第三部分阅读理解(共两节,满分40分)
第一节(共15小题,每小题2分,满分30分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
Just call Apolo Anton Ohno the most decorated sportsman in the history of the Winter Olympics. The speed skater glided into the history books after the 2010 Olympics, winning a record-breaking eighth Olympic medal after completing the men’s 5,000-meter relay.
Apolo Anton Ohno, born on May 22, 1982, is an American short track speed skating competitor and an eight-time medalist (two golds, two silvers, four bronzes) in the Winter Olympics. He is one of the only four Americans who have won three medals in a single Winter Olympic Games. He started skating at age 12, and in two years became the best short track skater in the United States. In December1999, he became the youngest skater to win a World Cup event title.
“It feels amazing, especially in a sport as volatile as short track speed skating,” he remarked after his historic win. “This is my third Olympic Games and there is no other athlete here who has gone to three Olympic Games and won a medal every time. I wanted to leave my heart and soul on the ice and I did. I don’t look back at past medals, but I look back at the struggles. I live my life with the philosophy that anything’s possible but I had no idea I’d have this much success.”
Ohno’s third Olympics might have been his last. He is considering retirement, although US national coach Jimmy Jang is hoping to convince his longtime friend to compete four years from now in Sochi, a Russian city where the next Winter Olympics is going to be held.
“I never say ‘never’,” Ohno said. “I need a break from this sport that’s been very good to me.”
After the relay, Ohno skated over to congratulate the Canadians and shook hands with his South Korean competitors. One of them said: “We have some good memories and we also have some bad memories of Ohno. I will be sorry to see him leave the world of short track when he does.”
1. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Short Track Speed Skating
B. Apolo Anton Ohno’s sport dream
C. Eight Gold Medalists in the Winter Olympics
D. “Michael Phelps” on the Ice—Apolo Anton Ohno
2. What does the underlined word “volatile” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A. changeable B. violent C. stable D. interesting
3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. His three medals in this Olympics makes him the third one in American sports history.
B. He owes his success to his hard working and his strong belief.
C. He will retire after the next Winter Olympic Games to be held in Russia.
D. He has gained worldwide fame and recognition but his competitors’ envy.
4. In which section of a newspaper is the passage most likely to be found?
A. Health and Entertainment B. News abroad
C. Life and Society D. Great people
Memory is the ability to keep track of things that have happened in the past. Memory really is learning. One needs memory to ride a bicycle. A dog needs to remember if it is to come when called.
Memory is said to be stored in the brain as a “memory trace(记忆痕).” What makes up this trace is not known. Some scientists believe that certain chemical substances may carry certain memories. For example, one substance, when given to rats, causes them to fear the dark.
Other research into memory has to do with how the brain works. Psychologists use three means to find out how a person remembers. For example, give a person a grocery list. Let the person memorize the list, then put it away. The most natural way to find out how much a person remembers of the grocery list is to ask what he or she remembers. This is called the method of recall. Another method is called recognition. Give the person another grocery list. Ask him or her to choose items on the first list from the items that are on only the second list. Often a person will be able to recognize things that he or she cannot recall. A third method of finding how much a person remembers is called relearning. Here the person is asked to read over the first list. The person will probably learn the list the second time faster than he did the first time. The difference in the time it takes to relearn the list is thought of as a measure of how much a person has remembered.
One way of remembering something is to repeat it many times. Interest is very important. Boring lists of facts are much more difficult to remember than something that we understand and are interested in. Motivation, or wanting to do something, is also important. Motivation is linked with reward. For example, a hungry animal quickly learns how to do something if that action gets the animal food. In humans, wanting to learn is often motivation. The praise of a teacher or the knowledge that an answer is correct is rewarding.We can learn from the 2nd paragraph that ___________ .
A.bad memories may cause rats to fear the dark |
B.it is hard to tell what a memory trace consists of |
C.chemical substances carry certain memories |
D.memory is stored in the brain as a substance |
The way to pick out the items on the first list from the second is known as ________ .
A.recognition | B.recall | C.memorization | D.relearning |
What is considered as a measure of how much one has remembered?
A.The length of the list. |
B.The type of list items. |
C.The time difference of relearning. |
D.The time difference of brain working. |
A good way to train an animal to do something quickly is to ________.
