第二部分：阅读理解（共两节，满分30分）
第一节（共10小题，每小题2分，满分20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，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Americans spend their free time in various ways．
America is a country of sports — of hunting, fishing and swimming, and of team sports like baseball and football．Millions of Americans watch their favorite sports on television．They also like to play in community orchestras （管弦乐队）, make their own films or recordings, go camping, visit museums，attend lectures, travel, garden, read, and join in hundreds of other activities．The people also enjoy building things for their homes, sewing their own clothes, even making their own photographs．They do these things for fun as well as for economy．
But as much as Americans enjoy their free time, the country is at the same time a “self-improvement” country．More than 25 million adults continue their education, chiefly by going to school in the evening, during their own free time, at their own expense．Added to the time spent on personal activities, Americans a1so devote a great amount of their time to the varied needs of their communities．Many hospitals, schools, libraries, museums, parks, community centers, and organizations that assist the poor depend on the many hours citizens devote to these activities, often without any pay．Why do they do it?
There are several answers．The idea of cooperating and sharing responsibility with one another for the benefit of all is as old as the country itself．
When the country was first founded in 1776, it was necessary for the settlers to work together to live．They had crossed dangerous seas and risked all they had in their struggle for political and religious freedom．There remains among many Americans a distrust of central government．People still prefer to do things themselves within their communities, rather than give the government more control．
Sometimes people offer their time because they wish to accomplish something for which no money is paid, to do something that will be of benefit to the entire community．It is true that some people use their leisure because they are truly interested in the work; or they are learning from the experience．
No matter what the reason is, hundreds of thousands of so-called leisure hours are put into hard, unpaid work on one or another community need．
1．This passage is mainly about ________．
A．why America is a country of sports
B．how Americans spend their free time
C．why America is a “self-improvement” country
D．how Americans are devoted to their community activities
2．The writer mentions the foundation of the country in order to indicate ________．
A．the early history of America
B．the American people’s determination to live
C．the reason for Americans’ willingness to cooperate and share responsibility
D．the American people’ s love for freedom
3．Which of the following best explains the meaning of the underlined word “leisure”?
A．work time B．energy C．effort D．spare time
4．What can we infer from the text?
A．The first settlers left their hometown for political and religious reasons．
B．Many Americans don’t trust the central government．
C．American people enjoy building things for their homes just for fun．
D．Americans continue their education at their own expense．
We are going to talk again this week about higher education for disabled students who want to study in the United States．As we noted last time，there are no special colleges or universities for blind students．But there are for deaf students．One of them is Gallaudet University in Washington，D.C. Gallaudet is said to be the world’s only liberal arts university where everything is designed for deaf or hard-of-hearing students．About 2，000 students attend Gallaudet．The cost for international students is about 33,000 dollars a year．
Financial aid is available in the form of scholarships，but only after the first year of studies. Most scholarship aid goes to students in financial need who do well in their first year．One scholarship for international students is for deaf students from developing countries．Another is just for students from China．The university also offers an English Language Institute．But Gallaudet says this program does not guarantee (担保)acceptance to the university．
In the past year，students at Gallaudet protested against the administration’s choice of a new president for the university．The protests led to the choice of a different president who is more popular with the students，Robert Davila．He is a former officer of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf．This technical college is in Rochester, New York. It is one of the eight colleges in the Rochester Institute of Technology．
More than one thousand students attend the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. About one hundred of them are international students．They come from Africa, Asia，Europe and South America.
The cost is about 28,000 dollars a year for an international Technical Institute student．Foreign graduate students pay about 20,000 dollars. Both undergraduate and graduate student can receive limited financial aid. They can also take part in the student employment program．This program makes it possible for students to work at the school. The passage is written for _______ .
| A．blind students | B．deaf students | C．art students | D．dumb students |
The second paragraph mainly shows ________ .
| A．students can get scholarships easily | B．foreign students call receive more scholarships |
| C．some information about Gallaudet | D．the costs in Gallaudet are low . |
Robert Davila is the president who __________ .
| A．is well received there | B．is hated by the students |
| C．has high fame world-wide | D．was appointed by the government |
To those who study in Gallaudet，__________ .
| A．foreign students can earn more | B．the costs are different |
| C．receiving financial aid is easy | D．every student can find a suitable job |
Public schools in New York，America’s biggest city, commonly have numbers for names．But this is unusual．In the United States，the process of naming a school often involves parents and the community
as well as elected school leaders.
