The first time I saw Carlos I would never have believed he was going to change my life. I had my arms full of books and I was tearing into the classroom when 1 ran into something solid. It was Carlos.
“My God, you’re tall,” he said.
Of course, the class began to laugh. Angry. I walked to my seat without a word.
I glanced back to see if Reed Harrington was laughing with the rest. That would be the last straw. But Reed was studying chemistry and did not seem to be aware of anything else. I didn’t know why I considered Reed my friend. Maybe just because he was a good two inches taller than I. Anyway, every time I blew out my birthday candles and made a wish, it was for a date with Reed Harrington.
“Take that seat,” Mr. McCarthy told the cocky newcomer Carlos,pointing to the only empty one,in the back of the room.
Carlos grinned,“But I need a couple of dictionaries.”Again the class laughed, but now they were laughing with Carlos,not at him. He had been here only 10 minutes and already he had them on his side.
It was the school elections that made me think of Carlos again. Reed Harrington was voted president and Carlos vice-president. “How come?”I kept asking myself,“How come this shrimp who’s only been in town for a little over a month gets to be so popular?”
So that morning,I stopped Carlos and said,“It doesn’t seem to bother you — being short.”He looked up at me , “Of course I mind being short. But there isn’t anything I can do about it. When I realized I was going to have to spend my life in this undersized skin,I just decided to make the best of it and concentrate on being myself.” “You seem to get along great,”I admitted, “But what about me? Nobody wants to date a girl taller than he is.” “The trouble with you is you’re afraid to be yourself. You’re smart. And you could be pretty. In fact, you might be more than pretty.” I felt myself turning red…
56.The author was angry because ________.
A.the class made fun of her B.Carlos was too rude to her
C.she had to carry many books D.Reed Harrington didn’t date her
57.Which of the following about Carlos is NOT TRUE?
A.He was popular. B.He was new in the school.
C.He was shorter than the author. D.He was chosen president in the school elections.
58.We can infer from the passage that ________.
A.Carlos and the author have become good friends
B.the author will be more confident
C.Carlos always encouraged the author
D.the author was tall
59.What’s the best title of the passage?
A.How to be popular B.A tall girl
C.Be yourself D.Something about Carlos
C
Taiwan police cannot decide whether to treat it as an extremely clever act of stealing or an even cleverer cheat(诈骗).Either way, it could be a perfect crime(犯罪), because the criminals are birds----homing pigeons.
The crime begins with a telephone message to the owner of a stolen car: if you want the car back, pay some money. Then, the car owner is directed to a park, told where to find a bird cage and how to attach money to the neck of the pigeon inside. Carrying the money in a tiny bag, the pigeon flies off.
There have been at least four such pigeon pick-ups in Changwa. What at first seemed like the work of a clever stay-at-home car thief, however, may in fact be the work of an even lazier and more inventive criminal mind---- one that avoids(避免) not only collecting money but going out to steal the car in the first place. Police officer Chen says that the criminal probably has pulled a double trick: he gets money for things he cannot possibly return. Instead of stealing cars, he lets someone else do it and then waits for the car owner to place an ad in the newspaper asking for help.
The theory is supportd by the fact that, so far,none of the stolen cars have been returned. Also, the amount of money demanded----under 3,000 Taiwanese dollars-----seems too little for a car worth many times more.
Demands for pigeon-delivered money stopped as soon as the press reported the story. And even if they start again, Chen holds little hope of catching the criminal. “We have more important things to do,”he said.
66.After the car owner received a phone call, he ___________.
A. went to a certain pigeon and put some money in the bag it carried
B. gave the money to the thief and had his car back in a park
C. sent some money to the thief by mail
D.told the press about it
67. The “lazier and more inventive”criminal refers to ________.
A.the car thief who stays at home B.one of those who put the ads in the paper
C.one of the policemen in ChangwaD. the owner of the pigeons
68.The writer mentions the fact that “none of the stolen cars have been returned” to show ____________.
A.how easily people get fooled by criminals B.what Chen thinks might be correct.
