第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）
During my elementary school years，I used to compare my mom with my best friend Tiffany’s mom．
Tiffany’s mom always gave her lots of money to buy the most fashionable clothes and favorite food．Her morn allowed her to do anything she liked．I really admired Tiffany．My mom didn’t give me much pocket money and she always told me that I should behave my self．1 was annoyed with her．
Whenever I didn’t get what 1 wanted，1 would complain to my mom，Tiffany’s mom would give her that!1 wish she were my mom．”Every time，my mom would calmly say “Poor Tiffany”．
I couldn’t understand her．“She shouldn’t be feeling sorry for Tiffany!”I thought．“She should be feeling sorry for me．”
One day，I couldn’t help saying to Morn，”Poor Tiffany？Lucky Tiffany! She gets everything she wants! Why do you feel sorry for her？”I burst into tears．
My mom sat down next to me and said softly , “Yes，I do feel sorry for her．I have been teaching you a lesson that she will never be taught．”
I looked up at her．“What are you talking about？”
Mom said with care，“One day she will really want something．Maybe she’11 find out that she can’t have it．Her mother won’t always be around to give her money，and what’s more，money can’t buy everything．”
She continued，“I have taught you valuable lessons by not giving you everything you want．You’11 know how to look for bargains and save money，but she won’t．You’11 under stand that you need to work hard to get the things that you want but she won’t．When Tiffany is a grown woman，she’11 wake up one day and she will be wishing that she had a mom like the one you’ve got．Life lessons are more important than modern clothes and delicious food．’’
It took some time，but I eventually understood my mom’s words．Now I am a happy and successful woman．
56．During the author’s elementary school years，she ．
A．wished that her mom were as good as Tiffany’s
B．went to school with Tiffany every day
C．usually compared her lesson with Tiffany’s
D．sometimes gave lots of money to Tiffany
57．Why did the author’s mom always say “Poor Tiffany”？
A．She felt sorry for Tiffany because Tiffany was poor．
B．She wanted to tell a lie to comfort the author．
C．She thought that Tiffany was spoiled by her mother．
D．She told the author this and wanted her to help Tiffany．
58．What do we learn about the author’s mother？
A．She was strict and taught the author to be independent．
B．She cared for other people’s children more than her own．
C．She thought that life lessons were as important as money．
D．She was so poor that she couldn’t give the author much money．
59．What can we infer from the passage？
A．The author was quite annoyed with her mother in the past．
B．The author’s mother felt sorry for Tiffany．
C．Tiffany’s mother took the author’s mother’s advice．
D．The author is thankful to her mother now．
Blind photography sounds strange．But a striking exhibition of photographs in California argues that it develops as a result of the contemporary art．The show "Sight Unseen", at the California Museum of Photography until Aug．29, includes everything: underwater scenes, landscapes, abstracts and everything else you might expect from a "sighted" photographer．
How do the blind take their photographs? Some rely on assistants to set up and then describe the shots （镜头） , and others just point and shoot in the right place．"Just like any good artists," says McCulloh．"They have their unique ways of operating．" One participating photographer is Pete Eckert, an artist with multiple degrees in design and sculpture who only turned to photography after losing his vision in the mid-1990s．He opens the shutter （快门） on his camera and then uses flashlights, lights, and candles to paint his scene on film．A former fashion photographer in Chicago, Weston, lost his vision due to AIDS in 1996 and focuses on images of destruction and disability．His photos are also a star of the show．
What do gallery-goers say? "I was very impressed by it．The technique and experience was amazingly different," says John Hesketh, a printmaker in Anaheim．"You never have a sense of feeling sorry for these people because they've worked very hard to prove their value．"
Beyond the praise, however, the exhibition also makes a great example for disabled people everywhere．That point was explained in early May during a discussion on the TV show．At the very end of the talk, one attendee expressed his opinion．"This exhibition is extraordinary and revolutionary for many reasons．I think that by being an artist with a disability, you are continuing the work of those people who fought for basic civil rights to gain access and to have a voice．In that way, it's so wonderful that your photographs say it all．"From the passage we know that some blind people take photos by.
| A．describing the things to their assistants. |
| B．holding the camera and shooting randomly. |
| C．opening the shutter with the help of others. |
| D．using special equipment designed for them. |
We can learn from the passage that blind photographers ______.