Researchers say school names can show civic (市民的) values and also shape them． For example，naming a school after a historic person becomes a way to teach students about that person’s importance in history．
A new study examines the naming of American public schools．The study is from the Manhattan Institute，an organization that does public policy research．The study shows that fewer and fewer schools are being named after people．Instead。more schools are being named after the local areas or natural features like hills．trees or animals．The researchers say these changes raise questions about the civic duty of public education．
The looked at seven states with 20% of all public school students in the country. They found the similar result in every state: new school are less likely to be named after people. This is true especially with presidents. For example, in Arizona, public school in the past 20 years were almost fifty times more likely to be named after such things as landforms or plants .
School officials say they try to choose names that will not offend anyone. For example, a few years ago the city of New Orleans banned the naming of any school after a person who owned slaves. Other school system have rules against naming new schools after any person, living or dead .
The researchers say naming a school after a person can lead it important debates about democratic values. They call for more research to identify the causes and effects of the changes in school names.
The causes may include changes in American culture as well as in the political control of school systems. One area worth exploring , they say, is the link between trends in school names and weak results for public schools on measures of civic education.More schools are being named after the following EXCEPT ________ .
| A．hills | B．trees | C．animals | D．people |
What does “they” in paragraph 7 refer to ?
| A．School officials | B．Public schools | C．The researchers | D．Democratic values |
If the passage appears in a newspaper, which column will it be ?
| A．Culture | B．Science | C．Travel | D．Entertainment |
What’s the best title for the passage ?
| A．Few Us Public School Now Are Named after people |
| B．Public Schools In New York Have Numbers for Names |
| C．The Various Origins of America Schools |
| D．US Public Schools Value the Names of Great Persons |
Kevin DuBmw，the lead singer of the popular 1980s US heavy metal band Quiet Riot，has been found dead from unknown causes at his home in Los Vegas．
The body of DuBrow was discovered on Sunday afternoon，a spokeswoman for the Clark County Coroner’s Office said．An examination of his body conducted on Monday didn’t lead to a result and more related tests were scheduled to establish a cause of his death．Police proved that DuBrow’S body was found at his home after they were called together by friends and neighbors who could not find the rocker．
A Las Vegas police spokeswoman refused to say whether there were signs of violence． “I can’t even find the words to say，”Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali said on his Web site. “Please respect my privacy as I mourn the passing and honor the memory of my dearest friend，Kevin DuBrow.”
Founded in Los Angeles in the mid-1970s，Quiet Riot shot to the top of the Billboard charts with their 1983 album “Metal Health”．It sold more than 6 million copies and is considered by many to be the first heavy metal record to top the pop charts．The album’s sales were improved by the quartet’s monster hit “Cum Oil Feel the Noize,” featuring DuBrow’s powerhouse vocals , and the song’s video．which was played in heavy rotation on MTV．
Quiet Riot’s following albums did not sell nearly as well and DuBrow was fired from the band among the following feeling of hatred．DuBrow regrouped Quiet Riot in the 1990s and the band has played occasionally，last releasing an album in October 2006． DuBrow’s body was found _________
| A．on the date of his death | B．on Sunday morning |
| C．by his relatives | D．at his home |
Frankie Banali’s words suggest ________ ．
| A．he Was amazed at DuBrow’s death | B．he wasn’t good at expressing himself |
| C．he felt very sad at the moment | D．he was recalling what had happened |
What can we learn from the passage ?
