第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题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。
It was a warm April day when a big fat envelope came in the mail from the only college I had ever imagined attending. I tore open the packet. My eyes were fixed on the word “congratulations”. I don’t remember ever smiling so wide.
Then I looked at my financial package.
The cost of Dream School’s tuition, room and board was around $40,000— an impossible sum! How could I afford to attend? What good reasons did I have to go there when three other fine colleges were offering me free tuition? My other choices were good, solid schools even if they weren’t as famous as my first choice.
In my mind, attending my dream university would be the only way to realize my dream of becoming a world-class writer. My parents understood how I felt. They told me that even though it would be a financial problem, I could go wherever I would be happiest. But as I was always careful with money, I wasn’t sure what to do.
One of the schools that offered me a full ride had an informational dinner one night in the spring. Considering my parents’ financial difficulties, I decided to drive the 45 minutes and attend. At first, all I had planned to do was smile politely, eat free food ,listen quietly. But I surprised myself.
At dinner the president of the university talked about the wonderful activities on campus（including guest lectures and social gatherings）. He also made it perfectly clear that free food would be offered at all future events. He continued with explanations of professors, class sizes, activities, and sporting events on campus. As he spoke, I began to realize that this school, though not as good as my first choice, might be the best one for me. It seemed small yet with many great programs. It seemed challenging yet caring.
As the president ended his speech, we clapped politely and pushed back our chairs. As I walked out that door, a feeling of comfort washed over me. Looking at the campus that night, I realized that I would be spending the next four years right there.
In all honesty, my university is not as well-known as my “dream” university. However, it turned out to be the right choice of schools for me.
56. How did the author feel when he started to read the letter?
A. He was full of joy. B. He was lost in his dream.
C. He was worried about the money. D. He was uncertain which school to go to.
57. We can learn from the passage that the parents were _______.
A. honest B. strict C. supportive D. decisive
58. In Paragraph 5, “offered me a full ride” can be replaced by “_______”.
A. would pay for transport to the school
B. would show me around the campus
C. would offer free meals at all events
D. would charge me nothing for tuition
59. What does the author mainly want to say?
A. Your second-choice college may actually be your best fit.
B. You should consider comfort in your choice of schools.
C. You should try your best to attend your dream school.
D. Your choice of schools should be based on their fame.
Michael Jackson fans are coming a Chicago museum to see a 3,000 year old Egyptian statue which looks remarkably like the late king of pop. Staff have been rushed off their feet since Jackson's death as thousands of mourners visit the exhibition to pay tribute to the star.
The statue has skinny cheeks and - most strikingly - a tipless nose. It is on display at the Ancient Egypt exhibition at The Field Museum in the United States. The bust(半身像) was bought in Cairo in 1889 and has been on display at the museum for 21 years.
But its popularity has risen rapidly since Michael Jackson's death after fans started writing about the ancient statue on internet blogs. The bust was carved during the New Kingdom Period, which ran between 1550 BC to 1050 BC. This was around the same time as famous Egyptians Ramesses and King Tut.
The museum's 4,500 daily visitors are banned from touching or kissing the statue, which is protected behind a glass screen. Astonished fans stand admiring the statue and discussing its likeness with others who have travelled to see it.
Darnell Williams, the director of guest relations, said some fans were treating a visit to the museum like a pilgrimage(朝圣). He said: "The statue has been here for years but interest has been raised since Michael Jackson's death. People are coming from all over the country to see the statue and compare its likeness to the king of pop.
"They want to touch and kiss the model like it is some sort of God but it is behind a screen to protect it from damage. Once people see it they are astounded and can't stop talking about its likeness. It really is remarkable."
James Phillips, manager of near east and north African exhibits, said little was known about the origins of the model.
