B
It was 1961 and I was in the fifth grade. My marks in school were miserable and, the thing was, I didn’t know enough to really care. My older bother and I lived with Mom in a dingy multi-family house in Detroit. We watched TV every night. The background noise of our lives was gunfire and horses’ hoofs from “Wagon Train” or “Cheyenne”, and laughter from “I Love Lucy”, or “Mister Ed”. After supper, we’d sprawl on Mon’s bed and stare for hours at the tube.
But one day Mom changed our world forever. She turned off the TV. Our mother had only been able to get through third grade. But, she was much brighter and smarter than we boys know at the time. She had noticed something in the suburban houses she cleaned books. So she came home one day, snapped off the TV, sat us down and explained that her sons were going to make something of themselves. “You boys are going to read two books every week,” she said. “And you’re going to write a report on what you read.”
We moaned and complained about how unfair it was. Besides, we didn’t have any books in the house other than Mom’s Bible. But she explained that we would go where the books were: “I’ll drive you to the library.”
So pretty soon there were these two peevish boys sitting in her white 1959 Oldsmobile on their way to Detroit Public Library. I wandered reluctantly among the children’s books. I loved animals, so when I saw some books that seemed to be about animals, I started leafing through them.
The first book I read clear through was Chip the Dam Builder. It was about beavers. For the first time in my life I was lost in another world. No television program had ever taken me so far away from my surroundings as did this verbal visit to a cold stream in a forest and these animals building a home.
It didn’t dawn on me at the time, but the experience was quite different from watching TV. There were images forming in my mind instead of before my eyes. And I could return to them again and again with the flip of a page.
Soon I began to look forward to visiting this hushed sanctuary form my other world. I moved from animals to plants, and then to rocks. Between the covers of all those books were whole worlds, and I was free to go anywhere in them. Along the way a funny thing happened: I started to know things. Teachers started to notice it too. I got to the point where I couldn’t wait to get home to my books.
Now my older brother is an engineer and I am chief of pediatric neurosurgery at John Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore. Sometimes I still can’t believe my life’s journey, from a failing and indifferent student in a Detroit public school to this position, which takes me all over the world to teach and perform critical surgery.
But I know when the journey began the day Mom snapped off the TV set and put us in her Oldsmobile for that drive to the library.
46. We can learn form the beginning of the passage that ___________.
A. the author and his brother had done well in school
B. the author had been very concerned about his school work
C. the author had spent much time watching TV after school
D. the author had realized how important schooling was
47. Which of the following is not true about the author’s family?
A. He came from a middle-class family.
B. He came from a single-parent family.
C. His mother worked as a cleaner.
D. His mother had received little education.
48. The mother was ____________ to make her two sons switch to reading books.
A. hesitant B. unprepared C. reluctant D. determined
49. How did the two boys feel about going to the library at first?
A. They were afraid B. They were reluctant.
C. They were impatient. D. They were eager to go.
50. The author began to love books for the following reasons EXCEPT that ___________.
A. he began to see something in his mind
B. he could visualize what he read in his mind
C. he could go back to read the books again
D. he realized that books offered him new experience
It might have been a really bad stressful day, feeling trapped inside by the cold and snow which surrounded us. My husband was the first to shift his consciousness. He dressed accordingly and announced that he was going outside to build a giant snowman.
At first he stood alone, piling massive amounts of snow. Soon after a neighbor joined in my husband’s quest to embrace the opportunity the winter presented. Maintaining less than desirable attitudes, we reluctantly put on our snow gear(用具) and headed outside. It wasn’t long before we were smiling and enjoying the abundance of snow that Mother Nature had provided. Others came to our yard one by one to give a hand in the making of our giant snowman.
In the end we all stood back and marveled at what we had created. He was eleven feet high, twenty-five feet around at the base and decorated with many household items supplied by various families. There he stood, our glorious, gigantic (巨人般的) snowman.
People drove by and smiled. Some even stopped to enjoy his existence. The spirit that went into creating him seemed to catch on and we all enjoyed it while the cold temperatures allowed.
With the passing of time, the spring made its way back into our yard and the snowman changed form considerably. In a final effort to save what we created for just a little bit longer somebody stopped by and changed the snowman’s remains to look like a rabbit.
As I prepared for the start of another week, I decided to check my email before going to bed. I found a curious message that contained the subject line: enjoy the snowman. I decided to read the message even though I did not recognize who sent it. The words it contained melted my heart.
The email said: … your neighbor looks on in disbelief! I am sure you people are enjoying the sounds and smells, along with sights of spring. The energy displayed in Mr. Snowman or Ms, is filled with vigor and joyous energy. You and your family keep it up, as this is what the world needs now. Love sweet love. More power to you and your loved ones, keep sharing with the world around.
