第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题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。
Until quite recently, I knew only three things about my father: I knew his name, David S. Johnson, Jr. I knew he was an only child, and I’d been told he was killed on April 12, 1945, somewhere in Germany.
I used to come to visit my Granny. “Daddy David and his two friends were out in the fields, making sure the way was safe for the others to follow,” she told me. “All of a sudden there was an explosion. All three of them were killed.” Granny was looking down, stroking one thin hand with the other. Then there were no words but silence.
I began my search and collection for information about my father as my 50th birthday and the 50th anniversary of his death drew near. I was told that the explosion had blown him to bits and I had great difficulty collecting anything I could find about him bit by bit. Bits of information about his began falling into my hands, my mind and my heart. Longing to know my father kept me connected to him. It was time to transform my longing into knowledge.
Once upon a time he was alive, and my mother and father were deeply in love. They were married, and they had a child, my brother David. Then my father left for the war.
I was born in January 1945. On February 15 my father wrote me a letter of welcome. The letter is kept in my baby book, “Dear Susan, you have a very good family. Your dad is sort of a less able person. Your mother is the most wonderful person I’ve ever known. I’ve always marveled at my great good fortune to have her and been loved by her. If you follow her words and examples, you may expect to meet life in the best possible way, and your path will always be the right one. Your father, Dave.”
Black on white paper, the words are from my father. From them I grow into a person of loyalty and love. How I long for stories that will bring him to life!
1．The writer got to know her father’s story of death from .
A．her father’s friends B．someone in Germany
C．her grandmother D．a little child
2．The author meet difficulty finding information about her father because .
A．it was too late for her to start the search
B．the explosion left little about her father
C．she only found pieces of hands and legs
D．she didn’t have enough knowledge to do it
3．Which of the following statements is TURE? .
A．Her parents had only one child B．Her father died before her birth
C．Her father was a disabled man D．The writer never saw her father
4．We know from the last paragraph that the author .
A．still hates her father for having left
B．is curious about her father’s death
C．shows much respect for her father
D．is sure that her father may survive
It is hardly surprising that clothing manufacturers（生产商） follow certain uniform standards for various features of clothes．What seems strange, however, is that the standard adopted for women is the opposite of the one for men．Take a look at the way your clothes button．Men’s clothes tend to button from the right, and women’s form the left．Considering most of the word’s population----men and women----are right-handed, the men’s standard would appear to make more sense for women．So why do women’s clothes button from the left?
History really seems to matter here．Buttons first appeared only on the clothes of the rich in the 17th century, when rich women were dressed by servants．For the mostly right-handed servants, having women’s shirts button from the left would be easier．On the other hand, having men’s shirts button form the right made sense, too．Most men dressed themselves, and a sword drawn from the left with the right hand would be less likely to get caught in the shirt．
Today women are seldom dressed by servants, but buttoning form the left is still the standard for them．Is it interesting? Actually, a standard, once set, resists change．At a time when all women’s shirts buttoned form the left, it would have been risky for any single manufacturer to offer women’s shirts that buttoned from the right．After all, women had grown so used to shirts which buttoned from the left and would have to develop new habits and skills to switch．Besides, some women might have found it socially awkward to appear in public wearing shirts that buttoned from the right, since anyone who noticed that would believe they were wearing men’s shirts．What is surprising about the standard of the clothing industry?
| A．It has been followed by the industry for over 400 years． |
| B．It is different for men’s clothing and women’s． |
| C．It woks better with men than with women． |
| D．It fails to consider right-handed people． |
What do we know about the rich men in the 17th century?
