Directions: Read the following passage, Answer the questions according to the
information given in the passage.
Secret Santas
On Christmas morning, Linda wakes up, and tries to imagine the wide-eyed surprise of children in another household as they unwrap the presents she carefully chose for them. Linda has never met the children, but that's all part of the joy of giving as secret Santas, she says.
"It's an amazing feeling to buy gifts on an anonymous (匿名的) basis," says Linda.
"It brings a whole new meaning to the holidays."
Linda and Tony are an American couple living in Toronto, Canada, and Linda did charitable work as a member of the American Women's Club of Toronto. As the name suggests, members are U.S. citizens living in Toronto, who join together for fellowship and community service.
To find her "adopted" family, Linda goes to the local schools and requests a wish list for a family that's struggling to survive. Last year she helped a single mother with three children. The mother works as a cleaning lady in a nursing home.
"The list is always heartbreaking. They have an opportunity to ask for anything and do just the opposite, asking for basic clothes or simple toys," she says. "We always buy the kids a new winter coat, hats, and gloves." She also buys gifts for the parents.
Last year Linda asked the mother for a second wish list--one that didn't include the basics. "Every child should have a Christmas that sticks with them for a lifetime." She purchased iPods for the two older children and a video game system for the youngest."I have learned a very valuable lesson in all of this," says Linda. "Pay attention to what's going on in your own backyard--no matter where you live."
The joy of giving as secret Santas is much sweeter when the gift is anonymous.
1. |
What reaction does Linda imagine the children will have? |
2. |
Why did Linda join the American Women's Club of Toronto? |
3. |
Why did Linda ask for a second wish list? |
4. |
What kind of people does "secret Santas" in the passage refer to?
|
B
The internet has become part of teenage life.
A new report on 3,375 students aged from 10 to 18 in seven Chinese cities found that 38 percent of them believe they use the Internet often.
While most of them get useful information and use the Internet to help in their studies, some are not using it in a good way.
In order to help young people use the Internet in a good way, a textbook on good Internet behavior has started to be used in some Shanghai middle schools this term. The book uses real examples to teach students all about good ways of using the Internet. The book gives useful advice such as it’s good to read news or find helpful information to study.
Some students also make online friends. But if you are meeting a friend offline, make sure your parents know. Teachers and parents all think the book is of great help. A teacher said the book would be a guide for teens using the Internet. She believes it will keep students away from bad sites. “Many students are using the Internet without guidance from their parents,” she said. “The book will teach students how to be a good person in the online world.”
40、The textbook mainly tells us .
why we should use the Internet.
How to study using the Internet.
How to use the Internet correctly.
How to get help from others.
41、What’s the attitude(态度)of teachers and parents towards the textbook?
A.They are against it.
B.They are for it.
C.They don’t care about it.
D.The passage doesn’t mention.
42、According to the passage, teenagers are NOT encouraged to .
A.read online news
B.go online
C.find helpful information online
D.meet a friend offline without letting their parents know
43、From this passage we know that .
A、more and more students have given up visiting bad sites
B、schools and teachers begin to pay attention to students’ use of the Internet
C、no more homework will be given in shanghai middle schools
D、less and less information can be found online
44、What’s the meaning of the underlined phrase “of great help” ?
A、helpful B、good C、bad D、usefully
三.阅读理解,阅读文章后,从每题所给A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳答案。
(共13小题; 每小题2分,满分26分)
February has long been a month of romance. With the sweet smell of roses in the air, romantic films hit cinemas and love stories fill newspapers and magazines.
On the 14th day, it is a custom for a boy to take his girlfriend out to dinner, buy her flowers and chocolates, write poems, sing to her or even spell out her name with rose petals(花瓣)! This is the scene that greets you on Valentine's Day, named after Valentine who was a priest (牧师) in third century Rome. When the emperor(皇帝)decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives, he didn’t allow marriage.But Valentine continued to perform marriage ceremonies for young lovers in secret. When his actions were discovered, the emperor had him put to death. While in prison, it is said that Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his prison guard. Before his death on 14th Feb 270 DC, he wrote her a letter, which he signed ‘From your Valentine’, an expression_r that is still in use today. Valentine died for what he believed in and so was made a Saint(圣徒), as well as becoming one of history's most romantic figures.
