第二节：（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中选出最佳选项。
Writer and power chair adventurer Mary Laver has not walked for twenty years. Yet the cheerful and positive 60 year old is not only refusing to let her disability get her down ---- she is also planning to cross the length of Britain in a power wheelchair.
Getting ready for the trip is not easy. She has already run into many problems - not least officials and organizations who view her as a health and safety risk. One police officer wrote to Mary requesting:
1. The proposed route through our area with road numbers.
2. The dates and times each day that this will be taking place.
3. The location details of the proposed overnight stops.
4. The names and mobile phone contact details of the Support Crew.
Another police officer asked her to travel off road! As Mary told me, this was unacceptable - as a power wheelchair user with limited movement she needs to be "gettable".
There are other problems in her way though - she is, after all, in her 60's and has severe rheumatoid arthritis(风湿性关节炎). However, unlike many other people with arthritis, she is no longer in pain.
"When you are in a power chair and it is going at eight miles an hour, believe me it feels fast … to
me it is the Formula One(一级方程式赛车) chair of electric wheelchairs."
At the end of the interview, I asked Mary if she had a message for any other power chair users who wanted to do a challenge, and her reply was simple："Just do it!"
41.What is Mary Laver planning to do？
A. Travel to write a power wheelchair adventure.
B. Travel across Britain in a power wheelchair.
C. Prove she can do what a man can in driving.
D. Try a fast Formula One power chair sport.
42.Why did a police officer write to Mary requesting the four points?
A. He tried to stop her . B. Mary’s adventure is valueless.
C. The power chair is too fast. D. He wanted to ensure her safety.
43.The underlined word “She needs to be gettable” in the passage probably means “_______”
A. She’ll have a try whatever difficulties she may have.
B. A road for a power wheelchair user is a must for her.
C. Mary has to jump off her wheelchair once on the road.
D. With rheumatoid arthritis, she need some field help.
44. When Mary said “Just do it !” at the end of the interview, she meant “_______”
A. Be brave though disabled. B. Fear no challenges at all.
C. Take action right away. D. Make it whoever you are.
We need a logo that will be the perfect symbol of our new Wheelsville Skate Park. We would like those of you who are counting the days until the opening of the park to design a proper logo.
LOGO REQUIREMENTS
▪Designs must be original and easy to recognize.
▪They should include no more than two colors in addition to black and white.
▪Artwork should be reproducible at different sizes from business cards to posters.
▪The words “ Wheelsville Skate Park” must appear in the logo.
SUBMISSION (提交) DETAILS
▪Competitors are required to be 18 years old or younger.
▪There is no limit to the number of submissions.
▪The name and address of the designer must appear on the back of the logo design.
▪Competitors need to include a one-page written explanation describing the key features of the design.
▪All submissions sent to Wheelsville Skate Park will not be returned.
▪All works must be sent to skateman4x@comlink.com no later than May 15.
▪Files (文件) should be .jpg, .gif, .png, .pict, or Photoshop files.
▪The winning design will be posted on our website at www.wheelsville.skatepark.com on May 20, one week before the opening celebration.
PRIZES
▪First Prize: Digital camera, one-year pass to Wheelsville Skate Park, and two T-shirts with the prize-winning logo.
▪Second Prize: Six-month pass to Wheelsville Skate Park and a T-shirt with the prize-winning logo.
▪Honorable Mention: One free ticket to Wheelsville Skate Park and a T-shirt with the prize-winning logo to two competitors from grades 6–8, and two from grades 9–12.
JUDGES
▪Among the judges are a professional designer, two technology teachers, four local skaters, and three members of Wheelsville Skate Park Board of Directors.
▪The judges’ decisions are final. In Paragraph 1, the underlined part “ counting the days” suggests a feeling of ________.
| A．nervousness | B．amusement |
| C．excitement | D．uncertainty |
Why does the following logo design show a misunderstanding of the rules?
| A．It does not use the full park name. |
| B．It is not as big as it is expected. |
| C．It does not use three colors. |
| D．It just shows a skateboard. |
As the top winner of the activity, you may ________.
| A．win a camera and a free ticket to the park |
| B．get a T-shirt with your own photo on it |
| C．visit the park free of charge for one year |
| D．receive a half-a-year pass to the park |
The text is probably a(n) ________.
| A．news report | B．advertisement |
| C．lesson plan | D．travel guide |
Harry potter and The Hunger Games haven’t been big hits for nothing. Lots of teens still read quite a lot. But a study shows a clear decrease over time. Nearly half of 17-year-olds say they read for pleasure no more than one or two times a year. That’s way down from ten years ago.