C. the thief is extremely clever.D.the money paid is too little.
69. The underlined word “they” in the last paragraph refers to ________.
A.criminals B. pigeons C. the stolen cars D.demands for money
70. We may infer from the text that the criminal knows how to reach the car owners because ____________.
A.he reads the ads in the newspaper
B.he lives in the same neighborhood
C.he has seen the car owners in the park
D.he has trained the pigeons to follow them
B
There is an English saying :“laughter is best medicine .”Until recently ,few people took the saying seriously .Now however ,doctors have begun to look into laughter and the effects it has on the human body .They have found that laughter really can improve people’s health .
Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body .People watched funny films while doctors checked their hearts ,blood pressure ,breathing and muscles .It was found that laughter had similar effects to physical exercise .It increases blood pressure ,the heart beating and breathing ; it also works several groups of muscles in the face ,the stomach ,and even the feet .If laughter exercises the body ,it must be beneficial .
Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be able to reduce the effect of pain on the body .In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programmes .The group that tolerated(忍耐)the pain for the longest time was the groups which listened to a funny programme .The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemicals in the brain which diminish both stress and pain .
As a result of these discoveries ,some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics ,in which they help to improve their patients’ condition by encouraging them to laugh .They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing ,making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter .
61.Doctors have proved the following EXCEPT that .
A.smiling does good to healthB.laughter can be tolerated
C.there is a way to reduce pain D.laughter can work the muscles in the feet
62.The main idea of the passage is .
A.laughter and physical exercise have similar effects on the human body
B.smile can produce the same effects as laughter
C.pain can be reduced by laughter
D.laughter is the best medicine
63.The students who________tolerated the pain for the longest time .
A. listened to different radio programmes
B. could produce a kind of chemical
C. don’t have stress of pain
D. listened to a funny programme
64.The underlined word “diminish” is similar to .
A. test B. stop C. reduce D. increase
65.Doctors hold laughter clinics _________.
A. to give better condition to their patients
B.in order to improve patients’ health
C.to make patients smile
D.to prove smile and laughter have the same effect
Ⅳ.阅读理解(共15小题;每小题2分,满分30分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。
A
People in cities all over the world shop in supermarkets. Who decides what you buy in the supermarket? Do you decide? Does the supermarket decide?
When you enter the supermarket, you see shelves full of food. You walk in the aisles between the shelves. You push a shopping cart and put your food in it.
You probably hear soft, slow music as you walk along the aisles. This may be an attempt to please you, so you will enjoy shopping. Some supermarkets want to increase their profits by playing soft and slow music, because the slow music makes you walk slowly and you have more time to buy things.
Fresh fruit and vegetables are usually put near the entrance. When you arrive at the supermarket, you concentrate on the kinds of fruit and vegetables you need first. Once you've got that out of the way, you can relax and do the rest of the shopping without any hurry. Besides, if you see fresh goods first, it gives you a "feel good" impression of freshness, so you can not help spending your money.
Maybe you go to the meat department then. There is some meat on sale, and you want to find it. The manager of the supermarket knows where customers enter the meat department. The cheaper meat is at the other end of the meat department, away from where the customers enter. You have to walk past all the expensive meat before you find the cheaper meat. Maybe you will buy some of the expensive meat instead of the meat on sale.
Most of the food in supermarkets is very attractive. It all says "Buy me quickly!" to the customers. The fresh fruit and vegetables say "Buy me quickly!" as you walk by. The expensive meat says "Buy me quickly!" The supermarket tells you what to buy.
56. Some supermarkets play soft, slow music because it ________.
A. can help customers get the things they want
B. makes customers walk slowly and buy more
C. can make customers relaxed and happy
D. can tell customers exactly where to go
57. The manager knows ________.
A. where customers come from B. which customers like slow music
C. where fresh meat should be put D. which customers like cheap meat
58. When walking past the expensive meat, the customers will _______.
A. possibly buy some B. pay no attention to it
C. look for some cheap meatD. feel uncomfortable
59. If you see fresh goods first in the supermarket, ________.
A. you know where to get things B. it brings you good luck
C. it makes you spend less money D. you’ll get a fresh impression
60. Supermarket managers make the food attractive so that ________.
A. the customers will buy more B. it looks very expensive
C. the customers come often D. it seems cheap and fine
E
It is the last day of the school year and I stand empty – handed with no gift to give you.
It isn't that I haven't tried to think of something meaningful and special … quite to the contrary. For months I have combed shops and department stores, and even searched the Internet only to realize that nothing could measure up to the feelings of a mother’s grateful heart and a teacher’s loving devotion.