Nowadays, Valentine’s Day is also popular among Chinese young people. Some students are planning to make Valentine’s cards for parents, teachers and friends. Others want to hold parties at which they will exchange small gifts and eat heart-shaped cakes. The idea is to have fun and encourage people to share the spirit of St. Valentine.
36. The Emperor in Rome did not allow marriage in his country because __________.
A. there were few women in his country at that time
B. he thought men without wives could be better soldiers
C. There wasn’t enough food for so many people
D. he wanted to control the birth rate
37. Valentine was put into prison because __________.
A. he killed one of the soldiers B. he stole a lot of food
C. he didn’t obey the emperor’s order D. he didn’t want to be a soldier
38. The last paragraph mainly tells us _________.
A. students in China send cards to their teachers
B. it is a good idea to celebrate Valentine’s Day in China
C. it is interesting to celebrate Valentine’s Day in China
D. Valentine’s Day is also popular in China now
39. The best titles for this passage should be ________.
A. Valentine’s Day B. A Brave Priest
C. Valentine’s Day in China D. A Romantic Man
The quality of drinking water in Shanghai will meet European Union standard by 2010 and, a decade later, citizens in Shanghai will drink the best water in the world.
These were the goals set out by the Shanghai Water Authority. With the city’s population expected to increase only slightly and the economy to boom by 2020, Chen Yin, and official with the water authority, said Shanghai’s water consumption will not increase from its present amount.
Zhang Yue, director of the Urban Construction Division under the Ministry of Construction, said, “Shanghai is the first city in the country to publicize these ambitions. They will not be easy to achieve.”
He said water saving will help keep the sustainable development of China’s economy.
Saving one cubic meter of water means saving the city’s infrastructure(基础设施)costs by 10,000 Yuan. Last year, Shanghai saved 300 million cubic meters of water either from readjustment of industrial structure or the employment of new technology.
“The aim is to arouse public awareness of the seriousness of water shortages,” Chen said. “The abundant surface water and amount of rain of the city are so misleading that they result in improper use of water.”
Shanghai lacks drinkable water. The Huangpu River, which supplies 80 percent of the city’s drinkable water, is nearing exhaustion.
The city, therefore, has been exploring new sources from the Yangtze River and growing forests along it to conserve quality water.
Besides penning regulations, the authority is popularizing technology among the public to efficiently cut the amount of water used.
At present, the city has 600,000 family toilets, each using 13 liters of water per flush. These are to be renovated(整修)to use only 9 liters of water per flush.
The authority is renovating the first 200 toilets for households – at a cost of 40 Yuan each.
In three years, all the toilets will be renovated, which saves the city nearly 15 million Yuan every year in water conservation.
Another task the city is engaged in is the treatment of sewage(污水)to improve the water environment.
At present the city can only treat 44 percent of its daily 5.04 million tons of waste water. To meet the total demand, 27 more sewage treatment factories are to be established with an estimated investment of 18 billion Yuan.
1.People in Shanghai get their daily water mainly from _______now.
A.the underground B.the rain
C.the Yangtze River D.the Huangpu River
2.According to the passage, some people have the wrong opinion of using water because .
A.the renovating of family toilets will save plenty of water
B.about half of waste water has been treated already
C.advanced technology makes people use water as much as possible
D.there is plenty surface water and large amount of rain at present
3.The authority is renovating the first 200 toilets for households to.
A.make people’s living more convenient
B.improve people’s living standards
C.ease employment pressure
D.meet the total demand of water
4.Which group of measures are all mentioned in the passage to save water?
a.improve drinking water quality
b.change some industrial structure
c.introduce or use some new technology
d.speed the economic development of Shanghai
e.renovate some family toilets
f.build more sewage treatment factories
A.a, b, c, d B.b, c, e, f
C.b, c, d, e D.a, b, e, f
5.We can infer from the passage that .
A.the boom of economy will need a larger amount of water in the future
B.citizens today in Shanghai drink the best quality of water in the world
C.not everyone today in Shanghai is aware of water shortage
D.all the family toilets will be renovated to save water within 3 years
People with disabilities make up a large part of the population. It is estimated that over 35 million Americans have physical, mental, or other disabilities. About half of these disabilities are “developmental", i.e., they occur before the individual's twenty-second birthday, often from genetic conditions, and are severe enough to affect three or more areas of development, such as mobility, communication, employment, etc. Most other disabilities are considered “adventitious", i.e., accidental or caused by outside forces.
