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，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Willa Cather 0nce said. “When people ask me whether writing has been a hard or easy road，I always answer with the famous saying: The end is nothing; the road is all. That is what I mean when I say writing has been a pleasure. I have never used the computer with the thought that one more task had to be done. "
Like most writers. Willa Cather did not write books for the money that they brought her，but rather for the Pleasure that came in their writing. Her works were，like her，simple and full of the vigor of her days in Nebraska，where she grew from child to young womanhood and where she developed a deep 1ove for the treeless land of the great plain with its wild flowers，wheat fields and rivers.
“It’s a rather strange thing about the flat country," she wrote later. "It takes hold of you, it leaves you perfectly cold. A great many people find it very dull; they like a church tower，an old factory. a waterfall，the country all made to look like a German Christmas card…But when I come to the open plain，something happens. I'm home. I breathe differently. ”
56 Willa Cather wrote because she found writing .
A. simple and lively B. opened up a road to success
C. neither too hard nor too easy D. interesting and enjoyable
57. What was the place like where Cather grew up?
A. It was cold，plain and without a church.
B. It was vast, open，flat and wild.
C. It was like a German Christmas card.
D. It was a colorful world of wild flowers.
58. When she said “It takes hold of you，it leaves you perfectly cold. ”，Willa Cather meant that
A. you either love the place or hate it
B.you decide either to stay or to leave
C. some find the place warm: others find it cold
D. some find the place peaceful; others find it wild
59. What happens when Cather comes to the open plain?
A. She breathes differently from others.
B. She wants to make the place her home.
C. She feels completely comfortable.
D. She finds the place similar to her home.
August was one of the nastiest months I can remember: torrential rain; a hailstorm or two; cold, bitter winds; and mists. But we are accustomed to such weather in England. Lord Byron used to say that an English summer begins on July 31 and ends on Aug. 1. He called 1816 "the year without a summer." He spent it gazing across Lake Geneva, watching the storms, with 18-year-old Mary Shelley. The lightening flickering across the lake inspired her Frankenstein, the tale of the man-made monster galvanized into life by electricity.
This summer's atrocious weather tempted me to tease a Green whom I know. "Well, what about your weather theory now?" (One of the characteristics of Greens is that they know no history.) He replied: "Yes, this weather is unprecedented. England has never had such an August before. It's global warming, of course." That's the Greens' stock response to anything weather-related. Too much sun? "Global warming." Too little sun? "Global warming." Drought? "Global warming." Floods? "Global warming." Freezing cold? "Global warming."
I wish the great philosopher Sir Karl Popper were alive to denounce the unscientific nature of global warming. He was a student when Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity was first published and then successfully tested. Einstein said that for his theory to be valid it would have to pass three tests. "If," Einstein wrote to British scientist Sir Arthur Eddington, "it were proved that this effect does not exist in nature, then the whole theory would have to be abandoned."
The idea that human beings have changed and are changing the basic climate system of the Earth through their industrial activities and burning of fossil fuels--the essence of the Greens' theory of global warming--has not much basis in science. Global warming, like Marxism, is a political theory of actions, demanding compliance with its rules.
Those who buy in to global warming wish to drastically curb human economic and industrial activities, regardless of the consequences for people, especially the poor. If the theory's conclusions are accepted and agreed upon, the destructive results will be felt most severely in those states that adhere to the rule of law and will observe restrictions most faithfully. The global warming activists' target is the U.S. If America is driven to accept crippling restraints on its economy it will rapidly become unable to shoulder its burdens as the world's sole superpower and ultimate defender of human freedoms. We shall all suffer, however, as progress falters and then ceases and living standards decline. The writer of the passage is probably _______.
| A．one of the “Greens” |
| B．an American |
| C．not quite a believer in Global Warming |
| D．an environmentalist |
Which person(s), in the writer’s eyes, is the one he agrees with?
| A．Karl Marx | B．Sir Karl Popper | C．The Greens | D．Mary Shelley |
Sir Arthur Eddington could be inferred as a ______.
| A．politician | B．poet | C．Greenpeacer | D．physicist |
“denounce” in the third paragraph can be replaced by ______.
| A．announce | B．pronounce |
| C．speak out for | D．speak out against |
Which of the following is probably a good title for this article?
| A．Why Einstein’s Theory Stands the Tests. |
| B．Which Country the “Greens” Are Attacking? |
| C．Global Warming? I See Little Point. |
| D．The Climate in England and beyond. |
Art theft is an ancient and complicated crime. When you look at some of the most famous cases of art thefts in history, you see thoroughly planned operations that involve art dealers, art fakers, mobsters, ransoms, and millions of dollars. Here you can read about some of the most famous cases of art theft in the history.
