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和D）中,选出最佳选项。
A lot of management training each year for Circle K Corporation, a national chain of convenience stores. Among the topics we address in our course is the retention（保护力） of quality employees-a real challenge to managers when you consider the pay scale（标准）in the service industry. During these discussions, I ask the participants（参加者）, “What has caused you to stay long enough to become a manager?” Some time back a new manager took the question and slowly, with her voice almost breaking, said, “It was a ＄19 baseball glove.”
Cynthia told the group that she originally took a Circle K clerk job as an interim（临时的） position while she looked for something better. On her second or third day behind the counter, she received a phone call from her nine-year-old son, Jessie. He needed a baseball glove for Little League. She explained that as a single mother, money was very tight, and her first check would have to go for paying bills. Perhaps she could buy his baseball glove with her second or third check. When Cynthia arrived for work the next morning, Patricia, the store manager, asked her to come to the small room in the back of the store that served as an office. Cynthia wondered if she had done something wrong or left some part of her job incomplete from the day before. She was concerned and confused.
Patricia handed her a box. “I overheard you talking to your son yesterday,” she said, “and I know that it is hard to explain things to kids. This is a baseball glove for Jessie because he may not understand how important he is, even though you have to pay bills before you can buy gloves. You know we can’t pay good people like you as much as we would like to; but we do care, and I want you to know you are important to us.”
The thoughtfulness, empathy and love of this convenience store manager demonstrates vividly that people remember more how much an employer cares than how much the employer pays. An important lesson for the price of a Little League baseball glove.
1．Among many of the problems in the service industry, what is talked about in this passage, is_______.
A．how to ensure his employees’ high pay
B．how to attract more customers
C．how to look carefully after the employees
D．how to keep the good employees from leaving
2．Although a new manager, Cynthia would do her job well in keeping quality employees because she________.
A．had mastered all the courses for the manager
B．had already formed good relationship with the employees
C．know the way how to deal with her employees
D．had her own personal experience
3．This passage shows us that to run a business well it is necessary for managers to let their employees know________.
A．how much they can get for their job.
B．what good positions they can get later
C．they are very necessary to the business
D．they are nice as well as useful
4．The story told in this passage tells us that employees care about___________.
A．only how large a pay they can get
B．love from the managing people rather than only money
C．if their children could be properly taken care of
D．what position they can be offered
Once upon a time there was a wise man that used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.
One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought that someone would dance on the beach. So he began to walk faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn’t dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.
As he got closer he called out, “Good morning! What are you doing?”
The young man paused, looked up and replied, “Throwing starfish in the ocean.”“I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?”“The sun is up and the tide is going out, and if I don’t throw them in they’ll die.”
“But, young man, don’t you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can’t possibly make a difference!”
The young man listened politely, then he bent down, picked another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said, “It made a difference for that one.”
There is something very special in each and every one of us. We have all been gifted with the ability to make a difference. And if we can know that gift, we will gain through the strength of our visions the power to shape the future.
We must each find our starfish. And if we throw our starfish wisely and well, the world will be better.One day, the wise man saw the young man .
| A．dancing along the beach | B．walking with a dancer |
| C．picking up starfish for sale | D．trying to save as many starfish as possible |
Near the end of the passage, “something very special” refers to .
| A．the gifts from friends | B．the strength of making decision |
| C．our own starfish | D．the ability of shaping one’s own future |
From the last two paragraphs, we can learn that .
| A．the wise man realized something new and important |
| B．the wise man thought it was foolish of the young man to throw starfish into the ocean |
| C．the young man had the ability to make a difference |
| D．it is necessary for us to save starfish on the beach |
The writer told this story in order to show us .
| A．how and where we can write a good article |
| B．everyone can do something for the future |
| C．wise men are sometimes stupid |
| D．young people are actually wiser than old people |
Recently I paid a visit to Harvard University, where there are top class scientists and professors and the best academic system in the world.
I was pretty shocked when I first stepped onto the campus. Well, it’s not even really a campus. It’s more like a district in a small town.
Harvard’s main buildings are from the 18th century. They look very old and simple. You might even say they’re a little shabby. They don’t fit the modern idea of university at all. The buildings are surrounded by grass and trees, so I felt as if I had walked into a medieval castle. But when I looked across the street, busy shops and in-fashion students made me feel like I was in the 21st century again. It creates a strong contrast(对照) and brings a special atmosphere to the school.
Our tour guide Gary took us around and told us,“You see this grass field in the center of the school? Here is where they host their graduation ceremony. They just set up tents and benches and have a very simple ceremony. Unbelievable! Who would think the most talented students just graduate on the lawn?”
I saw some students put a blanket on the grass and lie down to read a book. When I listened to the soft sound of pages turning, along with the chirping(鸟叫声) of the birds, I felt very calm. There was no competitive feeling at all.
Harvard has the world’s first computer in its science center and there are hundreds of high-end computers too. Its religion and the literature departments are also among the best. It is the perfect mix of tradition and new technology. It makes Harvard a very attractive place to study in.