Prior to the 20th century, only a small percentage of people with disabilities survived for long. Medical treatment for these disabilities was unavailable. Advancements in medicine and social services have created a climate in which people with disabilities can expect to have such basic needs as food, shelter, and medical treatment. Unfortunately, these basics are often not available. Civil liberties such as the right to vote, marry, get an education, and gain employment have historically been denied on the basis of disability.
In recent decades, the disability rights movement has been organized to fight against these infringements(违反;侵犯)of civil rights. Congress responded by passing major legislation recognizing people with disabilities as a protected class under civil rights statutes.
Still today, people with disabilities must fight to live their lives independently. It is estimated that more than half of qualified Americans with disabilities are unemployed, and a majority of those who do work are underemployed. About two-thirds live at or below the official poverty level.
Significant barriers, especially in transportation and public awareness, prevent disabled people from taking part in society. For example, while no longer prohibited by law from marrying, a person with no access to transportation is effectively excluded from community and social activities which might lead to the development of long-term relationships.
Only when public attitudes advance as far as laws have will disabled people be fully able to take their rightful place in society.
36. A “developmental" disability ______.
A. develops very slowly over time
B. is caused by forces
C. occurs in youth and affects development
D. is getting more and more severe
37.Most disabled people used to die early because ______.
A. disabilities destroyed major bodily functions
B. they were not very well looked after
C. medical techniques were not available
D. they were too poor to get proper treatment
38. In the author's opinion, to enable the disabled people to take their rightful place in society, ______.
A.more laws should be passed
B.public attitudes should be changed
C.government should provide more aids
D.more public facilities should be set up
39. Which of the following cannot be inferred(推断)from the passage ?
A.Many disabled people may remain single for their whole life.
B.The public tends to look down upon the disabled people.
C.The disabled people feel inferior to those surrounding them.
D. Discriminatory laws prevent the disabled from mixing with others.
40. The best title for this passage might be ______.
A.Handicaps(不利条件;障碍;)of People with Disabilities
B.The physical difficulties of the Disabled
C.The Causes for Disabilities
D.Medical Treatments for Disabilities
III. 阅读理解(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和D项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Few laws are so effective that you can see results just days after they take effect. But in the nine days since the federal cigarette tax more than doubled----to $1.01 per pack---smokers have jammed telephone ‘quit lines’ across the country seeking to kick the habit.
This is not a surprise to public health advocates. They’ve studied the effect of state tax increases for years, finding that smokers, especially teens, are price sensitive. Nor is it a shock to the industry, which fiercely fights every tax increase.
The only wonder is that so many states insist on closing their ears to the message. Tobacco taxes improve public health, they raise money and most particularly, they deter people from taking up the habit as teens, which is when nearly all smokers are addicted. Yet the rate of taxation varies widely.
In Manhattan, for instance, which has the highest tax in the nation, a pack of Marlboro Light Kings cost $10.06 at one drugstore Wednesday. In Charleston, S.C., where the 7-cent-a-pack tax is the lowest in the nation, the price was $4.78.
The influence is obvious.
In New York, high school smoking hit a new low in the latest surveys----13.8%, far below the national average. By comparison, 26 % of high school students smoke in Kentucky, Other low-tax states have similarly depressing teen-smoking records.
Hal Rogers, Representative from Kentucky, like those who are against high tobacco taxes, argues that the burden of the tax falls on low-income Americans “who choose to smoke.”
That’s true. But there is more reason in keeping future generations of low-income workers from getting hooked in the first place. As for today’s adults, if the new tax drives them to quit, they will have more to spend on their families, cut their risk of cancer and heart disease and feel better.
1. The text is mainly about___________.
A the price of cigarettes
B the rate of teen smoking
C the effect of tobacco tax increase
D the differences in tobacco tax rate
2. What does the author think is a surprise?
A Teen smokers are price sensitive.
B Some states still keep the tobacco tax low.
C Tobacco taxes improve public health.
D Tobacco industry fiercely fights the tax rise.
3. The underlined word "deter" in Paragraph 3 most probably means .
A. discourage B. remove C. benefit D. free
4. Rogers’ attitude towards the low-income smokers might be that of .
A. tolerance B. unconcern C. doubt D. sympathy
5. What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. The new tax will be beneficial in the long run.
B. Low-income Americans are more likely to fall ill.
C. Future generations will be hooked on smoking.
D. Adults will depend more on their families.