PART THREE READING COMPREHENSION
Directions： Read the following three passages. Each'passage1 is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices' marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage.
A
Short reader – submitted stories – for the woman you should think of today!
——Compiled by Amy Zerello
Great Minds Reminded of Mom
After a long, exhausting day, a friend of mine, Allen, headed home. On the road, he passed an elderly woman who was standing by a car with a flat tire. If that were his mother, he thought, he would want someone to help her. With a tired sigh, he turned around and drove back.
Just as he reached the stranded woman, a truck pulled up and a burly farmer got out. "Kindof reminds you of your mom, too?" the man asked as the two of them pitched in together to change the tire for the woman.
-- Contributed by Katherine L. Houge
Your Biggest Fan
While waiting in a bookstore for a guest author to sign her latest book, I leafed through some of the Civil War novels she had written. The woman in line behind me commented, "Those are the best books I've ever read. I couldn't put them down." Before I could reply, the author frowning, looked over and said, "Oh, come on, Mom!"
-- Contributed by Marilyn Kopp
Head of the Household
My husband, Jeff, and I came across several problems while assembling our new computer system, so we called the help desk. The man on the phone started to talk to Jeff in computer jargon(行业术语), which confused us even more.
"Sir," my husband politely said, "please explain what I should do as if I were a four-year-old."
"Okay," the computer technician replied. "Sweetie, could you please put your mommy on the phone?"
-- Contributed by Lena Worth
How does it feel to tickle your mom’s funny bone?
Now send your own funny story to us! You could earn up to $ 300!
1．Who would the burly man be in the first joke?
A．Another kind helper. B．The old lady’s son.
C．Allen’s friend. D．A policeman.
2．What was the guest author’s mom trying to do in the second story?
A．Push hard to get her daughter’s signature.
B．Promote her daughter’s books by pretending to be a fan.
C．Show her pride in her daughter’s achievement.
D．Persuade Marilyn Kopp to buy her daughter’s book.
3．The computer technician on the phone in the third story .
A．actually could find no way to solve Jeff’s problems
B．teased Jeff about his poor knowledge of computer jargon
C．wanted to talk to Lena instead
D．believed that Jeff’s mom would know more computer jargon
4．What is the main purpose of the jokes?
A．To make fun of moms. B．To honor moms.
C．To educate moms. D．To amuse moms.
5．The passage is most possibly found .
A．in a storybook B．in a commercial ad
C．in a magazine D．in a student’s textbook
三．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，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Japanese couples, too busy for a normal social life, are increasingly turning to actors to play their friends on the most important days of their lives．
Several agencies have sprung up(涌现)offering actors to attend weddings or even funerals．The
first guest-for-hire company was established about nine years ago and around 10 now send out dozens of pretend friends to family events．
Agencies such as Hagemashi Tai-which means “I want to cheer you up” -charge around £100 for each “guest”．Other services such as giving a speech in praise of a bride or the groom cost extra．
The appearance of the small fake friends industry has been linked to social and economic changes in Japan．With lifetime employment (终身雇佣制)a thing of the past, couples feel uncomfortable about inviting work colleagues to their wedding．Increasingly busy and put upon, many Japanese surround themselves with only a very small circle of friends．
When they marry, however, they are under pressure to match the number of their new partner’s wedding guests．
Office Agents, the largest provider of pretend friends, makes sure that its employees have done their homework and know all about the bride or groom before the wedding．
Hiroshi Mizutani, the company’s founder, said the fake friends he provides must look happy, be well dressed and look like people with good jobs．
1．Why did fake friends industry come into being in Japan?
A．Because of social and economic changes B．Because of lifetime employment
C．Because of normal social life D．Because of work pressure
2．Pretend friends will be present at the following occasions except ________．
A．weddings B．funerals C．work D．family gathering
3．The agents make sure that ________．
A．fake friends have done their housework
B．fake friends have good jobs
C．fake friends must look happy and be well dressed
D．fake friends feel uncomfortable
4．What is the best title of this passage?