I hope one day I’ll attend my dream school---Harvard. The article is mainly about ______.
| A．the author’s campus life in Harvard |
| B．the author’s impression of Harvard |
| C．Harvard’s old buildings |
| D．the academic system at Harvard |
According to the article, in which fields is Harvard top in the world
| A．Literature, art, and law |
| B．Religion, law and arts |
| C．Literature, arts and computer science |
| D．Religion, computer science and literature |
Which word can be used to describe the Harvard campus?
| A．Modern | B．Competitive | C．Peaceful | D．Splendid |
Almost all theme park accidents can be prevented．Here, based on coverage of theme park safety, are some tips to help you and your family stay safe on your next visit．
If you are visiting with a child, take a moment to explain the ride to them, and tell them how they should behave．They are depending upon you to keep them safe．Set a good example for them by following the rules of the park, and make sure that they know you expect them to follow those rules, too．
Tell them to stay seated, to hold the grab bar or put their hands in the laps, and not to stick their knees and feet outside a ride vehicle．Make them look to you for the okay to get on or off a ride, too．
And never put a crying child on a ride．If your child starts to cry, let others pass you in line until your child is calmed．Or, gently exit the queue and find something more relaxing to do．
Young kids can’t keep an adult’s pace in a theme park．Let them take plenty of breaks．
“Kids get tired,” said TPI reader Matt Johnson, a father of four．“Tired kids make parents even more tired．And tired kids and parents may get hurt — physically and emotionally．” He advises that parents plan a mid-day break, perhaps a swim back at the hotel, to avoid mid-day heat and crowds．“You will see cranky families having a miserable time while you are refreshed and having a great evening．”The second paragraph tells readers that ________．
| A．children should be trained to be more independent |
| B．adults should tell children some safety rules firstly |
| C．adults should set a good example to behave well in a theme park |
| D．there is a danger to take young children to visit a theme park |
Which of the following is NOT right for children who are taking the rides?
| A．They cannot put their hands away from the grab bar． |
| B．They are forbidden to put their knees or feet out． |
| C．They should ask adults’ permission first to get on a ride． |
| D．Without adults’ okay sign, children shouldn’t get off a ride． |
If your child begins to cry just when he is going to take a ride, you should ________．
| A．tell him to be relaxed | B．make him share your interest |
| C．give up the present activity | D．encourage him to be brave |
We may infer from Matt Johnson’s words that ________．
| A．he doesn’t like to visit a theme park with his children |
| B．parents with many children may be tired of visiting a theme park |
| C．not all the families are relaxed or happy when they visit a theme park |
| D．visitors should arrange everything carefully before starting |
The story of English language is a story of change．The old English language, or old English, is quite different from Modern English．If we do not study old English, we can’t understand it．Some of the words are the same, but many are not used now．The story of the English language begins some time after the year 400 AD．At this time, some people came to England from North-west Europe．There were many groups of people．They were called Angles （盎格鲁人）, Saxons（撒克逊人）and Jutes（朱特人），whose language, old English, is like some of the modern language of North-West Europe．In old English, the ending had many meanings．They showed past time and present time and many other things．In Modern English, most of these endings are gone．This is the biggest difference between Old and Modern English．What does the first sentence of the passage mean?
| A．The story of English language often changes． |
| B．English is a language that has changed a lot as time passes by． |
| C．The old English language has changed into Modern English． |
| D．The story of English language is one of how people change the language． |
Old English has a story of ______．
| A．2,500 years | B．more than 1,600 years |
| C．2,300 years | D．more than 400 years |
Old English was first used by the people from ______．
| A．Old English | B．English |
| C．North-West English | D．North-West Europe |
Which of the following is NOT true about Old English?
| A．The endings of words gave different special meanings． |
| B．It is easy for most English-speakers today to understand the language． |
| C．Its words are very different from those Modern English． |
| D．It was spoken by many groups of the people from North-West Europe． |
There was great interest when a big hole mysteriously appeared in the middle of a field. Engineers were called in to explain how it had got there. They offered various explanations but were not at all sure how the hole had been caused, it was thought that a large bomb which came suddenly exploded, but it was not possible to prove this. A simple, but highly improbable explanation was offered by a man who declares to know well about “flying saucers”; the strange objects which are round in shape and are said to visit the earth from outer space. The man’s explanation may have been nonsense (胡说八道), but at least it was imaginative. At any rate, it was far more interesting than the one given by the army.
After examining the ground carefully the man declared to have seen special marks on the soil quite near the hole, these, he said, could only have been caused by a flying saucer. Moreover the leaves on some bushes nearby had turned yellow because of a strange hot gas which had come from the saucer just before it landed. Even a small tree some way off appeared to have been burnt slightly. A small piece of metal found in the hole itself gave further proof that a strange object had been there. According to the man, it was quite clear that people from another world had been going around the earth trying to pick up information, when something had gone wrong. Because of this they had been forced to land in a field so that the damage could be repaired. The hole had been caused when the saucer struck the earth, while the strange marks nearby were made when it took off again. This, said the man, was the simplest explanation of how the hole had appeared. Judging from the interest the public took in the matter, there must be quite a few people who secretly believe or hope that this simple explanation is the true one.What aroused public interest?
| A．A mysterious hole in a field. | B．Various explanations offered by experts. |
| C．A simple explanation given by a man. | D．The shape of the flying saucers. |
The author thought the man’s explanation was________.
| A．boring but imaginative | B．reasonable and interesting |
| C．meaningless but interesting | D．mysterious and unbelievable |
The man found a lot of proofs except ____.
| A．special marks on soil near the hole | B．yellow leaves on some bushes nearby |
| C．a small piece of meal in the hole | D．the remains of the flying saucer |
It’s said the outer-space people were circling the earth _______.
| A．to repair their saucer | B．to strike the earth |
| C．to. collect information | D．to make strange marks |