第三节 阅读理解（共20题，每题2分，共40分）
President Barack Obama has apologized for a gaffe (失言) in which he described his bowling skills as akin to participants in the Special Olympics, a sports program for people with intellectual disabilities.
Obama made the mistake during an interview on Thursday night on “The Tonight Show” with host Jay Leno, the first time a sitting U.S. president had been on the show.
Talking about living in the White House, Obama said he had been practicing his bowling in the home’s bowling alley and had scored a 129 out of a possible 300.
It was an improvement on the embarrassing 37 he had rolled during a stop on the presidential campaign trail a year ago. “It’s like—it was like Special Olympics or something,” Obama said.
The Special Olympics is a global nonprofit organization serving some 200 million people with intellectual disabilities, with a presence in nearly 200 countries worldwide.
Soon after the Jay Leno interview, Obama telephoned Special Olympics chairman Tim Shriver to apologize.
Shriver told ABC’s “Good Morning America” television show that Obama had apologized “in a way that I think was very moving” and that he said “he did not intend to humiliate (羞辱) the population, didn’t want to embarrass or give anybody any more reason for pain or kind of suffering.”
Shriver said people should gain a lesson from the incident.
“I think it’s important to see that words hurt. Words do matter. And these words in some respect, can be seen as humiliating or a put-down to people with special needs, do cause pain. And they do result in stereotypes,” Shriver said.
White House spokesman Bill Burton said Obama “made an offhand remark making fun of his own bowling that was in no way intended to look down upon the Special Olympics.”
“He thinks that the Special Olympics are a wonderful program that gives an opportunity to shine to people with disabilities from around the world,” Burton said.
1. What does the underlined word “akin” in Paragraph 1 mean?
A. skillful B. similar C. appealing D. superior
2. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Obama loves sports and is especially gifted at bowling.
B. Obama apologized for his remarks via ABC’s TV show.
C. The Special Olympics are for various disabled people.
D. The Special Olympics don’t intend to make any money.
3. What does Shriver mean by saying people should gain a lesson from the incident?
A. Disabled people cannot be humiliated. B. One should be careful with his words.
C. An apology for wrong words is wanted. D. Words matter even more than actions.
4. The passage is mainly about ________.
A. Obama receiving a TV interview B. Obama looking down on the disabled
C. Obama apologizing for his gaffe D. Obama being attacked for his words
Sayings(谚语) are quite common in spoken English. We don’t normally put them in a composition or a letter. Sometimes it is helpful if you know what common proverbs mean. Here are a few examples.
“ Once bitten, twice shy.” If a dog bites me, I shall be twice as careful in future when I see it. This proverb is also used to apply to many things and not only to dogs. For example, if you have been cheated at a shop, you will not go to the same shop again.
“A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” If I am a hunter, trying to catch birds, it is better to catch one than to see two birds in a bush but not able to catch them. Thus this means that what you have already got is better than the chance of being able to get something bigger in future.
“ Don’t be a dog in a manger(槽)” means “ Don’t be selfish.” In a stable (马棚)，the manger is the place where the horse’s food is put. Sometimes a dog will sleep in the manger and bark when a horse comes to get its food. The dog doesn’t want to eat the horse’s food in the manger but it will not let the horse eat it.
“ He who pays the piper calls the tune (调子).” A piper is a musician. The man who pays a musician can say what tunes the man will play. Thus this means that if a man provides the money for a plan, he can say how it will be carried out.
“To pour oil on troubled waters” is to try to calm things down. Oil is lighter than water. If a ship is in trouble at sea, another ship may come to help it. The second ship can send small boats to rescue people. However, it may first pour oil on the sea to make the sea less rough.Peter has a bicycle which is much too small for him but he does not want to let his young brother ride on it. What would Peter’s mother say to him?
| A．“ You can’t get blood out a stone.” |
| B．“ Don’t be a dog in a manger. |
| C．“ The early bird gets the worm.” |
| D．“ To pour oil on troubled waters.” |
Mr and Mrs Smith had a quarrel. Their friend, Mr Brown, wanted to talk to them. When he came back, he told his wife that he had been trying to help the Smiths by ______ .