Perhaps it was more than snowman we built that day. I’d like to agree that it was. The message seems clear. Our circumstances will turn out to be what we make of them. The possibilities are endless and the choice is ours.
60. How did the author plan to spend that cold day at first?
A. By having a busy day. B. By staying at home. C. By building a snowman. D. By visiting neighbors.
61. The reason for her husband to make a snowman was that ________.
A. he had to please his neighbors B. he was better at it than others
C. he wanted to cheer himself up D. he must get the last chance before spring
62. From the passage we can know that the snowman_______.
A. was built only by the author’s family B. was surprisingly big in size
C. made people more forgiving D. made building snowman popular
第三部分阅读理解
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。
By analyzing academic data from 10 states, representing the testing of more than 7.2 millions of youths, U.S. researchers found that gender differences in math scores were extremely small among all ethnic groups in grades 2-11.
These findings are in contrast to earlier results from 1990 that indicate measurable differences favoring males in complex problem-solving, beginning in the high school years.
Janet Hyde from University of Wisconsin and colleagues reported their study results in the journal Science on Friday.
Currently, women are largely absent from the highest levels of careers in mathematics, the physical sciences, and engineering. In the United States, Ph.D. programs in engineering currently average only about 15 percent women, and similar statistics have led to stereotypes (成见)about girls and women lacking in mathematical ability.
Now, it is clear that the general population no longer shows a gender difference in mathematical skills, according to this latest report.
And this new data on academic performance in the United States shows that students are tested frequently on "recall" and "skill/concept" items, but rarely on "strategic thinking"(战略思维) or "extended thinking" concepts.
If standardized tests do not assess (评估)the sorts of reasoning that are crucial to careers in science and math, then the skills may not be taught, putting American students at a disadvantage to students in other countries where testing and instruction focuses on more challenging content. "This is a gap that should be fixed," Hyde said.
56. What is the best title of the passage?
A. A new study result about math. B. No gender differences in math.
C. Girls are not good at math. D. Girls do better in math than boys.
57. The underlined word “crucial” in the last paragraph most probably means______.
A. necessary B. unimportant C. important D . cruel
58. What Hyde said in the last paragraph means that ________.
A. standardized tests should assess the sorts of reasoning so that the skills may be taught
B. testing and instruction focuses on more challenging content in the USA
C. students in other countries are cleverer than American students
D. students should be tested frequently on "recall" and "skill/concept" items
59. The passage is most probably taken from _______.
A. a science magazine B. a research paper C. a personal diary D. a newspaper
At 227 billion yuan ($33 billion) for 2008, Guangdong's cultural industries accounted for 6.4 percent of its GDP and experienced a growth rate of 13.8 percent. But Lai admits that size does not equal weight. "Our businesses are mostly small, financing difficult and brands few."
One local brand that has made it big is Pleasant Goat and Big, Big Wolf, also translated as Happy Sheep and Gray Wolf, China's most popular cartoon series currently being aired. But Liu Manyi, general manager of Creative Power Entertaining Inc, the firm behind the hit show, is not laughing to the bank. Instead she is bitter: "Pirate discs were all over the streets before our first movie hit the screen. Their images appear on all kinds of products. All this has no proper licensing."
In case you don't know, China produces the largest amount of animated(动画的) programming in the world. But quantity is not quality. Behind every Pleasant Goat there are tens of thousands of flops. The best way for the government to promote the country's creative industries is to crack down on piracy (盗版). Hollywood often raises its voice about being victimized (受害) in China. Truth be told, Hollywood is probably the least affected since there is a quota system for China's importation of Hollywood films.
Many Chinese producers are taking baby steps and the domestic market is all they have. If their rights in the home market are not protected, they will never see the day their products find a foreign audience.
The sudden closure(关闭) of BT websites where copyrighted materials used to flow freely suggests a determination on the part of the government to take intellectual property rights seriously. This kind of websites is bad for us, so we should ban them.
Much of the news coming out of the 2009 International Cultural Industries Forum was encouraging. China's film industry is expected to get 6 billion yuan ($879 million) in box office receipts this year. A decade from now, this number may go up to 30 billion, according to some forecasts.
If the government takes serious action against online and offline pirates, China's creative industries may well have a bright future.
51. What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 1 mean?
A. Fast as the development of Guangdong's cultural industries is, they don’t have a big challenge in the world.
B. Guangdong's cultural industries can make a big profit although they are just the small companies.
C. Guangdong's cultural industries make a big contribution to its GDP because of their strong economic power.
D. The development of Guangdong's cultural industries cannot catch up with any other
industries.