The digital revolution (革命) means there are more platforms (平台) than ever to read on. Jim Steyer has been studying the effect of technology on children. He has four kids and has seen the trend most with his 16-year-old. “I start to see it in our 10-year-old as well, because he is reading less and less, and more and more attracted to some of the digital media platforms that he has access to, and that he didn’t have access to when he was 6 or 7 years old,” he says.
The studies don’t say that kids are reading less because they’re spending more time online. But Steyer is convinced that’s at least part of the answer.
“First of all, most children now have access to e-readers, or other smart electronic devices like phones and tablets (平板电脑),” he says. “ And they’re spending time on that. Many reports show the increasing use of new technology platforms by kids. It just strikes me as extremely logical that that’s a big reason.
Researchers want to know more about how teens are spending their time in the digital age. But Kathryn Zickuhr of the Pew Research Center says it’s tricky. If a kid is looking at a book, you may think he or she is reading. But when it comes to looking at a smartphone or tablet, who knows?
“We’ve heard from middle and high school teachers that sometimes the Internet is wonderful for enthusiastic students to do deep research,” says Zickuhr. “But on the other side, obviously there are many distractions on the Internet.”
However, Jim Steyer says, “Kids with parents who read, who buy or take books out of the library for their kids, and who then set time aside in their kids’ daily schedule for reading, tend to read the most — whether it’s on a book, an e-book or some other devices.”What did Jim Steyer see in his four kids?
| A．They tend to read more on electronic devices. |
| B．They created their own digital media platform. |
| C．They improved their reading on electronic devices. |
| D．They have become more addicted to digital media. |
What statement may Kathryn Zickuhr agree to?
| A．Kids are easily distracted on the Internet. |
| B．Most kids pretend to be doing online reading. |
| C．Most kids like to read on a smartphone or tablet. |
| D．Kids rarely use the Internet to do serious research. |
The last paragraph suggests that ________.
| A．parents need to spare time to read for kids |
| B．parents should make a reading plan for kids |
| C．parents can do a lot to encourage more reading |
| D．parents working in a library tend to read the most |
What is the main idea of the text?
| A．What books do teens like to read the most? |
| B．Why aren’t teens reading like they used to? |
| C．How can teens read on electronic platforms? |
| D．When will teens turn to books for fun again? |
I am usually in a bad mood after a long day at work, but on this particular Friday afternoon I was in a high mood. I planned to have a good meal and watch Bridget Jones’s Diary.
My local supermarket is always busy. The first parking space I spotted was convenient, but I’d noticed a woman in an old car circling for a while. I let her have it. On the edge of the car park I backed into the next available spot — it was a tight fit.
In record time I’d made my way through the supermarket and was back in the fresh air. In a rush of good spirits, I emptied my purse change into the hands of a homeless man and helped a struggling woman reverse (倒车) into a parking space.
Just as I spotted my car, I saw the woman I’d let have my car spot earlier. I smiled and wished her a pleasant day.
As I got back into my car, I spotted the same lady looking in at me. “ Hello,” she said, hesitantly (犹豫地). “ This might sound crazy but I was on my way to drop some of my mother’s things off at the charity bins.” I looked quickly at the orange bins in the corner of the parking lot, confused. “ I saw you helping those people, and you seemed so happy. My mom had a dress just like that.”
She looked at me meaningfully. I smiled at her in encouragement, hoping she wouldn’t notice that the dress she was admiring was now full of holes. “ I was going to give these away, but you are just so much like her.” She passed a box in through the window. Shocked, unthinking, I took it automatically (无意识地). “ I think she would like you to have it.” She smiled and walked away.
After a pause, I opened the box. Inside was a beautiful gold necklace. It was the nicest gift I’d ever received, and it was from a complete stranger.
Later, I thought back on the day. I didn’t feel the usual sense of exhaustion. The necklace was around my neck, a warm reminder of human kindness.
This Friday afternoon, the author ________.
| A．watched a new movie |
| B．had trouble parking her car |
| C．was in the mood to help others |
| D．spent a long time in the supermarket |
Which of the following is TRUE about the author?
| A．She was not very wealthy actually. |
| B．She considered her dress beautiful. |
| C．She had met the lady’s mum. |
| D．She was living on charity. |
What does the author mainly intend to tell us?
| A．Success leads to happiness. |
| B．Good is rewarded with good. |
| C．Two heads are better than one. |
| D．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
The film stars out as a normal day at a typical American high school. Friends chat in the dining room and boys play football. But there's big surprise when the movie ends with two students going crazy in the school-shooting and killing people.
