第二部分 阅读理解
（共25小题。第一节每小题2分，第二节每小题1分；满分45分）
第一节 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，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
One night, Mrs. Riley, an elderly woman, was walking along a dark London street. She was carrying her handbag in one hand and a plastic carrier bag in the other. There was nobody else in the street except two youths. They were standing in a dark shop doorway. One of them was very tall with fail hair, the other was short and fat with a beard.
The youths waited for a few moments, and then ran quickly and quietly towards Mrs. Riley. The tall youth held her from behind while the other youth tried to seize her handbag.
Suddenly, Mrs. Riley threw the tall youth over her shoulder. He crashed into the other youth and they both landed on the ground. Without speaking, Mrs. Riley struck both of them on the head with her handbag and walked calmly away.
The two surprised youths were still sitting on the ground when Mrs. Riley crossed the street towards a door with a lighted sign above it. Mrs. Riley paused, turned round, smiled at the youths and walked into the South West London Judo（柔道）Club.The two youths stood in a dark shop doorway because _____.
| A．they had nothing to do | B．they were homeless |
| C．they meant to rob somebody | D．they were guarding the shop |
What did Mrs. Riley do to the two youths?
| A．She hurt them seriously. | B．She taught them a lesson. |
| C．She reported them to the police. | D．She sent them to a judo club. |
The story tells about an elderly woman who _____.
| A．often went shopping at night | B．was brave and wise |
| C．worked in a shopping center | D．had a skill of self–defense |
C
Penguins can taste only sour and salty food, scientists have discovered. A genetic study suggests the flightless birds lost three of the five basic tastes long ago in evolution.
Taste is critical for survival in most animals, but may not matter in the penguin, which swallows fish whole, say researchers in China and the US.
Many other birds are unable to taste sweet things, but they do have receptors (感受器) for detecting bitter and umami (or meaty) flavours. The discovery was made when researchers decoding penguin genomes found some of the taste genes were missing. A closer look at the DNA of penguins revealed that all species lack functioning genes for the receptors of sweet, umami, and bitter tastes.
“Based on genetic data, penguins are believed to have sour and salty tastes, but have lost sweet, umami, and bitter tastes,” lead researcher Prof Jianzhi Zhang, of the University of Michigan, US, and Wuhan University, China, told the reporter.
The umami taste gives food the strong, savoury (咸味的) flavour associated with meat. Lacking this sense is surprising for a carnivorous (食肉的) animal, but does not matter that much in the penguin, which swallows fish without chewing. “Their behaviour of swallowing food whole, and their tongue structure and function, suggest that penguins need no taste perception,” said Prof Zhang. “Although it is unclear whether these traits (特点) are a cause or a consequence of their major taste loss.” The findings, published in Current Biology journal, were a puzzle, he added.
One clue comes from the bird’s evolution on the frozen ice sheets of Antarctica. Sending signals from sweet, umami, and bitter (but not sour or salty) taste receptors to the brain does not work at very low temperatures. This may have led to the penguin gradually losing its sense of taste, say the researchers.
Intriguingly(有趣的是), the sweet taste is missing in almost all birds. The hummingbird, which feeds on sweet nectar, is an exception.What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Penguins lost ability to taste fish |
| B．The life of penguins |
| C．The findings of researchers in China and USA |
| D．Penguins living on Antarctica |
Which of the following animals can taste sweet flavour according to the passage?
| A．The penguin. | B．The hummingbird. |
| C．The polar bear. | D．The fish. |
What was the discovery made by the researchers when decoding penguin genomes?
| A．Some of the taste genes were missing. |
| B．Penguins are believed to have sweet and salty tastes. |
| C．The bird’s evolution on the frozen ice sheets of Antarctica. |
| D．Taste is critical for survival in most animals. |
Which of the following statements is not true according to the passage?
| A．Penguins swallow fish without chewing. |
| B．The findings were published in Current Biology journal. |
| C．Sending signals from sweet, umami, and bitter taste receptors to the brain does not work at very low temperatures. |
| D．Prof Jianzhi Zhang was the lead researcher of a university in UK, and Wuhan University, China. |
B
A new study confirms what most people already know: American women are still far behind American men in taking top leadership jobs in business and politics.