The First Theft:
The first documented case of art theft was in 1473, when two panels of altarpiece of the Last Judgment by the Dutch painter Hans Memling were stolen. While the triptych was being transported by ship from the Netherlands to Florence, the ship was attacked by pirates who took it to the Gdansk cathedral in Poland. Nowadays, the piece is shown at the National Museum in Gdansk where it was recently moved from the Basilica of the Assumption.
The Most Famous Theft:
The most famous story of art theft involves one of the most famous paintings in the world and one of the most famous artists in history as a suspect. In the night of August 21, 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen out of the Louver. Soon after, Pablo Picasso was arrested and questioned by the police, but was released quickly.
It took about two years until the mystery was solved by the Parisian police. It turned out that the 30×21 inch painting was taken by one of the museum employees by the name of Vincenzo Peruggia, who simply carried it hidden under his coat. Nevertheless, Peruggia did not work alone. The crime was carefully conducted by a notorious con man, Eduardo de Valfierno, who was sent by an art faker who intended to make copies and sell them as if they were the original painting.
While Yves Chaudron, the art faker, was busy creating copies for the famous masterpiece, Mona Lisa was still hidden at Peruggias’ apartment. After two years in which Peruggia did not hear from Chaudron, he tried to make the best out of his stolen good. Eventually, Peruggia was caught by the police while trying to sell the painting to an art dealer from Florence, Italy. The Mona Lisa was returned to the Louver in 1913.
The Biggest Theft in the USA:
The biggest art theft in United States took place at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. On the night of March 18, 1990, a group of thieves wearing police uniforms broke into the museum and took thirteen paintings whose collective value was estimated at around 300 million dollars. The thieves took two paintings and one print by Rembrandt, and works of Vermeer, Manet, Degas, Govaert Flinck, as well as a French and a Chinese artifact.
As of yet, none of the paintings have been found and the case is still unsolved. According to recent rumors, the FBI are investigating the possibility that the Boston Mob along with French art dealers are connected to the crime. How long did it take to put back the stolen Mona Lisa in Louver ?___
| A．Thirty six months | B．Thirty months |
| C．Half a year | D．Around two years |
What does the underlined sentence, “he tried to make the best out of his stolen good” mean?
| A．Chaudron wanted to sell the stolen painting. |
| B．Peruggia thought he didn’t need to work for Chaudon any more and wanted to market the painting. |
| C．Valfierno was tired of waiting. |
| D．Peruggia wanted to study the painting carefully. |
Which case among those mentioned in the passage is still a mystery?
| A．Mona Lisa case |
| B．Last Judgment case |
| C．Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum thirteen paintings case |
| D．none |
People from the country of _____ is not involved in the passage.
| A．China | B．France | C．Dutch | D．Vantican |
Which statement is WRONG according to this article?
| A．Picasso was ever considered a art theft suspect. |
| B．Art thieves normally not work alone. |
| C．The first documented case of art theft was conducted by pirates. |
| D．The mastermind of Mona Lisa was an art faker who wanted to sell copies. |
The passage is not finished, which subtitle could be the next?
| A．The Economic Value of Art Theft | B．The Loss to Art Lovers |
| C．The Most Sought After Painting | D．Boston Mob and French Art Dealers |
Most Americans would have a difficult time telling you, specifically, what the values are which Americans live by. They have never given the matter any thought.
Over the years I have introduced thousands of international visitors to life in the United States. This has caused me to try to look at Americans through the eyes of foreign visitors, I am confident that the values listed in this booklet describe most （but not all ）Americans, and that understanding these values can help you, the international visitor, understand Americans.
It is my belief that if foreign visitors really understand how deeply these 13 values are ingrained in Americans, they will then be able to understand 95% of American actions —actions which might otherwise appear “strange,”“ confusing,” or “unbelievable” when evaluated from the perspective （aspect） of the foreigner's own society and its values.