A.make the action easy | B.praise it in words |
C.reward it with food | D.weaken its motivation |
What’s On Stage
An acrobatic show: To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the China Acrobatic Troupe (剧团) will present “The Soul of China”, where the seemingly impossible is made real. Chills will run down your spine(脊柱) as you watch breathlessly as performers take their art and their bodies to the edge.
Time: 7:30 p.m., September 13-19
Place: Capital Theatre, 22 Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District
Exhibitions
Joint Show: A group ink painting exhibition is running at the Huangshicheng Art Gallery in Beijing. About 50 works by 25 young artists including Ge Yun and Yu Yang are on display.
Time: 9:00 a. m.-5:00 p.m. until September 10
Place: Huangshicheng Art Gallery, 136 Nanchizi Dajie, Dongcheng District
Oil paintings: The Wanfung Art Gallery will host a joint show of oil painting by 10 young and middle-aged artists. On display are more than 30 of their latest works, which capture the wondrous variety of life in unique styles.
Time: 9:00 a.m. -4:00 p.m. until September 15
Place: 136 Nanchizi Street, Dongcheng District
Literature museum: The National Museum of Modern Chinese Literature offers an in-depth study of the evolution of Chinese contemporary literature from 1919 to 1949.
Time: 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., daily
Place: 45 Anyuan Donglu, Chaoyang District (Shaoyaoju area)
Concerts
Beijing rocks: “The Fashion Night of Chinese Rock” is set to bring rock fans out by the thousands next month. Nine Chinese rock bands will perform at the concert, including older generation bands, middle generation and some recent arrivals. The audience will be given a chance to decide what songs they want to hear, which is sure to bring a storm.
Time: September 16
Place: The Olympic Center
Belgium orchestra:La Petite Bande, the Baroque Orehestra of Belgium, will perform in Beijing at the Grand Theatre of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities as part of activities across the world in memory of the 250th anniversary of Bach’s death.
Time: 7:30 p.m. September 11-14
Place: Grand Theatre of the Cultural Palace of NationalitiesWhat do you think of the acrobatic show mentioned above?
A.When you watch it, you will certainly feel cold. |
B.Unexpected things will make you excited and surprised. |
C.Something strange will puzzle everyone, including scientists. |
D.Even the bravest ones will be too frightened to go on watching. |
The most characteristic thing about the Fashion Night of Chinese Rock is that ______.
A.it will certainly cause a rock storm throughout China |
B.it is to bring thousands of rock fans out of their homes |
C.it is to be held in memory of one of the greatest musicians |
D.it will let the audience choose the performers and the music |
Suppose it is September 14 today, how many activities can people choose to attend?
A.2. | B.3. | C.4. | D.5. |
On the whole, we can conclude ______.
A.we can enjoy a large variety of cultural activities in Beijing |
B.people in Beijing prefer modern culture to something traditional |
C.most of the cultural activities in Beijing are for foreign visitors only |
D.there are usually more cultural activities in September than in any other month |
Fat and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team " Football, tennis, cricket - anything with a round ball.I was useless," he says now with a laugh.But back then he was the one always made fun of in school gym classes in Devonshire, England.
It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him.At first he went biking alone in a nearby forest.Then he began to ride the bike along with a runner friend. Gradually, Saunders set his mind on building up his body, increasing his speed and strength.At the age of 18, he ran his first marathon.
The following year, he met John Ridgway and was hired as an instructor at Ridgway's School of Adventure in Scotland, where he learnt about Ridgway's cold - water exploits.Greatly interested, Saunders read all he could about North Pole explorers and adventures, then decided that this would be his future.
In 2001, after becoming a skillful skier, Saunders started his first long - distance expedition towards the North Pole.It took unbelievable energy.He suffered frostbite (冻疮) ,ran into a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit, pulling his supply -loaded sled (雪橇) up and over rocky ice. Next October, Saunders, 27, heads south from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, a 2900 - kilometer journey that has never been completed on skis.What change happened to Saunders after he was 15 yeas old?
A.He became good at most sports. |
B.He began to build up his body. |
C.He joined a sports team. |
D.He made friends with a runner. |
The underlined word "exploits" (Paragraph 3) is closest in meaning to______.
A.journeys | B.researches |
C.adventures | D.operations |
Which of the following is the correct order of the events that happened to Saunders?
a.He ran his first marathon. b.He skied alone in the North Pole.
c.He rode his bike in a forest,d.He planned an adventure to the South Pole.