52. What does Liu Manyi think about Pleasant Goat and Big, Big Wolf?
A. It is a failure since it is a local brand.
B. It is a success but cannot get the expected profit.
C. Its profit from the images has been shared legally.
D. Pirate discs make it more popular among the children.
53. Hollywood films are mentioned to tell us that __________.
A. Hollywood films make our creative industries have less space to survive
B. it is piracy that makes it possible for Hollywood films to get less influenced
C. our creative industries need enough protection to have a bright future
D. foreign films have taken up more market in China than the local ones
54. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Chinese creative industries are more advanced than foreign ones.
B. The domestic market is of little significance to the survival of Chinese creative
industries.
C. BT websites stand in the way of the development of Chinese creative industries.
D. The growth of China's film industry is always slow and needs more support.
55. In which column of a newspaper will you probably read this passage?
A. Regional B. Economic C. Sports D. Cartoon
About 97% of the world’s water is salty and is found in our oceans and seas. But, as we can’t drink sea water, how can it be important?
Every part of our seas and oceans contains an amazing number of animals and fish that live at different ocean depths. Most of the different species of animals and fish depend on simple plants for their food. These simple plants called algae (海藻) drift near the surface of the ocean and use sunlight to turn carbon dioxide and water into food and oxygen. In fact, algae produce over half of the oxygen people breathe. How important sea water is!
Each plant or animal in our seas and oceans is an important link in a food chain. The algae are eaten in large amounts by microscopic animals, which are in turn consumed by larger animals. These food chains are delicately balanced.
The bad news about the food chains in the oceans is that they are under threat because of man. People once thought that the oceans were so big that it didn’t matter if we dumped rubbish into them or caught huge quantities of fish and whales for food. But we now know this is not true and fish stocks in the oceans have started to drop.
Thankfully, the world is taking steps to protect the future of our oceans by introducing international agreements to protect marine habitats. Most countries have introduced fishing restrictions to protect fish stocks in the oceans and new techniques are being pioneered to cope with pollution. Finally, the importance of protecting oceans is being made known to more people. This is just the beginning of a long process to protect the oceans for our future. We depend on the oceans for fish which are an important part of the human diet. How important sea water is!
46. Which of the following is the proper order of the food chain?
A. small animals→algae→microscopic animals→large animals→man
B. algae→microscopic animals→large animals→larger animals→man
C. small animals→algae→large animals→microscopic animals→man
D. microscopic animals→algae→large animals →larger animals→man
47. People used to think that the rubbish thrown into the sea ________.
A. wouldn’t harm the fish in the sea B. would change the balance of the food chain
C. would be broken down in the sea D. wouldn’t do much harm to the sea
48. From the passage, we learn that _________.
A. most fish and sea animals live at the surface of the seas
B. it is very difficult to break the balance of a food chain
C. excessive fishing has caused the decrease in fish stock
D. it won’t be long before the problems concerning oceans will be solved
49. Which of the following is NOT a way being used to protect oceans?
A. The use of international agreements.
B. Forbidding fishing to protect fish stocks.
C. The use of new techniques.
D. Raising people’s awareness of the need to protect oceans.
50. What would be the best title of the passage?
A. The importance of seawater.
B. Life in the oceans.
C. How to protect food chains.
D. How to deal with seawater pollution.
三、阅读（共两节，满分40分）
第一节：阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
There is an English saying, “Laughter is the 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 heart, blood pressure, breathing and muscles. It was found that laughter has similar effects to physical exercise. It increases blood pressure, makes the heart beat quicker and makes people breathe deeper; 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 group which listened to a funny programme. The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemical in the brain which diminishes 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.
41. According to the passage, which of the following statements is WRONG?
A. Laughter is good for health.
B. Laughter can make you become old quickly.
C. Laughter helps to reduce pain.
D. Laughter, just like physical exercise, is good for our body.
42. The underlined word “diminishes” in the third paragraph means “ ”.
A. delays B. prevents C. increases D. reduces
43. Why do doctors hold laughter clinics?
A. Because they want to earn more money.
B. Because they think they will help the patients recover from illnesses.
C. Because they want to improve their patients’ health.
D. Because they want their patients to laugh more.
44. According to the author, we should __________ in our life.
A. laugh as much as possible B. watch more funny films
C. smile all the time D. spend time in the laughter clinics
45. What would be the best title for this passage?
A. Both laughter and physical exercise are good for health.
B. Laughter clinics can help patients improve their condition.
C. Laughter can reduce the effect of pain.
D. Laughter is the best medicine.