How I wish a colorful bundle of fresh wildflowers could reflect the beauty of your way with children! Jewelry would surely be nice, but what can I afford that would not grow quickly out of style? You deserve respect for your determination and creativity, your devotion and talent.
At the moment the first school bell rang last August, I placed in you my trust, believing you would teach my child and reserve respect for me as a parent. I added to that my constant and devoted wish that you would be reasonable and fair to set limitations and rules while offering my child a chance to learn self-control. I sincerely hope that your classroom would be a safe shelter for my child to grow and learn, which is a perfect mixture of self-discipline and controlled instruction. I prayed for your health and your happiness, and your ability to be supplied with the tools necessary to complete your task as a teacher and educator. I offered you my time as often as I could, and my support for your cause. Occasionally, I even offered you a challenge when I spoke my mind, sometimes standing firm, sometimes giving up with a renewed assurance or a “ wait and see” attitude!
I wish with all my heart I could put a delicate ribbon on a wrapped package and give you a “ something” to express my appreciation and affection, but I have nothing to give you that would be better than the precious gift I have ever had to offer and which you already so pleasantly accepted months ago-the one you have held close to your heart, laughed with and probably cried with, cheered and scolded – my child!
And today, as my child returns to my side for the summer, the gift I humbly give to you is found deep within my heart...
57.On the last day of the school year, the author has no gift to give the teacher, because .
A.she has no time to think of something meaningful and special
B.she cannot find something that can properly express her feelings
C.there is nowhere to buy a colorful bundle of fresh wildflowers
D.she thinks it unnecessary to express her feelings to the teacher
58.According to the author, the best gift for the teacher is_________
A.her child B.her respect C.her present D.her support
59.The underlined sentence in the passage implies that the author hopes that .
A.the teacher can teach her child patiently
B.the teacher will not be too strict with her child
C.the teacher will teach her child enough self - control
D.the teacher can stand firm in the teaching
60.This passage is most probably adapted from__________.
A.a novel B.a letter C.a paper D.a report
D
Sadness is unpleasant, and in a society where personal happiness is prized above all else, there is little tolerance for falling in despair. Especially now we’ve got drugs for getting rid of sad feelings — whether it’s after losing a job, the break-up of a relationship or the death of a loved one. So it’s no surprise that more and more people are taking them.
But is this really such a good idea? A growing number of voices from the world of mental health research are saying it isn’t. They fear that the increasing tendency to treat normal sadness as a disease is playing fast and loose. Sadness, they argue, serves a useful purpose—and if we lose it, we lose out. Yet many psychiatrists insist not. Sadness has a nasty habit of turning into depression they warn. Even when people are sad for good reason, they should take drugs to make themselves feel better.
So who is right? Is sadness something we cannot live without or something horrible never to touch?
There are lots of ideas about why feeling sad should become part of human life. It may be a kind of self-protection, as other primates (灵长类) also show signs of sadness. A losing monkey that doesn’t show sadness after it loses a fight may be seen as continuing to challenge the winning monkey — and that could result in death.
In humans sadness has a further function: we may display sadness as a form of communication. By acting sad, we tell other community members that we need support.
Then there is the idea that creativity is connected to dark moods. There are plenty of great artists, writers and musicians who have suffered from depression or disorder. Scientists found that people with signs of depression performed better at a creative task, and negative moods make people think deeply over the unhappy experience, which allows creative processes to come to the front. There is also evidence that too much happiness can be bad for your career. A doctor found that people who scored 8 out of 10 on a happiness test were more successful in income and education than 9s or 10s. The happiest people lose their willingness to make changes to their lives that may benefit them.
53.The underlined word “this ” refers to ________.
A.taking medicine B.falling in despair C.losing a job D.feeling sad
54.The author believes sadness is ________.
A.a good thing for people’s health B.something horrible never to touch
C.a necessary function of humans’ D.always to be treated as depression
55.Some animals show their sadness in order to ________.
A.cheat their enemy B.protect themselves
C.comfort the loser D.challenge the winner
56.We can infer from the last paragraph that ________.
A.people with great creativity tend to be happier
B.unhappy experiences contribute to a greater career
C.too much happiness can be bad for your career
D.the happiest people are the most successful ones