The different behaviors of a people or a culture make sense only when seen through the basic beliefs, assumptions and values of that particular group. When you encounter （meet） an action, or hear a statement in the United States which surprises you, try to see it as an expression of one or more of the values listed in this booklet. An ordinary American can't tell you his / her value system because______.
| A．this is something an American lives by |
| B．everyone will have his/her own system |
| C．he/she has never thought about it |
| D．values are something often in their thought |
The author lists 13 values in his booklet to_____.
| A．invite foreigners to visit America |
| B．look at Americans through the eyes of foreign visitors |
| C．describe the confusing actions of most Americans |
| D．help international visitors understand Americans |
The underlined word “ingrained” in Line 2, Paragraph 3 most probably means ______.
| A．rooted in the minds | B．found in the grains |
| C．planted for food | D．prepared with grain |
Visitors sometimes find Americans behave in a strange, confusing or unbelievable way, probably because___.
| A．Americans are hard to understand |
| B．Americans have values which are entirely different from their own |
| C．they view Americans according to the values in their own society |
| D．it is difficult to understand any people when you first encounter them |
There are numerous similarities between Muhammad Ali and his 23-year-old daughter Laila. She is the only one of his nine sons and daughters to have those genes that led to the ring (拳击场). Her father’s great status had nothing to do with Laila’s decision to pursue a boxing career. She has always been proud of his achievements, but he was never a great man to her ---- just dad.
What attracted her to take up boxing was the unusual sight of two women in the ring on the television screen when she was about to watch a Mike Tyson fight five years ago. She was very excited and said to herself, “I can do that.”
Laila’s father would prefer her not to take up the dangerous sport. Johnny McClain, her husband and manager (former boxer himself) feels the same way. Even though both the men in her life worry about her, they’re 100 percent supportive. “They don’t want me to get hurt,” she says.
Long before entering the ring, Laila was a fighter. Being the daughter of an outstanding boxer made her an easy target for high school kids to see how tough she was. They, not she, failed in the test. For the public, her biggest test took place last summer in the New York State when she took on Jacqui Frazier Lyde, the daughter of Joe Frazier, her father’s most famous opponent (对手) during the 1970s.
That fight provided the biggest shot in the arm that women’s boxing has received. News reporters poured in. Some called it “Ali/Frazier – Generation II”. No match involving women had ever attracted so much attention. Laila had a narrow victory in the fight.
Like it or not, she accepts the fact that she is the face of female boxing. And she hopes that her name and fame will help get the public to take it more seriously.
The name Ali has and always will bring her attention. But she is determined to make her own mark on opponents’ faces as well as in boxing history books. She says, “I want women’s boxing to get its due respect.”Laila took up boxing because of _____.
| A．her father’s great status | B．a Mike Tyson fight |
| C．her admiration for her father | D．her interest in boxing |
From the passage we can know _____.
| A．Laila’s husband is still a boxer now |
| B．Laila wants to make contributions to the sport of boxing |
| C．Laila’s husband doesn’t think boxing is a dangerous sport |
| D．when Laila was in high school, she often failed in the fight with other kids |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 5 mean?
| A．That fight proved that Laila was a person of physical power. |
| B．That fight made female boxing more popular. |
| C．That fight provided people with a good change to enjoy themselves. |
| D．Laila made her first public appearance in that fight. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A female boxer ---- Laila Ali | B．The best-known fight |
| C．Ali/Frazie ---- Generation II | D．Muhammad Ali and his daughter |
Q: My daughter is a junior in high school and has been on an individualized education program since fourth grade. She plans to go to college and intends to finish with a master’s degree. Her performance in general is fairly good, but test scores are very low. She has held many leadership and volunteer positions. We have been advised to have her write an essay about how her learning disability is a barrier that she has to get over. Will that help or hurt her chances for admission?
---- Deborah
A: First let me answer the question on low standardized test scores (ACT/SAT). There are hundreds of colleges that are “test optional” which means students can choose not to release their test scores in the application process. Admission decisions at these colleges for students who do not submit their test scores are made based on other factors. A list of test optional colleges can be found at fairtest.org. It is important, however, to make sure that the college is the right fit academically regardless of the test optional policy.
You also asked if your daughter should write about her disability and if this would hurt her chances of being admitted. Please know that colleges do not deny admission based on disability. “Disclosing” a learning disability in a personal statement within the college application can certainly help. By writing a personal statement, students can potentially demonstrate, for example, their understanding of the challenge they face. They might also prove an improved grade trend in that subject area, and show interest in more complex courses in spite of this disability. More importantly, a student disclosure can show self-confidence, motivation and an understanding of the disability.
---- Ms. KravisWhat do we know about Deborah’s daughter?
| A．She is applying for a master’s degree. |
| B．She is very active in her high school. |
| C．Her disability prevents her studying well. |
| D．She has difficulty getting over her learning disability. |
The underlined word “demonstrate” in the last paragraph probably means “_____”.
| A．show | B．develop | C．gain | D．change |
What is Ms. Kravis’ attitude towards one’s declaring his/her learning disability?
| A．Supportive. | B．Critical. | C．Doubtful. | D．Unconcerned. |
According to the passage, Mr. Kravis is probably _____.
| A．an editor | B．a school leader |
| C．a psychological doctor | D．an educational expert |