| A．pouring oil on the troubled waters |
| B．getting blood out of a stone |
| C．being a dog in a manger |
| D．sitting on the fence |
Mr Wang paid for a new school. Some people didn’t like the design of the school but they didn’t argue with Mr Wang because ______.
| A．he was sitting on the fence |
| B．once bitten, twice shy |
| C．he who pays the piper calls the tune |
| D．a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush |
Mrs Lin wanted to buy a new dress. Her husband suggested that she buy it from a shop near their home. Mrs Lin disagreed because she had been cheated by that shop. So she said, “ I won’t go there again because ______ .”
| A．a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush |
| B．he who pays the piper calls the tune |
| C．once bitten, twice shy |
| D．I don’t want to be a dog in a manger |
Mr Brown had quite a good job in Hong Kong but he thought that if he went to Singapore, he might get a much better job with more money and a larger house. His wife didn’t want him to leave his job in Hong Kong and she reminded him that ______ .
| A．a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush |
| B．don’t be a dog in a manger |
| C．he who pays the piper calls the tune |
| D．once bitten, twice shy |
English words don’t stay the same. People need new words for new ideas and new inventions. Some new words come into use, and some old words are used in a new way.
English can change by borrowing words from other languages. The word “tomato” was borrowed from Mexico, and “tea” came from China, and so on. Now a great many new space and science words are being borrowed from other countries, too. New words can be created in other ways. For example, some can be created by adding two words together. “Weekend” and “cookbook” are made up of two parts. Sometimes new words are shorter forms of older words. The word “photo” was made from “photograph” by cutting off the end of the longer word. “Plane” was made by cutting off the front part of “airplane”. The names of people and products can become new words. Our “sandwich” was named after a man named Sandwich and “sello(透明胶带)” was a name given by the company that first made the product.New English words are needed because.
| A．people use old words in a new way |
| B．people need a new way to speak |
| C．the world is changing in a different way |
| D．new ideas and new inventions come about quickly |
What can we know from the passage?
| A．New science words are shorter than the old ones. |
| B．The best way to make a new word is adding words together. |
| C．Some new English words are borrowed from other languages. |
| D．Most new English words are the name of a person or a product. |
According to the passage, which of the following is true?
| A．New words come into use while older words disappear. |
| B．New words can only be formed by adding two words together. |
| C．The word “tea” was borrowed from China. |
| D．The word “photo” was named after its inventor. |
The main idea of the passage is that .
| A．the English language is always changing |
| B．there are new ideas in English today |
| C．people name new products and inventions |
| D．the change of languages goes on in the world |
This passage may most probably be taken from .
| A．a story book |
| B．a science magazine |
| C．a business report |
| D．a TV advertisement |
Hu Li's heart sank due to the color of the air. Driving 140 kilometers from Tianjin City to Beijing last week, she held her breath as the air became a charcoal grey haze(炭灰色的阴霾).The 39yearold businesswoman has lived in Beijing for a decade, and this past month, she said, brought the worst air pollution she has ever seen. It gave her husband a cough and left her sevenyearold daughter housebound(足不出户).“My husband as well as I is working here, so we have no choice,” she said. “But if we had a choice, we'd like to escape from Beijing.”
The extended heavy pollution over the last month, which caused punishment in return for a day last week－called the “airpocalypse” by internet users－ has largely changed the way that Chinese think about the country's air. On one day, pollution levels were 30 times higher than levels considered safe by the World Health Organization (WHO). Flights were cancelled. Roads were closed. One hospital in east Beijing reported they had treated more than 900 children for breathing issues. Bloomberg found that for most of January, Beijing's air was worse than that of an airport smoking area.