He said: "The likeness is astonishing but I think it is probably a coincidence. We do not believe Michael Jackson ever visited the museum or saw the exhibit and there is therefore little chance he based his image on it. We believe the model is missing a nose because early Christians or Muslims removed noses from paintings and models to make them non-human.Many people are streaming to see the Egyptian statue to _______.
| A．satisfy their curiosity |
| B．show their respect to Jackson |
| C．enjoy the splendid Egyptian culture |
| D．learn about the history of Egyptian |
The underlined words “rushed off their feet” in the first paragraph mean”______”.
| A．extremely busy | B．rather tired |
| C．very annoyed | D．quite surprised |
The statue is rapidly getting popular mainly because of ________.
| A．Jackson’s death | B．its archaeological value |
| C．the Internet | D．its long history |
It can be inferred that the exhibits at the Ancient Egypt exhibition are classified by _________.
| A．age | B．area | C．kind | D．value |
It is true that good writers rewrite and rewrite and then rewrite some more. But in order to work up the desire to rewrite, it is important to learn to like what you write at the early stage.
I am surprised at the number of famous writers I know who say that they so dislike reading their own writing later that they even hate to look over the publishers’ opinions. One reason we may dislike reading our own work is that we’re often disappointed that the rich ideas in our minds seem very thin and plain when first written down. Jerry Fodor and Steven Pinker suggest that this fact may be a result of how our minds work.
Different from popular belief, we do not usually think in the works and sentences of ordinary language but in symbols for ideas (known as ‘mentalese’ ), and writing our ideas down is an act of translation from that symbolic language. But while mentalese contains our thoughts in the form of a complex tapestry (织锦)，writing can only be composed one thread at a time. Therefore it should not be surprising that our first attempt at expressing ideas should look so simple. It is only by repeatedly rewriting that we produce new threads and connect them to get closer to the ideas formed in our minds.
When people write as if some strict critics (批评家) are looking over their shoulder, they are so worried about what this critic might say that they get stuck before they even start. Peter Elbow makes an excellent suggestion to deal with this problem. When writing we should have two different minds. At the first stage, we should see every idea, as well as the words we use to express it, as wonderful and worth putting down. It is only during rewrites that we should examine what we excitedly wrote in the first stage and check for weaknesses.What do we learn from the text about those famous writers?
| A．They often regret writing poor works. |
| B．Some of them write surprisingly much. |
| C．Many of them hate reading their own works. |
| D．They are happy to review the publishers’ opinions. |
What do people generally believe about the way human minds work?
| A．People think in words and sentences. |
| B．Human ideas are translated into symbols. |
| C．People think by connecting threads of ideas. |
| D．Human thoughts are expressed through pictures. |
What can we conclude from the text?
| A．Most people believe we think in symbols. |
| B．Loving our own writing is scientifically reasonable. |
| C．The writers and critics can never reach an agreement. |
| D．Thinking and writing are different stages of mind at work. |
A volcanic eruption in Iceland has sent ash across northern Europe Airlines have stopped or changed the flights across the Atlantic Ocean, leaving hundreds of passengers stuck in airports.
Grimsvom is one of the largest and most active volcanoes in Europe. What makes Grimsvom different is that it lies under a huge glacier(冰川) of ice up to 12 maters thick. The hot volcano heats up the ice above it, which then forms a layer(层)of water between the glacier and the volcano This layer of water puts pressure on the volcano, keeping it stable, As the water flows out from under the glacier, the pressure lifts. The lava(岩浆) from the volcano then comes up to the surface. This is exactly what happened today.
Now, airlines have to make changes to their flights so as not to fly through the clouds of volcanic ash. according to KLM, one of Europe’s biggest airlines, airplanes cannot go under the cloud or over it. Going through the cloud can result in ash getting stuck in the airplane’s engines, causing damage to the plane.