The Pew Research Center in Washington, D.C. produced the study. Pew researchers found that most Americans believe women have the right qualities to be leaders. But they say women may still not be hired into leadership positions.
“On the one hand, the public thinks that women are just as qualified as men to be in top leadership positions, in business and in government, on the other hand the public feels it is easier for men to get those jobs, and the public is also skeptical that things are going to change in the future, particularly on the business front.”
Kim Parker directs social trends at the Pew Research Center. She says the new study found that Americans think men and women have the same intelligence and ability to create new things. But Americans think women and men have some different abilities.
For instance, they believe women are especially good at finding compromises. In other words, women can find ways for people to agree, or at least accept solutions. The study also found Americans see women as more compassionate (有同情心的) and organized leaders than men.
Americans also believe women are better leaders for social issues, such as education and health care. But Americans see men as better leaders on national defense and security.From the first paragraph we can know that ______.
| A．American women are much better than men in business and politics. |
| B．American men are still ahead of American women as leaders in business and politics. |
| C．American women are still ahead of American men as top leaders in business and politics. |
| D．American women are equal to American men in taking top leadership jobs in business and politics.. |
According to the new study, Americans think men and women are equal in ______.
| A．some different abilities. |
| B．politics and government. |
| C．intelligence and ability to create new things. |
| D．top leadership positions and education. |
What can we know from the last two paragraphs?
| A．Women are especially good at finding compromises. |
| B．Americans see men as more compassionate and organized leaders than women. |
| C．women are better leaders for social issues, such as national defense and health care. |
| D．Men are expert in dealing with health care and education. |
A
In a new picture book, a 66-year-old Beijinger recaptures the capital’s Lunar New Year traditions for children.
In the Chinese lunar calendar, the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, which falls on Feb 11 this year, is the “Little Chinese New Year”. Traditionally, people will set off firecrackers to bid farewell to the Kitchen God who returns to Heaven to report the activities of every household over the past year to the Jade Emperor.
However, such customs have lessened with time in the city and might seem unfamiliar to children nowadays.
In order to preserve traditions for the next generation, Yu Dawu, a 66-year-old painter, recently published a picture book, Spring Festival in Beijing, for children to see how people used to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
Based on an essay by Lao She (1899-1966), one of the most significant writers in modern Chinese literature, the picture book starts from the first holiday, La Ba, the eighth day of the 12th lunar month of the past year, when tradition says people should eat congee made of eight ingredients to bring good fortune in the coming year. It concludes with the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month of the new year, which marks the end of the Spring Festival.
In the book, Yu creates a local family of four who live in an ordinary quadrangle courtyard, and readers follow the family as it celebrates the festival traditions.
“I am an old Beijinger, so when I was drawing and painting for this book, the memories of childhood rushed into my mind,” recalls Yu at a book-sharing party earlier this week.What’s the name of the new picture book that recaptures the capital’s Lunar New Year traditions for children?
| A．Celebrating the Lantern Festival |
| B．Spring Festival in Beijing |
| C．the Chinese New Year |
| D．Little Chinese New Year |
What made the painter create such a picture book for children?
| A．Reporting the activities of every household over the past year to the Jade Emperor. |
| B．Following the family as it celebrates the festival traditions. |
| C．Drawing and painting for the book. |
| D．Preserving traditions for the next generation. |
Which day means the end of the Spring Festival?
| A．La Ba. | B．the Lantern Festival |
| C．Little Chinese New Year | D．The first lunar day. |
What does the underlined word “congee” mean in the fifth paragraph?
| A．a gift presented by the author. |
| B．something given by Kitchen God. |
| C．a kind of porridge. |
| D．a red envelope |
D
May 28 (Reuters Life!) - A Japanese university is giving away Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) trendy iPhone to students for free, but with a catch: the device will be used to check their attendance.
The project, which is being tested ahead of its formal launch in June, involves 550 first and second year students and some staff of a department at Aoyama Gakuin University, which is located just outside Tokyo in Sagamihara city.
The school's iPhones are meant to create a mobile information network between students and professors, but they are also a convenient way for the teachers to take attendance in class. As students enter the room, instead of writing their name on a sheet, they simply type in their ID number and a specific class number into an iPhone application. To prevent students from logging in from home or outside class, the application uses GPS location data and checks which router the students have logged in to.