A．Quiet Riot became popular in 1970s． B．”Metal Health”was well received in 1983．
C．Quiet Riot’s conditions became worse because of DuBrow．
D．Quiet Riot has been performing in the USA． What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．Quiet Riot’s Lead Singer Was Found Dead in Las Vegas． |
| B．DuBrow’s Death Shocked the Public． |
| C．Quiet Riot—a Famous Band． |
| D．Police Looked for DuBrow’s Death． |
Country singer and songwriter Adrienne Young brings together music and agricultural activities．She even included seeds in the album cover of her first CD．
Adrienne Young wants people to know that she supports the movement in America to increase local farming．She offers information about agricultural issues on her Web site．And now part of the moneyfrom her third and newest release, “Room to Grow”，will be donated to help support community gardens．
Adrienne Young’s family has lived in Florida for seven generations．Her ancestors helped develop the agriculture industry there．The state of Florida is the nation’s second largest producer of fruits and vegetables, 'after California．
Adrienne Young has said that her interest in nature was shaped by the fact that she did not grow up on a farm．She grew up in a house her grandfather build on what had been farmland two generations ago．But the land was developed and was now part of a highway．
Adrienne Young has teamed up with two organizations that support local farming and gardening efforts．One is the American Community Gardening Association．The other is FoodRoutes，a group she has represented for several years．
FoodRoutes says buying locally grown food is not only about taste and freshness．The group says buying locally also helps to strengthen local economies and protect the environment．Exports say food in the United States travels all average of more than three thousand kilometers from farm to store．The aim to write the passage is to _________ ．
| A．tell us a singer aims to grow interest in local farming |
| B．show Adrienne Young promotes her third CD album |
| C．praise Adrienne Young for her contributions to agriculture |
| D．call on singers to learn from Adrienne Young |
Adrienne Young supports to increase local farming in _______ ways．
| A．two | B．three | C．four | D．five |
It can be learned from the passage that ________ ．
| A．Adrienne Young’s parents used to be farmers |
| B．Adrienne Young grew up on a farm |
| C．Florida is good for farming |
| D．no old houses existing on the farm belongs to Adrienne Young |
Buying locally grown food has many advantages EXCEPT _________ ．
| A．it is fresh | B．it’s tasty |
| C．it’s environmental protection | D．it raises local production |
It’s not polite to arrive at a dinner party more than 15 to 20 minutes late. The host or hostess usually waits for all the guests to arrive before serving the meal. If someone is late, the food may be spooked , and so might the host of hostess’s spirit. If you will have to be late, call and tell them to start without you.
It’s even worse to be early !the host or hostess will probably not be ready. If you are early, drive or walk around the block a few minutes, or just sit in your car until the right time.
Though it’s often important to arrive at a party on time, yet on the other hand, for open houses, he host or hostess invites guests to arrive and leave between certain times, so you can arrive at any time within the times he or she gives you.
It’s nice to bring an empty stomach, but it’s even nicer to bring a small present. The present should not cost a lot, or you might embarrass the host or hostess. Flowers, wine, or a box of candy will do fine. Never bring more as a present.
In an introduction, the order of a name is (1)the given name, (2)the family name. In other words, the given name comes first. It’s important not only to learn and remember names, but to repeat them often in conversation. After the introduction, we usually call friends by their given names. Older people may want you to call them by their titles and family names, such as “Mr.Jones”, “Mr.Smith”,”Ms.Johson”,or “Dr.Brown”.
A maiden name is a woman’s family name at birth. In the United States and Canada, after a woman marries, she takes the family name of her husband in place of her maiden name. It is now becoming common, however, for women to keep their maiden names after they get married.If someone is late for a dinner party, _______
| A．the guest will have to go hungry |
| B．the host and the hostess will be in low spirits |
| C．the host and the hostess will be very angry |
| D．he guests will be angry |
If you find you will have to be late for a finer party, you should _____
| A．send someone to tell the host or hostess not to wait for you |
| B．call and tell the host or the hostess not to wait for you |
| C．call and tell the host or the hostess to wait for you |
| D．send someone to tell the host or hostess to wait for you |
It can be guessed from the text that an open house is______
| A．a house which is open day and night |
| B．a party which is open to anybody |
| C．a party at which guests can come and go between certain times |
| D．a party which is open at night |
It’s nice to bring a _______ present.
| A．cheap |
| B．small |
| C．good |
| D．big |
Some older people usually want to be called by _____
| A．their given names |
| B．their titles and their family names |
| C．their family names |
| D．surnames |