| A．They tended to wear clothes without buttons． |
| B．They were interested in the historical matters． |
| C．They were mostly dressed by servants． |
| D．They drew their swords from the left． |
Women’s clothes still button from the left today because．
| A．adopting men’s style is improper for women |
| B．manufacturers should follow standards |
| C．customs are hard to change |
| D．modern women dress themselves |
The passage is mainly developed by．
| A．analyzing causes | B．making comparisons |
| C．examining differences | D．following the time order |
In the decade（十年）of the 1970s, the United Nations organized several important meetings on the human environment to study a very serious problem．We humans are destroying the world around us．We must learn to protect them, or life will be very bad for our children and grandchildren．
There are several major aspects to this problem．
Population
Most problems of the environment come from population growth．In 1700 there were 635 million people in the world; in 1900 there were 1．6 billion; in 1950, 2．5 billion; and in 1980, 4．4 billion．In the year 2010 there will be 7．3 billion．More people need more water, more food, more wood, and more petroleum．
Distribution
Scientists say there is enough water in the world for everyone, but some countries have a lot of water and some have only a little．Some areas get all rain during one season．The rest of the year is dry．
Petroleum
We are using up the world’s petroleum．We use it in our cars and to heat our buildings in winter．Farmers use petrochemicals to make the soil rich．They use them to kill insects on those plants．These chemicals go into rivers and lakes and kill the fish there．Thousands of people also die from these chemicals every year．Chemicals also go into the air and pollute it．Winds carry this polluted air to other countries and other countries．
Poverty
Poor farmers use the same land over and over．The land needs a rest so it will be better next year．However, the farmer must have food every year．Poor people cut down trees for firewood．In some areas when the trees are gone, the land becomes desert．However, people need wood to cook their food now．Poor people cannot save the environment for the future．
We now have the information and the ability to solve these huge problems．However, this is not a problem for one country or one area of the world．It is a problem for all humans．The people and the nation of the world must work together to protect the world’s resources．No one controls the future, but we all help make it．According to the passage, our world is being destroyed mainly because ______．
| A．pollution is getting worse and worse |
| B．population are increasing greatly |
| C．we humans are using up all of our natural resources |
| D．distribution is not reasonable． |
Good distribution means ________．
| A．having things in the right place at the right time． |
| B．cutting down forests and selling them to other countries． |
| C．building water systems to carry water to farms． |
| D．conserving our natural resources |
The best title of the passage should be ________
| A．The World Being Destroyed |
| B．A Serious Problem We Should Pay Attention to |
| C．Aspects That Destroyed Our World |
| D．Conserving the World’s Natural Resources |
Love, success, happiness, family and freedom----how important are these values to you? Here is one interview which explores the fundamental questions in life．
Question: Could you introduce yourself first?
Answer: My name is
Misbah, 27 years old．I was born in a war-torn area．Right now I’m a web designer．
Q: What are your great memories?
A: My parents used to take us to hunt birds, climb trees, and play in the fields．For me it was like a holiday because we were going to have fun all day long．Those are my great memories．
Q: Does your childhood mean a lot to you?
A: Yes．As life was very hard, I used to work to help bring money in for the family．I spent my childhood working, with responsibilities beyond my age．However, it taught me to deal with problems all alone．I learnt to be independent．
Q: What changes would you like to make in your life?
A: If I could change something in my life, I’d change it so that my childhood could have taken place in another area．I would have loved to live with my family in freedom．Who cares whether we have much money, or whether we have a beautiful house? It doesn’t matter as long as I can live with my family and we are safe．
Q: How do your get along with your parents?
A: My parents supported me until I came of age．I want to give back what I’ve got．That’s our way．But I am working in another city．My only contact with my parents now is through the phone, but I hate using it．It filters（过滤） out your emotion and leaves your voice only．My deepest feelings should be passed through sight, hearing and touch．In Misbah’s childhood,．
| A．he was free from worry |
| B．he liked living in the countryside |
| C．he was fond of getting close to nature |
| D．he often spent holidays with his family |
What did Misbah desire most in his childhood?
| A．Peace and freedom | B．A beautiful house． |
| C．A colorful life． | D．Money for his family． |
How would Misbah prefer to communicate with his parents?
| A．By chatting on the Internet． | B．By calling them sometimes． |
| C．By paying weekly visits． | D．By writing them letters． |
If there were only one question left, what would it most probably be?
