A gray sweater hung limply on Tommy’s empty desk, a reminder of the depressed boy who had just followed his classmates from our third-grade room. Soon Tommy’s parents, who had recently separated, would arrive for a conference on his failing schoolwork and disruptive behavior. Neither parent knew that I had invited the other.
Tommy, an only child, had always been happy, cooperative and an excellent student. How could I convince his father and mother that his recent failing grades represented a broken-hearted child's reaction to his loved parent’s separation and divorce?
Tommy's mother entered and took one of the chairs I had placed near my desk. Soon the father arrived. Good! At least they were concerned enough to be on time. A look of surprise and anger passed between them, and then they pointedly ignored each other.
As I gave a detailed account of Tommy's behavior and schoolwork, I prayed for the right words to bring these two together, to help them see what they were doing to their son. But somehow the words wouldn't come. Perhaps if they saw one of his spotted, carelessly done papers.
I found a crumpled（压皱的）tear-stained sheet stuffed in the back of his desk, an English paper. Writing covered both sides—not the assignment, but a single sentence scribbled（潦草地写） over and over.
Silently I smoothed it out and gave it to Tommy's mother. She read it and then without a word handed it to her husband. He frowned. Then his face softened. He studied the scribbled words for a long time.
At last he folded the paper carefully, placed it in his pocket, and reached for his wife's outstretched hand. She wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled up at him. My own eyes were brimming(湿润的), but neither seemed to notice. He helped her with her coat and they left together.
In his own way God had given me the words to reunite that family. He had guided me to the sheet of yellow copy paper covered with the anguished outpouring（流露） of a small boy's troubled heart.
The words, "Dear Mother ... Dear Daddy ... I love you ... I love you ... I love you."
1. Which of the following word has the closest meaning to the word “disruptive”（Line3,Para.1） mean?
A. terrible B. careless C. cheerful D. good
2. What caused Tommy’s failing behavior and schoolwork fundamentally?
A. His parents’ ignorance of his education.
B. His parents’ separation and divorce.
C. His parents’ lacking love to him.
D. His parents’ firm administration to him.
3. What helped Tommy’s parents see their influence on their son?
A．A single sentence on a sheet of paper in his desk.
B．Tear stains on Tommy’s papers.
C．Tommy’s disruptive behavior.
D．A gray sweater.
4. You can infer from the passage that_________.
A. The teacher found suitable words to persuade Tommy’s parents reunite.
B. Tommy’s love to his parents saved their marriage and the whole family.
C. Tommy’s parents scheduled their time to come to school together.
D. A broken family might cause a child’s bad behavior and his shortage of love for others.
The brain of an insect isn’t very big. But insects are somehow still able to make lots of important decisions. Bees, ants and roaches(蟑螂) build hives with thousands of workers doing specialized work. The jobs are done without a head or even a plan. How do insects manage this?
To solve the mystery, scientists in Belgium spent months building robotic roaches and then putting them among real roaches. The final goal of the research is to find out how the simple behavior of individuals gives rise to a collective(集体的) decision. The roach is a good starting point for trying to answer the big question because its social system is simple enough for scientists to study.
The first step was to build robots that real roaches would accept as their own. Although the robotic roaches don’t look much like the real thing, they have similarities with them in three key ways: they naturally head toward dark areas, they are influenced by the behavior of other roaches, and even more importantly, they smell like roaches.
The next step was getting the robotic and real roaches to work together on common tasks. In experiments, the robots would collectively head towards a dark place, copying the behavior of natural roaches. That got the researchers wondering: if you program the robotic roaches to go toward the lighted place, will the real roaches follow, going against their natural instincts.(本能) ?
They will – it turned out. Many of the real roaches followed the robots to a lighter shelter. But influence turned out to be a two- way street. On occasion, the real roaches were able to override the programming of the robot roaches and get them to turn into dark hiding places. Being social creatures, both the robotic and natural roaches were paying attention to and following the example set by others.
In theory, it would be possible to create a robot that could influence collective decision-making in humans. To do this, researchers would have to invent a robot that people would accept. Fortunately, the technology isn’t there yet.