The eruption has also caused problems for animals in Iceland. The volcano left ash and sharp. Glass-like rocks all over the countryside. Farmers are keeping their animals inside to stop them from eating ash—covered grass to the sharp object.What makes Grimsvom different from other volcanoes?
| A．It is below ice. |
| B．It lies under the sea |
| C．It is the largest volcano |
| D．It is lava affects the airlines |
What keeps Grimsvom still?
| A．The slow flow of water. |
| B．The low water temperature. |
| C．The thick glacier. |
| D．The water pressure. |
Which of the following is the result of the volcanic eruption?
| A．People stop traveling in Europe. |
| B．Airlines suffer from the loss of planes. |
| C．It becomes dangerous for animals to eat outside. |
| D．Farmers have lost many of their animals. |
This text is most probably taken from________.
| A．a research paper |
| B．a newspaper report |
| C．a class presentation |
| D．a geography textbook |
Girls can easily get sad. If your friend is feeling blue and calls you, what will you do? Here are some tips on how you can make her smile again.
Listen to her. When people feel sad, they often have the feeling of needing to be heard. So, listen carefully to what she is saying and do nothing else. Your friend will surely thank you for being the shoulder she can cry on.
Once you are done with listening, you can offer some advice or remain silent and let her feel everything and let it all out by crying. As a friend, you might think you should give her some advice. But if you have no idea about what to say, just remain silent and be there for her.
In order to be able to help your friend in need, don’t be sad for yourself. How can you help your friend when you are also feeling down?
A hug can make a difference in the word. It makes you feel warm and special. A hug makes you feel safe. So give your friend a hug when she needs it the most.
Spend more time with your friend who wants to be happy. Do things together like washing dishes, cleaning, or going out for fun. The more time you spend together, the stronger your friendship will become.
Sometimes, it is much better that you avoid a crying friend in your life. But by doing so, you are also keeping your friend at a distance and will make her wonder if you are her true friend. If you are there when she needs you, your friendship will be much stronger.The writer wrote this passage mainly to tell us_______.
| A．why girls can easily get sad. |
| B．what to do when we are sad. |
| C．how to make new friends with girls. |
| D．how to make a sad female friend happy again. |
According to Paragraph 2, when a female friend is sad, what should we do?
| A．We should ask her why she feels sad. |
| B．We should say something nice to her. |
| C．We should spend time listening to her. |
| D．We should give her some good advice. |
We can learn from the passage that______.
E.Hugging a sad friend can make you feel warm and special.
F.Your sad friend may feel much better if you also sad.
G.It’s not a good idea to be silent facing a sad friend.
H.Giving a hug to a sad friend is very helpful.In paragraph 6, the writer mainly suggests that we_____.
I.spend more time with your friend.
J.help our friends with their housework
K.spend time with our friends everyday
L.ask our friends to take part in activities
The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889, in memory of the 100th birthday of the French Revolution. The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII of England, opened the tower. Of the 700 suggestions that were handed in, Gustave Eiffel’s was chosen.
However, at first, it was not well accepted by all and a group of people — including many well-known writers and painters at that time — were fiercely against its design.
Being about 300 meters in height, and 7,000 tons in weight, it was the world’s tallest building until 1930. It was a great project for France. 300 workers took two years to build it. It isn’t an ordinary building, since it is almost made of steel. For example, its body moves around at most 12 cm in heavy wind. Moreover, its height changes up to 15 cm according to the temperature.
It was almost destroyed in 1909, but was saved because of its antenna(天线), which is used for communication at that time. Beginning in 1910 it became part of the International Time Service. French radio and French television have also made good use of its height.
The Eiffel Tower has also seen a few strange things. In 1923, a journalist rode a bicycle down from the first level of it. And in 1954, a mountain climber climbed on top of it and tried to measure its exact height.
Anyway, although its birth was difficult, it is now well accepted all over the world. It has been considered as one of the symbols of Paris. The passage mainly tells us ________.
| A．the history of the Eiffel Tower |
| B．some information about its design |
| C．what the Eiffel Tower was used for |
| D．how it became one of the symbols of Paris |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to this passage?
| A．Many people couldn’t accept the Eiffel Tower at the beginning. |
| B．It was the world’s tallest building for hundreds of years. |
| C．A journalist rode down from the Eiffel Tower in 1954. |
| D．The Eiffel Tower was saved because of its height. |
The French Revolution took place in _______.
| A．1889 | B．1923 | C．1789 | D．1930 |