（7）阅读理解
For many of us, printed books are satisfying in ways beyond the words they contain. Billions of printed books have been published, read and saved in the 600 years since movable type was invented, so why mess with a good things?
Sony Electronics is doing just that, betting that readers will be won over by the convenience of readability of its new electronic book devices. Sony's reader, the PRS-505, can hold 160 books in its fixed memory, enough to line the shelves on a good-sized wall in the average American home. The $299 device is about the size of a paperback book, but a half-inch thick and weighs less than a pound.
The Sony book reader is revolutionary not only in its storage capacity. The font（字体） is highly readable and adjustable by size. Unlike laptop computers, you can put the Sony in your purse, read it in direct sunlight and even bookmark the pages. And you can connect it to your PC to download books.
Surprisingly, though the reader has liberated the book from paper, electronic books aren't always a bargain. For example, David Baldacci's "Stone Cold" download retails（零售） for $15.19 at the Sony site, while Amazon（卓越网） will deliver a hard copy to your mailbox for $16.19.
The Sony reader also lets you store and play or display music. So what's not to like about the Sony? Well, for many bibliophiles, a lot. Book lovers like to have, hold and keep their volumes, which don't need charging. You can write notes in the margins, and enjoy the ambience they provide on your book shelves.
The need for electronic reading devices is likely to grow as more people worried about the billions of tons of paper used for printed material. Many believe the time will come when devices like the Sony reader are as common as printed newspapers and magazines today.
1．What would be the best title for the passage?
A. The age of the electronic book reader is coming
B. Printed books are out of date
C. The Sony reader meets many readers’ needs
D. The revolution in book readers
2．According to the passage, the Sony book reader _________.
A. is as light as a laptop computer
B. can hold more than 200 books
C. is convenient to carry around
D. cannot be connected to a PC
3．What is the author’s point when he mentions “Stone Cold”?
A. Amazon’s printed books are very cheap
B. “Stone Cold” can be got from the Sony site and Amazon
C. The Sony book reader is not very cheap to use
D. The Sony book reader can benefit its buyers a lot
4．The underlined word “bibliophiles” in Paragraph 5 refers to “__________”.
A. music lovers B. book lovers
C. electronic reading devices D. Sony readers
5．According to the author, what’s the future for the electronic reading devices?
A. They’ll replace printed newspapers and magazines
B. They’ll still be more expensive than printed newspapers
C. They’ll become a must in people’s daily life
D. They’ll become more popular as time goes on
第三部分阅读理解（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中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
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Americans can travel almost anywhere they choose. But to protect its people, the government lists a few dangerous places where Americans cannot go. These places are unfriendly countries or countries at war. There, the traveller might not be safe. These countries are listed in a small book called a passport（护照）.
This passport is a government request for the safety of its travelling people. It is also a government’s pledge（保证） that the people will obey the rules of the host country（东道国）.
To receive a passport from the government, a traveller must prove that he is an American citizen （公民）. An American can not go overseas（外国） without a passport. Only certain close countries such as Canada and Mexico do not ask for passports.
Pasted （粘贴）inside the passport is the traveller’s picture. Children travelling with their parents are included in one parent’s book.
Thousands of people from the United States visit other countries every year. An American traveller might carry plane tickets, money, clothing and many other things. But the most important that he carries in another country is his passport.
68. A passport is not needed when an American goes to ______.
A. foreign countries B. dangerous areas C. Canada or Mexico D. countries overseas
69. From the passage we can see that ______.
A. children can’t travel to foreign countries B. Americans like to travel
C. a traveller is not safe in most countries D. Americans like to travel to close countries
70. Why does a traveller need a passport?
A. He needs something more to carry when he travels.
B. It helps the country to protect the people. C. He needs to have his picture taken more often.
D. It helps the traveller to know where he will go.
The clock struck eleven at night. The whole house was quiet. Everyone was in bed except me. Under the strong light, I looked sadly before me at a huge pile of that troublesome stuff(东西) they call “books”.
I was going to have my examination the next day. “When can I go to bed?” I asked
myself. I didn’t answer, In fact I dared not.