The smog's (烟雾) most threatening aspect is its high concentration(浓度) of PM 2.5 － particulate matter that is small enough to breathe deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, causing breathing infections, lung cancer and possibly damaging children's development. The WHO has estimated that outdoor air pollution accounts for two million deaths per year, 65% of them in Asia.Which conclusion can we draw from the first paragraph?
| A．Hu Li is living in Beijing. |
| B．Hu Li traveled to Tianjin for business. |
| C．The haze is harmful to people. |
| D．The pollution is the worst in Beijing's history. |
The haze affected people mainly in________.
| A．the way they traveled |
| B．the opinion about national air |
| C．the way they lived their life |
| D．the life style of internet |
From the passage we know high concentration of PM 2.5________.
| A．can lead to choke |
| B．can cause heart cancer |
| C．will damage children's development |
| D．will damage people's organ |
What's the best title for the passage?
| A．Hu Li's attitudes to Beijing's haze |
| B．The damages of Beijing's haze |
| C．WHO suggests improving Beijing's air |
| D．What caused air pollution in Beijing |
When you put down your pens at the end of the college entrance exam, 12 hard years of study will have come to an end. Forget your studies for a while. It's time to enjoy yourselves!
There are many ways to celebrate this special month of graduation. You can have photos taken with your classmates and teachers, or dine out together and exchange gifts.
High school students in Western countries such as the United States and Canada usually have a prom to mark their graduation. It’s to mark the time kids turn into young men and women. After the prom, teenagers either go to college or find a job. It means they are no longer as dependent on their parents as they were before.
At the prom, boys usually dress in dinner jackets and bow ties, though many different types of formal clothes are worn. Traditionally, girls give boys matching boutonnieres (a small collection of flowers they pin to their jackets). Girls traditionally wear formal dresses, or dress to shock or be noticed, in shiny or brightly colored materials.
Common prom activities include dining, dancing, the crowning (加冠) of a prom king and queen, and just talking to friends. In some cases, high school students collect funds for their class prom through the four years of their high school.
High schools in or near large cities may rent ballrooms at expensive hotels or, to be unusual, on a pleasure cruise boat.
But often costs are cut by simply using the school gym. Students make a lot of effort to decorate the gym to make the event special. The music played at the prom will be the most popular kinds, like rock and hip-hop.
The students elect the Prom Queen. She is partnered with a Prom King who is elected similarly. These are great honors that the pair take very seriously. The two dance with each other to celebrate their election.
Sometimes teachers and parents also go to the prom. But others like to go with friends, to whom they are soon going to be saying goodbye.
If you like the idea of a prom, why don't you and your classmates organize one for your graduation?Which of the following is an economical way to hold the prom?
| A．Renting a ballroom. |
| B．Holding it in the school gym. |
| C．Taking a cruise boat. |
| D．Wearing formal dresses. |
Which of the following clearly indicates that prom is very important to students?
| A．They take pictures at the prom. |
| B．They wear formal clothes or special clothes. |
| C．Music is played at the prom. |
| D．Teachers and parents attend it. |
Why do some students attend the prom with their friends?
| A．They will part with their friends in a short time. |
| B．They don’t like to be accompanied by their parents. |
| C．They don’t want to depend on their parents. |
| D．They want to be elected by their friends as the Prom King or Queen. |
What is the writer’s purpose to write this passage?
| A．To tell an interesting experience of high school students. |
| B．To tell how the western students spend the last days of high school. |
| C．To introduce serval ways of western students’ killing time. |
| D．To tell how western high school students usually celebrate graduation. |
Free Fun Guides
What is new about this year’s Museum Day?
| A．People will get free tickets online. |
| B．Two museums offer free admission. |
| C．People can visit a museum for free. |
| D．People can visit museums online. |
How is National Public Lands Day different from the other three events?
| A．It comes on Sept. 25. |
| B．Visitors may choose what to visit. |
| C．Admission is free for people. |
| D．Visitors may do some volunteer work. |
How can kids get a free book?
| A．By reading eighty books at any Barnes & Noble. |
| B．By downloading and printing out a passport. |
| C．By signing up a summer reading program and choosing one of the books they have read. |
| D．By signing up for a winter reading program. |
Which of the following shows the similarity between Museum Day and Free Night of Theater?
| A．They take place once a year. |
| B．They last for the same length of time. |
| C．The tickets can be used in any U.S. city. |
| D．The same number of free tickets is given away. |