby's grave (墓), carved with the words: “To the memory of an unknown child.” He has rested there ever since.
But history has a way of uncovering its secrets. On Nov. 5, this year, three members of a family from Finland arrived at Halifax and laid fresh flowers at the grave. “This is our baby,” says Magda Schleifer, 68, a banker. She grew up hearing stories about a great-aunt named Maria Panula, 42, who had sailed on the Titanic for America to be reunited with her husband. According to the information Mrs. Schleifer had gathered, Panula gave up her seat on a lifeboat to search for her five children -- including a 13-month-old boy named Eino from whom she had become separated during the final minutes of the crossing. "We thought they were all lost in the sea," says Schleifer.
Now, using teeth and bone pieces taken from the baby's grave, scientists have compared the DNA from the Unknown Child with those collected from members of five families who lost relatives on the Titanic and never recovered the bodies. The result of the test points only to one possible person: young Eino. Now, the family sees no need for a new grave. "He belongs to the people of Halifax," says Schleifer, "They've taken care of him for 90 years."
Adapted from People, November 25, 2002What is probably the boy's last name?
A.Schleiferi. | B.Eino. | C.Magda. | D.Panula. |
Some members of the family went to Halifax and put flowers at the child's grave on Nov. 5, __________.
A.1912 | B.1954 | C.2002 | D.2004 |
This text is mainly about how _________.
A.the unknown baby’s body was taken from the north Atlantic |
B.the unknown baby was buried in Halifax, Nova Sotia |
C.people found out who the unknown baby was |
D.people took care of the unknown baby for 90 years |
The gray-haired lady can’t wait to leave the building to search for her dad. Unless watched, she will walk in the streets in an effort to find her father, who died 30 years ago.
Not all cases of Alzheimer’s disease look like this, but Alzheimer’s is a serious disease that is said to be the fourth or fifth leading cause of death for people over age 75. It is said that about three percent of the U.S. population over age 65 have Alzheimer’s. In the early stages, people may exhibit short-term memory loss. Some may experience changes in personality, easy to be angry. As the disease progresses, patients might lose the ability to move and may be unable to speak or move at all. This progressive disease generally lasts 8 to 10 years before death occurs.
While no one is certain what causes these changes in the brain’s nerve fibers (神经纤维), their effect is certain. Alzheimer’s destroys not only the patients, but also spouses(配偶), friends and families.
What should you do if you notice progressive memory loss in yourself or a loved one? Have the person examined by a doctor who is a specialist in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Though many reasons other than Alzheimer’s disease may cause memory loss, its early diagnosis(诊断)and treatment may delay some of the most serious effects.
What feeling will you likely experience if a loved one suffers from Alzheimer’s disease? A person will often go through the various stages of sadness, shock, anger, and so on. If the spouse develops the disease, you may experience hurt and disappointment when he or she doesn’t remember you are married.
Life for the Alzheimer’s patients and their loved ones will never be the same as the disease progresses, bringing a deep sorrow, loss and even anger towards God. No matter what feelings are present, facing them honestly will serve one better than burying them.What can be inferred from the passage about the gray-haired day?
A.She has been living with her father. |
B.She was sad about the death of her father. |
C.She can’t search for her father without being watched. |
D.She suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. |
When people suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, ________.
A.their families and friends will suffer from the same disease |
B.their families and friends will experience mental sufferings |
C.they will certainly die in 8 to 10 years |
D.they will forget everybody but their spouses |
Memory loss occurs ________.
A.from Alzheimer’s disease and nothing else |
B.from sadness, shock, anger, and so on |
C.for a number of reasons |
D.with changes in personality |
From the passage we know that .
A.early treatment may stop Alzheimer’s disease occurring |
B.it is still unknown what causes the changes in the brain’s nerve fibers |
C.nerve fibers in the brain will cause Alzheimer’s disease |
D.when one suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, he will be buried |
Trees are useful to man in three very important ways: they provide him with wood and other products;they give him shade;and they help to prevent drought and floods.
Unfortunately, in many parts of the world, man has not realized that the third of these services is the most important. In his eagerness to draw quick profit from the trees, he has cut them down in large numbers, only to find that without them he has lost the best friends he had.
Two thousand years ago, a rich and powerful country cut down its trees to build warships, with which to gain itself an empire. It gained the empire but, without its trees, its soil became hard and poor. When the empire fell to pieces, the country found itself faced by floods and starvation.
Even though a government realizes the importance of a plentiful supply of trees, it is difficult for it to persuade the villager to see this. The villager wants wood to cook his food with, and he can earn money by making charcoal(木炭) or selling wood to the townsman(城市居民). He is usually too lazy or too careless to plant and look after trees. So unless the government has a good system of control, or can educate the people, the forests will slowly disappear.
This does not only mean that the villager’s sons and grandsons have fewer trees. The results are even more serious. For where there are trees their roots break the soil up—allowing the rain to sink in and also hold the soil, thus preventing it being washed away easily, but where there are no trees, the soil becomes hard and poor. The rain falls on hard ground and flows away on the surface, causing floods and carrying away with it the rich topsoil, in which crops grow so well. When all the topsoil is gone, nothing remains but a worthless desert.The purpose that the writer wrote this article is to _________.
A.tell people the use of wood |
B.tell people the function of tree roots |
C.warn that man mustn’t destroy forests any more |
D.explain how trees help man live a better life. |
In the writer’s opinion, _________, or the forests will slowly disappear.
A.measures must be taken |
B.people shouldn’t draw benefit from the tree |
C.government must realize the serious results |
D.unless no trees are cut down. |
According to the article we know it is ________ to prevent the forests from slowly disappearing.
A.necessary but impossible | B.necessary but difficult |
C.impossible and unimportant | D.difficult and impossible |
In the last two paragraphs the writer wanted to make it clear that _________.
A.where there are no trees, the soil becomes poor but soft |
B.where there are many trees, there are more floods |
C.where there are no trees, the land might become desert slowly |
D.floods will make the land become desert |