| A．were not born blind. |
| B．do jobs related to art. |
| C．focus on different subjects. |
| D．like photos of destruction. |
What is people's reaction to the blind photography show?
| A．They admire the blind photographers' hard work． |
| B．They feel really sorry for those blind photographers． |
| C．They think some have good techniques while others not． |
| D．They can understand the real meaning of each photograph． |
The significance of the exhibition lies in the fact that ______．
| A．the California Museum of Photography receives praises for holding the show. |
| B．the public have a chance to know what the blind people are concerned about. |
| C．the blind photographers have a good place to show their works. |
| D．the exhibition can be very inspiring to the blind in the world. |
People living in the UK take quite a few holidays abroad and in this country each year．Choices made about where to go, how to get there and what to do while there can either benefit or harm the environment．
While on holiday
Many of the things you can do to the greener on holiday will be the same things you can do at home—but there are also some extra things too, like avoiding gifts made from endangered plants and animals．Here are some suggestions:
●Making the most of locally produced food and drink, and local activities and attractions will support people in the area you are visiting and reduce the need for further environmental influence from transport;
●Switching off any air conditioning, heating and lights will help reduce climate change effect;
●Save water—some countries suffer from water shortages and saving water can help avoid damage to our natural habitats （栖息地）.
Endangered species （物种）
Some gifts and foods available in some countries can be made from endangered plants or animals．Check before you buy, but if you doubt, avoid animal and plant gifts．More details of the types of products to avoid and illegal trade hotspots can be found on the Souvenir Alert web page．
Making a positive contribution to the place you are visiting
There are ways in which your holiday can help support local people and the environment:
●There are many opportunities to volunteer and help with projects that conserve and improve natural habitats;
●When you are away, or if you are looking for somewhere to visit, you can support projects or attractions which protect wildlife, such as nature reserves and conservation projects．According to the passage, we can __ to help reduce climate change effect.
| A．make good use of water |
| B．buy local food and drink |
| C．save electricity |
| D．go around on foot |
We should check the gifts and foods before buying because ______．
| A．sometimes they are of poor quality. |
| B．they may not be typical local products. |
| C．some of them will do harm to our health. |
| D．they may be made from endangered animals or plants. |
We can infer from the passage that ____．
| A．it is not easy for people to travel abroad. |
| B．not everyone can tell an illegal souvenir. |
| C．green holidays have been accepted by people. |
| D．volunteer work is a must for protecting natural habitats. |
The passage is mainly about.
| A．travel dos and don'ts. |
| B．the harm done to the environment. |
| C．greener choices for holiday. |
| D．tips on protecting endangered species. |
Before I started school, people felt that 1 was not going to be successful．At the age of four I started speech lessons because basically I could not speak well enough for anyone to understand me．The story goes downhill from here．
The first grade was a struggle．I not only had difficulty speaking, but also felt nervous about the fact that I was expected to learn to read and I just couldn't do it．The second grade was not much better．I still struggled with the inability to read．It was in the third grade that the school district built a new school close to my home．I remember going there with my parents and helping to get the school ready so that we could move to the new one．However, things were still not much better as far as my schooling was concerned and did not get better for the next two years．
It was in the fifth grade．Mrs．Wakefield was my teacher, and if ever there was a teacher that deserved a gold star, it was her．She did not make me feel defeated．On the contrary, she did her best to let me know that I could be whatever I wanted to be．And that is just what I did．
For the past 22 years, I have been a fifth grade teacher．Because of Mrs．Wakefield's influence on my life, I am now encouraging students who have had difficulties in their lives to believe that they can overcome any difficulty and become someone．I have won numerous awards up to now, such as Teacher of the Year．I owe it all to one fifth grade teacher who believed in me and challenged me to be all that I could be．The writer ______ when he was in the third grade．
| A．did better in reading | B．began speech lessons |
| C．went to a new school | D．received a high award |
We can learn from the passage that the writer ______．
| A．is a very successful teacher now |
| B．thinks teaching is a challenging job |
| C．has solved problems with his own effort |
| D．works in the same school with Mrs．Wakefield |
What is the writer's purpose in writing the passage?
| A．To express his devotion to his work． |
| B．To show his respect to a special teacher． |
| C．To share his teaching experience with us． |
| D．To tell us his story of overcoming difficulties． |
If you’re like most students, you may find it challenging to learn a foreign language. However, there are a few tips you can use in order to earn a top grade —— as well as actually use the skills you’ve learned.