A．Japanese couples are under pressure to get married
B．The first guest-for-hire company in Japan
C．Japanese couples’ social life
D．Japanese couples rely on fake friends
In insurance theory, moral hazard is the name given to the increased risk of immoral behavior, and thus a negative outcome (“hazard”), because the person who caused the problem doesn’t suffer the full (or any) consequences, or may actually benefit．Such a concern typically arises in the context of a contract (for example, an insurance policy)．
The most well known examples of moral hazard come from insurance．For example:
Fire insurance increases the motivation to commit arson (纵火), especially if someone is operating a failing business and decides that they’d rather have the cash from the insurance proceeds on the buildings than the buildings themselves．(The value of a business often is based on profitability; after arson, the owner can claim the business was profitable．) In a worst case, the building is over-insured or valuable contents are removed but claims are filed that they were destroyed in the fire．
In finance, low level of effort by the agent (employee) is called the “moral hazard problem” according to agency theory．The more autonomy (自主) the agent enjoys and the greater the information the agent possesses, and the greater the specialized knowledge required to perform the task, the greater the chances for the occurrence of moral hazard．
The problem of moral hazards for insurance can’t be eliminated, but can be minimized．For example:
Getting detailed information to evaluate the value of what is being insured, rather than simply taking the word of the person buying the insurance．
Requiring that there be a deductible(扣除额) (an initial up-front sum which the insured must pay out of his or her own pocket in case of a loss), and/or only paying out a percentage of the loss (say, 80 or 90 percent) via a coinsurance clause．
1．What might be the headache for the insurance company after a fire?
A．Not knowing who set the fire．
B．The owner might over-claim the loss．
C．Where to get the insurance fee paid．
D．How to punish those who cheated the company．
2．What might be the best way not to suffer over-loss in paying back insurance according to the above passage?
A．Investigate carefully after a fire．
B．Try to get as much detail information about the insurance．
C．Try to catch hold of the person who committed arson．
D．Request the buyer of insurance to pay more．
3．The two examples in the above passage are applied to ______．
A．help people to have reasonable insurance
B．present the difficulties the insurance companies have
C．bring up a problem and a solution in insurance business
D．invite people to buy more profitable insurance
4．The above passage is mainly about ______．
A．a new theory in insurance B．a moral challenge in business
C．a common business phenomenon D．moral hazard in insurance
In 1945 there were 17 universities in Britain; by 1967 there were 45．A period of very rapid expansion took place in the middle sixties when ten new institutes were granted university status by Royal Charter．These modern universities do not in many ways resemble their older counterparts．Much more emphasis is placed on advanced studies in science and technology and the newer social science disciplines than on the arts and humanities．For the most part of the buildings the students live and work in are severely functional and there are the hum and bustle of continuous activities．The quiet gardens and enclosed quadrangles of Oxford and Cambridge belong to another world．This will certainly happen, for the universities like everything else must change and adapt themselves to meet the needs and demands of a new age．
In recent years there has been a very rapid increase in the number of young people (especially girls) seeking higher education．Between 1962 and 1975, the number of students in higher education more than doubled from 222,400 to 497,000．Part of this increase is accounted for by the creation of thirty “Polytechnics” which offer a wide range of courses leading to recognized qualifications．
For those who missed the opportunities for higher education at the age of eighteen or so, a major innovation in the academic world now provides a second chance．The Open University was found in 1971; it offers tuition to degree standards to anyone who chooses to entry．The courses are taught through radio, television programs, Internet and by correspondence with Open University tutors．By now there are over 100,000 students enrolled for Open University and there are several thousand people who are the proud holders of a B．A degree from the Open University．
1．The underlined word “counterparts” in the first paragraph has the closest meaning with “______．”
A．enemies B．leaders C．similarities D．strangers
2．Who can go to the Open Universities in Britain?
A．The British young people only．
B．Anyone who missed the chance to go to college．
C．Girls who missed the chance to enter a college．
D．Those who are interested in science and technology．
3．How can a student get taught in the Open University?
A．Study in the open air of Oxford and Cambridge Universities．
B．Through the modern communication methods．
C．By self-study with the help of polytechnics．
D．By attending to the top ten institutes in Britain．
4．Which of the following might serve as the best title of the above passage?