| A．What was your childhood dream? | B．What is your biggest achievement? |
| C．What is your parents’ view of you? | D．What was your hardest experience in the war? |
Every day we experience one of the wonders of the world around us without even realizing it．It is not the amazing complexity of television, nor the impressive technology of transport．The universal wonder we share and experience is our ability to make noise without mouths, and so transmit ideas and thoughts to each other’s minds．This ability comes so naturally that we tend to forget what a miracle （奇迹） it is．
Obviously, the ability to talk is something that marks humans off from animal．Of course, some animals have powers just as amazing, Birds can fly thousands miles by observing positions of the stars in the sky in relation to the time of day and year．In Nature’s talent show, humans are a species of animal that have developed their own special act．If we reduce it to basic terms, it’s an ability for communicating information to others, by varying sounds we make as we breathe out．
Not that we don’t have other powers of communication．Our facial expressions convey our emotions, such as anger, or joy, or disappointment．The way we hold our heads can indicate to others whether we are happy or sad．This is so-called “body language”．Bristling （直立的） fur is an unmistakable warning of attack among many animals．Similarly, the bowed head or drooping tail shows a readiness to take second place in any animal gathering．
Such a means of communication is a basic mechanism that animals, including human beings, instinctively acquire and display．Is the ability to speak just another sort of instinct? If so, how did human beings acquire this amazing skills ? Biologist can readily indicate that particular area of our brain where speech mechanisms function, but this doesn’t tell us how that part of our bodies originated in our biological history．According to the passage, the wonder we take for granted is．
| A．our ability to use language |
| B．the miracle of technology |
| C．the amazing power of nature |
| D．our ability to make noises with mouth |
What feature of “body language” mentioned in the passage is common to both human an animals?
| A．Lifting heads when sad． |
| B．Keeping long faces when angry． |
| C．Bristling hair when ready to attack． |
| D．Bowing heads when willing to obey． |
What can be inferred from Paragraph 3?
| A．Body language is unique to humans． |
| B．Humans are no different from animals to some degree． |
| C．Humans have other powers of communication． |
| D．Animals express emotions just as humans do． |
This passage is mainly about．
| A．the development of body language． |
| B．the special role humans play in nature |
| C．the power to convey information to others |
| D．the difference between humans and animals in language use |
Many people take it for granted that black is a color 
of bad things while white should always mean something good．This may be because, in their opinion, black is related to darkness and white to purity（纯洁）．
However, that is not always the case．Did you know that the same colour may mean differently in different places of the world?
In the English-speaking world, black is the colour of mourning（哀悼）．People wear black clothes at the funeral．Red is concerned with danger or bloodshed (流血)．Yellow is the word for fear．If you are afraid, you are yellow．Yet none of these sayings is true outside the English-speaking world．In China and Korea white is the colour of mourning．In Russia, China and some other countries, red stands for beauty, life and excellence．In Italy and Germany, you are yellow with anger, not with fear．
Even within the English-speaking area it is not difficult to find colour contradictions (矛盾)．A redcap in the United States is a porter in a railway station．In Britain, however, a redcap is a military policeman．Both names are logical because both men wear red caps．Similarly, the British term for an American white collar worker is sometimes called a black-coated worker．
One does not have to cross an area to find color differences．Would you rather be red-blooded? If we go back to the origin, we find that both terms are logical as both names suggest．The expression “blueblood” comes from Spain, where some noble（贵族）families proudly said that they had “blue blood”．But then why “blue” blood? Because they were fair-skinned, and it is only natural that their blood vessels (血管) stood out appearing blue．Yellow is concerned with anger in ______.
| A．Russia | B．Britain | C．Germany | D．China |
Both Britain and America would probably agree that ______.
| A．black is the color of mourning | B．a black-coated worker is employed in an office |
| C．red stands for beauty and excellence | D．a redcap is a porter in a station |
The best title for this passage is ______.
| A．The Origin of Blue Blood | B．The Development of the Use of Colors |
| C．Colors that Carry Bad Meanings | D．The Meaning Concerned With Certain Colors |
When some Spanish called themselves “blueblood”, they actually meant ______.
| A．they had heart trouble and their faces looked blue | B．they came from a noble family |
| C．they had blue blood in their vessels | D．they were fair-skinned |