69. Why do scientists choose the roaches to study?
A. Their social system is simple
B. They are social creatures.
C. They are able to build their hives quite well.
D. It is easy to create robotic ones.
70. The robotic roaches are accepted by real ones because of all the following EXCEPT that ______ .
A. they smell like real ones B. they look exactly like real ones
C. what they do are somewhat influenced by other roaches
D. they naturally head toward dark areas
71. What’s the author’s attitude to creating a robot that would influence collective decision-making in humans?
A. Uninterested B. Positive
C. Negative D. Doubtful
72. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage ?
A. Scientists’ Research B. Robotic Roaches
C. Amazing Insects D. Insects’ Social System
第二部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）
第一节：阅读下列短文，然后从所给的四个选项 (A、B、C和D) 中选出最佳选项，并写在答题纸上.
Every spring scores of people flock to the Buzzard Festival（秃鹫节） at Hinckley, Ohio. They come to watch for buzzards. Most would be glad just to take a look at a buzzard. If they do see one of these “flying garbage cans”, it will probably be circling high in the sky. From there it can watch the ground for signs of the waste and the dead animals on which it feeds.
The buzzard is the ugliest bird in the United States. In fact, it may well be the ugliest bird in the world. It has a small, bare, pink head. Its thick body is covered with dark, rough feathers.
In spite of its looks, the buzzard is important to the people of Hinckley. It is their first sign of spring. After a winter in the south, buzzards return to their homes in the north. In the Hinckley area, they always return on March 15. No one knows why. But they have come back to Hinckley Ridge on that day, sure as clocks work, for at least forty years.
The excitement starts in February. By the middle of March it has reached a high peak. Bets are placed. Prizes go to the person who sees the first buzzard. Radio stations and newspapers tell of the coming festival. And on the weekend after March 15 the people of Hinckley hold their Buzzard Festival.
The people come and look around. They chat. They eat their pancakes and sausages. Then they drive past Buzzard’s Roost on Hinckley Ridge.
A lot of them stop near the road at the stand set up to give information to visitors. There they can hear, from a recording, the main facts about the buzzard. They can see a stuffed buzzard. They can look at some pictures taken of buzzards in other years. With good luck and a strong pair of field glasses, they may sight one or two live buzzards high in the sky.
Buzzards may be ugly. They may be “flying garbage cans”. But in Hinckley they are just as welcome as the swallows are in Capistrano in California. It would be a sad spring indeed if the buzzards ever failed to come back to Hinckley Ridge.
61．A good title for this story would be _________.
A. The Hinckley Buzzard Festival
B. Buzzard, the Ugliest Bird
C. Why the Buzzard Has a Pink Head
D. The Return of “The Garbage Can”
62．The buzzard is called the“flying garbage can”because it _________.
A. is ugly
B. eats waste and dead animals
C. looks like a garbage can
D. collect rubbish on the ground
63．The surprising thing about Hinckley’s buzzards is that _________.
A. they spend the winter in the south
B. they come very close to the town
C. they return on the same day each year
D. both buzzards and swallows return to Capistrano on March 15
64．At the information stand, visitors to Hinckley’s Buzzard Festival can _________.
A. feed their pancakes and sausages to buzzards
B. easily see a live buzzard
C. take some pictures with the background of live buzzards
D. learn some facts about the buzzard
What does the word “home” mean to you? How do you say the word in English? In Spanish? In your language? Although people usually know what the word means it often has no exact t
ranslation. It’s not surprising really, because the idea of home varies from country to country, and from person to person. A home is more than a roof and four walls. It’s the cooking, eating, talking, playing and family living that go on inside, which are important as well. And at home you usually feel safe and relaxed.
But it’s not just that homes look different in different countries, they also contain different things and reveal（显示）different attitudes（态度） and needs. For example, in cold northern Europe, there’s a fire in the living room or kitchen and all the chairs face it. In the south, where the sun shines a lot and it’s more important to keep the heat out, there are small windows, cool stone floors and often no carpets. We asked some people about their homes.
How often do people move house in your country?
“In my country many people don’t stay in one place for a very long time. They often move every ten years or so.”
— Cheryl, Boston, USA
What are typical features of homes in your country?
“In Britain, even in town there’s always a garden and sometimes a basement. We have separate bedrooms and living rooms. But we don’t oft
en have balconies.
The weather isn’t warm enough!”