A.acdb | B.cdab | C.acbd | D.cabd |
What does the story mainly tell us about Saunders?
A.He is a success in sports. |
B.He is the best British skier. |
C.He is Ridgway's favorite student. |
D.He is good instructor at school. |
In choosing a friend, one should be very careful. A good friend can help you study. You can have fun together and make each other happy. Sometimes you will meet fair-weather friends. They will be with you as long as you have money or luck, but when you are down, they will run away. How do I know when I have found a good friend? I look for certain qualities (品质) of character, especially understanding, honesty and reliability (可靠).
Above all else, I look for understanding in a friend. A good friend tries to understand how another person is feeling. He is not quick to judge. Instead, he tries to learn from others. He puts himself in the other person's place, and he tries to think of ways to be helpful. He is also a good listener.
At the same time, however, a good friend is honest. He does not look for faults (过错) in others. He notices their good points. In short, a friend will try to understand me and accept me.
Another quality of a friend is reliability. I can always depend on (信赖) a good friend. If he tells me he will meet me somewhere at a certain time, I can be sure that he will be there. If I need a favor, he will do his best to help me. If I am in trouble, he will not run away from me.
There is a fourth quality that makes a friend special. A special friend is someone with whom we can have fun. We should enjoy our lives, and we would enjoy our friendship. That is why I especially like friends who are fun to be with. A good friend likes the same things I like. We share experience (经验) and learn from each other. A good friend has a good sense of humor (幽默), too. He likes to laugh with me. That is how we share in the joy of being friends. And I know that he is looking for the same quality in me.
When I meet someone who is reliable, honest, and understanding, I know I've found a friend!Which of the following qualities the writer thinks is the most important in choosing a friend?
A.understanding. | B.honesty. |
C.reliability. | D.a sense of humor. |
If you have fair-weather friends, ______ .
A.they will give you all that they have when you need help |
B.you will be refused when you get into trouble |
C.you will become rich |
D.you can be sure that you get real friends |
Good friends need to ______.
A.always point out each other's mistakes |
B.be helped with money |
C.understand each other's feelings |
D.have money or luck |
This passage mainly discuss ______ .
A.the qualities of a friend |
B.where to choose friends |
C.how to get along with friends |
D.the importance of having a friend |
The African elephant, the largest land animal remaining on the earth, is of great importance to African ecosystem(生态系统). Unlike other animals, the African elephant is to a great extent the builder of its environment. As a big plant-eater, it largely shapes the forest-and-savanna(大草原) surroundings in which it lives, therefore setting the terms of existence for millions of other animals that live in its habitat.
It is the elephant’s great desire for food that makes it a disturber of the environment and an important builder of its habitat. In its continuous search for the 300 pounds of plants it must have every day, it kills small trees and underbushes, and pulls branches off big trees. This results in numerous open spaces in both deep tropical forests and in the woodlands that cover part of the African savannas(热带草原). In these open spaces are numerous plants in various stages of growth that attract a variety of other plant-eaters.
Take the rain forests for example. In their natural state, the spreading branches overhead shut out sunlight and prevent the growth of plants on the forest floor. By pulling down trees and eating plants, elephants make open spaces, allowing new plants to grow on the forest floor. In such situations, the forests become suitable for large hoofed plant-eaters to move around and for small plant-eaters to get their food as well.
What worries scientists now is that the African elephant has become an endangered species. If the elephant disappears, scientists say, many other animals will also disappear from vast areas of forest and savanna, greatly changing and worsening the whole ecosystem. What is the passage mainly about?
A.Disappearance of African elephants. |
B.Forests and savannas as habitats for African elephants. |
C.The effect of African elephants’ search for food. |
D.The eating habit of African elephants. |
What does the underlined phrase “setting the terms” most probably mean?
A.Fixing the time. | B.Worsening the state. |
C.Improving the quality. | D.Deciding the conditions. |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.The African elephant is the largest animal on the earth. |
B.African elephants have 300 pounds of plants every day, including small trees and underbushes. |
C.The African elephant is in a way the builder of the environment like other land animals. |
D.If the African elephant disappears, the whole ecosystem won’t be affected. |
The passage is developed mainly by .
A.showing the effect and then explaining the causes |
B.pointing out similarities and differences |
C.describing the changes in space order |
D.giving examples |