One of the most important and basic lessons in dealing with a foreign language is to learn and understand each concept and lesson before moving on to the next one. If you don’t understand one concept but move on to the next chapter anyway, you’re less likely to understand the new material.
Learning a new language is not only an academic tool, but can help you in your everyday life as well. Being good at another language can help you communicate with other people, and help you when traveling to foreign countries, and even make your resume look better.
And it is important to learn correct pronunciation as soon as possible for poor pronunciation can be hard to break. Native speakers of the language as well as others fluent in the language you are learning will appreciate your efforts to learn correct pronunciation.
Gather outside materials such as books, study guides, books on tape, and travel books to aid you in learning the language. Your textbooks can’t possibly teach you everything you need to know, so seeking outside sources is generally a good rule of thumb to keep in mind.
A significant motivator in learning a foreign language is traveling to the country where the language is spoken. That way, you can see firsthand how the language is used, learn the culture, and meet native speakers of the language. Native speakers appreciate sincere attempts of others who take the time to learn their language.
Seek out native speakers of your new language in your school or neighborhood. They can help you with many skills, including pronunciation, and they can provide immediate feedback on your progress.This passage is written to .
| A．explain why learning a foreign language is challenging |
| B．tell us the importance of learning foreign languages |
| C．tell us some ways of earning a top grade |
| D．give us some tips on learning foreign languages |
Which of the following can best summarize the main idea of Paragraph 3?
| A．Think beyond academics. |
| B．Learn each concept. |
| C．Plan a trip to use your skills. |
| D．Consider a language as a tool. |
We can learn from the passage that .
| A．textbooks are not good for us when learning a foreign language |
| B．learning pronunciation well from the very beginning is very important |
| C．poor pronunciation can be easy to break with the help of native speakers |
| D．seeking too many outside sources will be more harmful than beneficial |
What is suggested doing in the last paragraph?
| A．Going on a trip abroad. |
| B．Practicing with native speakers. |
| C．Asking for feedback from our teachers. |
| D．Finding a motivator in learning language. |
In which part of a website would this text probably appear?
| A．Entertainment. | B．History. | C．Education. | D．Nature. |
When building houses, people used to think about not only the climate of the areas but also the building materials and the fashions for their houses. However, since electricity became more and more expensive, people began to pay much more attention to the energy they could get for their houses and the new ways they could find to protect their houses from both cold and heat.
Now, houses of an old yet new type have been widely built. In some parts of the world, people share their houses with their livestock. During cold weather, they gather their cows, goats, or other animals and keep them on the first floor of their houses. The reasons are that the animals can be protected from the cold and that they can help to heat the houses as well. The body heat given off by the animals rises to the second floor of the houses, where people live. By sharing their houses with their livestock, people gain a source of heat.
People who live in or near cities do not usually keep livestock. However, home builders use the fact that heat rises. This natural law can be used in building houses in these areas. Instead of keeping livestock on the first floor, builders fill it with large rocks. As they are open to the sun’s rays during cold weather, these rocks take in heat. They also give off the heat, and, of course, the warm air rises into the living areas of the houses. So these houses are energy-saving.
House building becomes a great challenge to building designers and energy engineers. They try to meet this challenge by learning from old traditions and by using modern technology. And someday in the future, people will be able to live in more energy-saving houses.What did people begin to consider as electricity was no longer cheap?
| A．The climate of their areas |
| B．The building materials for their houses |
| C．The fashions for their houses |
| D．The energy for their houses |
People in some areas gain a source of heat by _________.
| A．keeping their livestock downstairs |
| B．protecting their livestock from the cold |
| C．sharing their houses only with their cows |
| D．living on the second floor with their livestock |
The underlined words “natural law” in the third paragraph refer to the fact that ________.
| A．heat raises the temperature in the houses |
| B．heat goes in the upward direction |
| C．heat goes up if temperature is raised |
| D．heat increases the temperature of rocks |
From the passage, we can conclude that _______ .
| A．people will no longer consider building materials in the future |
| B．almost all people will move into the houses heated by large rocks |
| C．energy-saving buildings will become more popular in the future |
| D．energy engineers will devote themselves only to modern technology |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Energy-saving house building |
| B．House building is a great challenge |
| C．How to live in energy-saving houses |
| D．Energy-saving houses’ bright future |