The clock struck twelve. “Oh, dear! ” I cried. “Ten more books to read before I can go to bed!” We pupils are the most unhappy creatures in the world. Dad does not agree with me on this. He did not have to work so hard when he was a boy.
The clock struck one. I was quite desperate（绝望的） now. I forgot all I had learned. I was too tired to go on. I did the only thing I could. I prayed, “Oh, God, please help me pass the exam tomorrow. I do promise to work hard afterwards, Amen.” My eyes were so heavy that I could hardly open them. A few minutes later, with my head on the desk, I fell asleep.
64. When the author was going over his lessons, all the others in the house were ________ .
A. asleep B. outside C. working in bed D. quietly laughing at him
65. Reviewing his lessons didn’t help him because ____ .
A. it was too late at night B. he was very tired
C. his eyes lids were so heavy that he couldn’t keep them open
D. he hadn’t studied hard before the examination
66. What do you suppose happened to the author the second day?
A. He went to a church to pray again B. He got an A in the exam
C. He failed in the exam D. He was punished by his teacher
67. The best title for the passage would be _________ .
A. The Night Before the Examination B. Working Far into the Night
C. A Slow Student D. Going Over My Lessons
Language is always changing. In a society where life continues year after year with few changes, the language does not change, either. The earliest known languages had difficult grammar but a small, limited vocabulary. Over the century, the grammar changed, and the vocabulary grew. For example, the English and Spanish people who came to America during the sixteenth century gave names to all new plants and animals they found. In this way, hundreds of new words were introduced into English and Spanish vocabularies. Today life is changing very fast, and language is changing fast too.
There are several major language families in the world. Some scientists say there are nine main families, but other scientists divide them differently. The languages in each family are connected, and scientists think that they came from the same parent language About 3 percent of the people in the world speak languages that are not in these major families.
60. The early language had ______.
A. a lot of problems B. words and easy grammar
C. words but no grammar D. grammar but not many words
61. In the next few hundred years we can expect language to ______.
A. stay exactly the same B. change a great deal
C. change only a little D. add more words and drop some grammar
62. What this article shows is that ______.
A. languages change fast B. languages really don’t want to change
C. language changes with changes of society D. Spanish and English change
63. From this article we can see that ______.
A. language can change very slowly or very quickly
B. if we don’t change, then our language won’t change, either
C. we should give our plants new names
D. English and Spanish are the only languages that have changes
No one is glad to hear that his body has to be cut open by a surgeon（外科医生） and part of it taken out． Today， however， we needn't worry about feeling pain during the operation． The sick person falls into a kind of sleep， and when he awakes， the operation is finished． But these happy conditions are fairly new． It is not many years since a man who had to have operation felt all its pain．
Long ago， operation had usually to be done while the sick man could feel everything． The sick man had to be held down on a table by force while the doctors did their best for him． He could feel all the pain if his leg or arm was being cut off， and his fearful cries filled the room and the hearts of those who watched．
Soon after 1770， Josept Priestley discovered a gas which is now called “laughing gas”．Laughing gas became known in America．Young men and women went to parties to try it． Most of them spent their time laughing，but one man at a party，Horace Wells，noticed that people didn't seem to feel pain when they were using this gas．He decided to make an experiment on himself．He asked a friend to help him．
Wells took some of the gas，and his friend pulled out one of Well’s teeth．Wells felt no pain at all．
As he didn't know enough about laughing gas， he gave a man less gas than he should have． The man cried out with pain when his tooth was being pulled out．
Wells tried again，but this time he gave too much of the gas，and the man died．Wells never forgot this terrible event．
56.It is ___________since a man being operated felt all the pain.
A.a few more years B.not long C.few years D.two thousand years
57.Long ago, when the sick man was operated on, he___________.
A.could feel nothing B.could not want anything
C.could feel all the pain D.could do anything
58.Using the laughing gas, the people did not seem to___________.
A.be afraid of anything B.feel pain C.want to go to the parties D.be ill
59.If a man took less laughing gas than he should have when an operation went on he___________.
A.felt nothing B.felt very comfortable C.still felt pain D.would die