"We don't want to use this to simply take attendance. Our hope is to use this to develop a classroom where students and teachers can discuss various topics," professor Yasuhiro Iijima told Reuters as he demonstrated the application.
University officials insist the project is not intended to infringe on students' privacy or track them down.
"With Japanese cellphones it's possible that the location data is automatically sent. However, with the iPhone, you must always confirm before the GPS data can be sent," Iijima said.
Many of the students testing the system said they were happy with it.
"Up until now, we've been using little slips of paper to take attendance. But with a cell phone, you don't have to spend time collecting all of those and so I think it's quite nice," 20-year-old student Yuki Maruya.
When the system goes fully online next month, the university also hopes to provide video podcasts of lectures to help students who missed classes, or just can't remember their lessons.The news report mainly tells us that ______
| A．Iphone has got well developed in Japan |
| B．Iphone is to take attendance at Japanese universities |
| C．Iphone has been accepted by many students |
| D．Iphone is free of charge at Japanese universities |
The iphone being tested at Aoyama Gakuin University is mainly to _____
| A．help students to study hard |
| B．check students’ attendance |
| C．help learn the information network |
| D．develop a special classroom |
Teachers at Aoyama Gakuin University can finish taking attendance by asking students to_____
| A．write their names on the paper |
| B．Type in their ID and class numbers into iphone |
| C．log in from home or outside class ahead |
| D．put in right GPS location data and their router |
what about the future of Apple Inc’s iphone
| A．It still has many disadvantages |
| B．It goes against many students’ interest |
| C．It will receive some other uses. |
| D．It will avoid students’ being late for class |
C
Bob Butler lost his legs in a 1965 landmine explosion in Vietnam. He returned home as a war hero. Twenty years later，he proved once again that heroism comes from the heart.
Butler was working in his garage in a small town in Arizona on a hot summer day when he heard a woman’s screams coming from a nearby house. He rolled his wheelchair toward the house，but the dense bush wouldn’t allow him to approach the back door. So he got out of his chair and crawled through the dirt and bushes.
“I had to get there，”he says. “It didn’t matter how much it hurt.”
When Butler arrived at the house，he traced the screams to the pool，where a three year old girl，Stephanie，was lying at the bottom. She had been born without arms and had fallen in the water and couldn’t swim. Her mother stood over her baby screaming loudly. Butler dove to the bottom of the pool and brought little Stephanie up to the deck. Her face was blue，she had no pulse and she was not breathing.
Butler immediately went to work performing CPR(心肺复苏) to revive her while Stephanie’s mother telephoned the fire department. She was told the rescue team was already out on a call .Helplessly，she sobbed and hugged Butler’s shoulders.
As Butler continued with his CPR，he calmly reassured Stephanie’s mother. “Don’t worry，”he said. “I was her arms to get out of the pool. It’ll be okay. I’m now her lungs. Together we can make it.”
Seconds later the little girl coughed，regained consciousness and began to cry. As they hugged and rejoiced together，the mother asked Butler how he knew it would be okay.
“When my legs were blown off in the war，I was all alone in a field，”he told her.“ No one was there to help except a little Vietnamese girl. As she struggled to drag me into her village，she whispered in broken English，‘It okay. You can live. I be your legs. Together we make it.’”
“This was my chance，”he told Stephanie’s mom，“to return the favor.”When Butler heard the woman’s scream, he ________.
| A．was swimming in a nearby pool after work |
| B．dialed the fire department immediately |
| C．tried his best to the house without second thought |
| D．believed that everything will be OK and he would make it. |
What made Stephanie’s mother feel more helpless?_______.
| A．her daughter was lying at the bottom of the pool. |
| B．Little Stephanie was born without arms. |
| C．Little Stephanie had no pulse and was not breathing. |
| D．The doctors couldn’t come to help. |
Why was Butler so confident that the little girl would revive?________.
| A．Because he had once experienced the same scene in Vietnam. |
| B．Because he had saved many children in dangerous situation |
| C．Because he remembered the Vietnamese girl’s words all time long. |
| D．Because he knew some knowledge of first aid and medical care. |
Which of the followings would probably be the best title of the passage?________.
| A．Together We Can Make It |
| B．An Unforgettable Experience |
| C．How a Veteran Saved a Girl |
| D．Everything Will be OK |