This is Elephant. It stars real school kids. American director Gus Van Sant had no ready-made lines. The student actors made up their own dialogue, with Van Sant asking them to base their characters on their own lives.
Although it may not sound very high quality, the film won the Palme d'Or (金棕奖) for Best Film and the award for Best Director at the Cannes film festival.
The film is based on the shootings at a high school in the US, where two boys killed 13 people and then themselves in 1999.
The title of the movie refers to the old expression about a problem that's as hard to ignore as an elephant in the house.
The film takes a close look at a few hours in the lives of the victims and the killers. It shows how high school is a different experience for everyone---fun and friendly, or hard and lonely.
In many ways, the two boys, who carry out the shooting, act like ordinary kids. They joke around with one boy's mother as she serves them cakes and play the piano.
But there're hints of the anger they feel inside. One of the boys is bullied (欺负) at school. The other plays violent video games. But Van Sant isn't blaming their killings on either bullying or violent games. In fact, the film doesn't offer any reason for why school violence happens.
"I didn't want to explain anything. It's up to the audience to draw its own conclusions," said the 51-year-old director.The lines of the film were ________.
| A．given by the director |
| B．created by student actors |
| C．thought out by the director during the acting |
| D．carefully designed by professional people |
The film doesn't tell why school shootings happen________.
| A．so as to leave room for the audience to think and judge |
| B．because life itself is the problem maker |
| C．because the mental problems of students are hard to explain |
| D．but there are some hints of the reasons |
The film is named Elephant because ________.
| A．an elephant is always gentle and never causes trouble |
| B．an elephant is a symbol of big problems in American schools |
| C．elephant is used to suggest that the school crime is a big problem |
| D．the two boys liked elephants when alive |
What’s the passage mainly about？
| A．It shows American school life. |
| B．It introduces the film Elephant. |
| C．It tells people to be careful while in peace. |
| D．It reports a school killing in a US school. |
The Celerifere, an early version of the bicycle, was built around 1791 by a French man, Comte Mede de Sivrac. It was basically a scooter with a high seat. There were no pedals---you had to push with your feet like you do with a skateboard or a scooter.
Around 1816 Baron Karl Drais de Sauerbrun in Germany added a moveable steering（操纵）handle. These early machines were often known as dandy horses or hobby horses, but weren’t very popular.
The improvement that made them popular was added by a Scottish blacksmith around 1839. Kirkpatrick Macmillan added pedals to enable it to get up hills. It was this improvement that made the bicycle a serious form of transportation.
Bike were called velocipedes（脚踏两轮车）or bone-shakers, because of the lack of the proper tires made for a rough ride! It wasn’t until around 1869 that they began to be called bicycles (“two-wheels”). Carriage makers in Paris (either Pierre and Ernest Michaux, or their employee Pierre Lallement) switched the pedal to the front wheel. That’s why it is usually either Lallement or the Michauxs, not Macmillan, who are considered as the inventor of the bicycle.
In 1869 the penny-farthing or high-wheeler was invented. With the large wheel the rider could go much farther with each push of the pedal, but caused many accidents because the seat was so far off the ground.
In the mid-1880s Englishman James Starley manufactured what he called the “safety bicycle” , which had two similarly-sized wheels and a major improvement--- a chain（链条）and sprocket（链轮齿） driven rear wheel, with the pedals between the two wheels like modern bicycles.
One more historical note---it’s possible that the idea of the bicycle was thought of almost 400 years before it was actually invented. There is a drawing of a bicycle-like machine in one of Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks, which dates back to about 1493.Who is recognized as the inventor of the bicycle?
| A．The Michauxs. |
| B．Macmillan. |
| C．Comte Mede de Sivac. |
| D．Baron Karl von Drais de Sauerbrun. |
Why was the bicycle not popular in the early 1800’s?
| A．It was too expensive. |
| B．The seat was too high. |
| C．There were no pedals. |
| D．It had no tires. |
Which of the following statements can NOT be inferred from the passage?
| A．The “safety bicycle” was much like the modern bicycle. |
| B．Leonardo da Vinci once drew a machine similar to the bicycle. |
| C．The penny-farthing did not last long because it was a bit too dangerous. |
| D．Comte Mede De Sivrac’s invention had both a steering handle and pedals. |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．The Inventor of the Bicycle |
| B．Modern Bicycles |
| C．The History of the Bicycle |
| D．Leonardo da Vinci and the Bicycle |