— Pat, Exeter, England
( )49. The word “home” has no exact translation because ______.
A. people can’t find this word in the dictionary
B. no one really knows what a home looks like
C. it has different meanings in different countries
D. people can’t understand each other very well
( )50. You can ______ at home according to the passage.
A. cook, talk, and play games B. eat, play, and teach students
C. swim, eat, and make friends D. do nothing but cool yourself
( )51. Why is it important to keep the heat out of the houses in southern Europe?
A. Because they want to breathe fresh air outside.
B. Because there’s a fire in the living room.
C. Because they wear heavy clothing all day long.
D. Because the sun there shines a lot in the daytime.
( )52. Which one is true according to the passage?
A. People in Britain seldom have balconies because it’s so hot outside.
B. “Home” is a place where people feel safe, relaxed and comfortable.
C. Though homes look different in places, they have the same needs.
D. Houses in Europe always have big windows and cool stone floors.
BEIJING, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Following is the full text of the speech given by International Olympic C
ommittee President Jacques Rogge at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics here on Friday night:
Mr. President of the People's Republic of China, Mr. Liu Qi, members of the Organizing Committee, dear Chinese friends, dear athletes:
For a long time, China has dreamed of opening its doors and inviting the world's athletes to Beijing for th
e Olympic Games. Tonight that dream comes true. Congratulations, Beijing.
You have chosen as the theme (主题) of these Games "One World, One Dream". That is what we are tonight.
As one world, we grieved with you over the tragic earthquake in Sichuan Province. We were moved by the great courage and solidarity of the Chinese people. As one dream, may these Olympic Games bring you joy, hope and pride.
Athletes, the Games were created for you by our founder, Pierre de Coubertin. These Games are yours. Let them be the athletes' Games.
Remember that you are role models for the youths of the world. Reject (拒绝) doping and cheating. Make us proud of your achievements and your conduct.
As we bring the Olympic dream to life, our warm thanks go to the Beijing Organizing Committee for its tireless work. Our special thanks also go to the thousands of gracious volunteers, without whom none of this would be possible.
Beijing, you are a host to the present and a gateway to the future. Thank you.
I now have the honor of asking the President of the People's Republic of China to open the Games of the XXIX Olympiad of the modern era.
( )45. According to President Rogge, why shouldn’t athletes dope or cheat in the Olympic Games?
A. Because it will do harm to their bodies.
B. Because it is not allowed according to the rules.
C. Because they should set a good example to the youths of the world.
D. Because it will be very difficult to judge whether an athlete really wins.
( )46. From the passage we can learn _______.
A. China has dreamt of hosting the Olympics in Beijing for a short time.
B. Without the work of thousands of volunteers, the Olympics would still be possible.
C. “One World, One Dream”is chosen as one of the songs for Beijing Olympic Games.
D. President Rogge wishes the Beijing Olympics would bring Chinese people joy, hope and pride.
( )47. What does the underlined word “solidarity” probably mean?
A. being united B. being sad C. being hopeless D. being shocked
( )48. We can most probably read the passage __________.
A. in a history book B. in a science book
C. in a public newspaper D. in an art magazine
第二部分阅读理解（共两节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和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Suppose you want to buy some new clothes or a new TV. Or maybe you need some work done on your car. How can you find the best price without shopping all over town？Ads can help you. Ads can show you lots of prices. And you don’t have to go anywhere to see them. Just open a newspaper or magazine, and you’ll find plenty of ads. The following is an ad about TV sets for sale.
 |
( )41. How many different kinds of TV sets does the store advertise here？
A. Six. B. Five. C. Four. D. Three.
( )42. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the ad？
A. The lowest price is a little more than $300.
B. You can buy any kind of TV set on July 14th.
C. The larger the screen is, the higher the price will be.
D. The service time is 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day except Monday.
( )43. Which is NOT mentioned in the ad？
A. The name of the store.
B. The address of the store.
C. The deadline (最后期限) for TV sales.
D. The postcode (邮编) of the place where the store is.
( )44. What can ads do for us according to the passage?
A. They can help us cut down the prices before shopping.
B. They can show us plenty of prices after shopping all over town.
C. They can help us learn about the quality of the advertised things.
D. They can help us find the best price without shopping everywhere.