A．Life in the Open Universities． B．Free Degrees in Open Universities．
Dear Edward,
I have been very busy recently with some really exciting new developments．If you visit my main website you will see various new items there．
The first is a tab called Food for Thought．This is a short daily email which raises a question or makes a statement or provides something foryou to think about．Some regular readers may find these emails quite basic．However, you would agree with me that there are many people who reject anything spiritual simply because it means venturing(冒险进入) into the unknown．
There is also a tab called Please Help Me．I will be hosting tele-discussions soon-yes, and I am really excited about that!
Here I ask you to propose topics for tele-discussions．If you are concerned about missing out, don’t worry．The proceeds will be recorded and made available as MP3 recordings．Please let me know what burning issues you have or what you are curious about．
I am providing a free mystery gift to the value of £9.95 for each successful suggestion．And please don’t think your issue is meaningless-there may be a number of other people who may have the same issue．
You may not be aware that I have also published a number of guided meditations(思考) on-line．Please have a look at this website for a free guided meditation as well as an explanation of what meditation is about．
And watch this space for more exciting things to come in the next month．I am now in a space where my hobby has become my work-how lucky can a girl be!
I also want to thank you for your support and interest over the past years-you have helped me immensely on my own journey．
Love and Light,
Elsabe
1．What does the item “Food for Thought” mainly focus on?
A．How to eat reasonably． B．Ideas for people to think about．
C．Where to have enough food． D．Ways to enjoy adventurous journeys．
2．How can one get a free mysterious gift from Elsabe?
A．By offering acceptable advice． B．By sending as much email as possible．
C．By sending him £9.95． D．By telling him what you are interested in．
3．What does Elsabe ask Edward to do?
A．Offer topics for the tele-discussion．
B．Record the content of the website．
C．Concern and participate about the issues on the website．
D．Help him find more people to help him．
4．What can we infer from the whole passage?
A．Edward doesn’t know Elsabe at all． B．Many people join in Elsabe’s program．
C．People are afraid to surf Elsabe’s website． D．Everything on Elsabe’s website is free．
The Yukon Quest 1,000-mile International Sled Dog Race is a sled dog race run every February
between Fairbanks, Alaska, and Whitehorse, Yukon．Because of the harsh winter conditions, difficult trail, and the limited support that competitors are allowed, it is considered the “toughest race in the world”．
In the competition, first run in 1984, a dog team leader and a team of 6 to 14dogs race for 10 to 20days．The course follows the route of the historic 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, mail delivery, and transportation routes between Fairbanks, Dawson City, and Whitehorse．Players pack up to 250pounds of equipment and provisions for themselves and their dogs to survive between checkpoints．They are permitted to leave dogs at checkpoints and dog drops, but not to replace them．Sleds may not be replaced and players cannot accept help from non-racers except at Dawson City, the halfway mark．Ten checkpoints and four dog drops, some more than 200miles apart, lie along the trail．Dcotors are present at each to ensure the health and welfare of the dogs, give advice, and provide veterinary (兽医)care for dropped dogs．
The route runs on frozen rivers, over four mountain ranges, and through isolated northern villages．Racers cover 1,016miles or more．Temperatures commonly drop as low as −60°F, and winds can reach 50miles per hour at higher elevations．Sonny Lindner won the first race in 1984 from a field of 26teams．The fastest run took place in 2009, when Sebastian Sch nuelle finished after 9days, 23hours, and 20minutes．The 2009 competition also had the closest one-two finish, as Sch nuelle beat second-place Hugh Neff by just four minutes．The longest race time was in 1988, when Ty Halvorson took 20days, 8hours, and 29minutes to finish．To allow participation in both the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod, the 2010 Yukon Quest will begin in Fairbanks one week earlier than usual–on February 6．
1．What is the Yukon Quest particular in?
A．The difficulty the competition has to face．
B．The special team and the special weather．
C．The limitation of time and support in the run．
D．The way the competition is valued．
2．The competitors can do the following except ______．
A．pack less then 250 pounds of equipments and provisions
B．drop any dogs at the checkpoints
C．replace dogs which are worn out
D．get medical care for dogs in any checkpoint
3．Who keeps a new record in the Yukon Quest in terms of speed?
A．Sonny Lindner． B．Sebastian Schnuelle．C．Hugh Neff． D．Ty Halvorson．
4．The underlined word “harsh” in the first paragraph might most probably mean “______”．
A．happy B．important C．difficult D．unforgettable