第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，共40分）
Once a rich woman asked Martin Brown, a famous singer, to her house. She wanted him to sing for her friends, but she didn't ask him to have dinner with them. She told him to eat downstairs with the servants.
The singer was surprised. But he said nothing and went downstairs. After the meal he stood up and said to the servants, "Now, my good friends, I shall sing for you."
Of course, the servants were pleased. He sang them several songs. When they asked for more, he sang more. At 9 o'clock the rich woman asked the singer to come up to the sitting room. When he came in, he saw all the friends sitting and looking at him.
"We are ready now, Mr. Brown," said the woman. "You may begin."
"Ready for what?" asked the singer.
"For your songs, of course, "she answered. "But I have sung already!" said Mr. Brown, "and I can't sing twice in one evening."
"You have sung already!" said the rich woman in surprise. "But when? And where did you sing?" "Just now, downstairs." "Really?" she cried.
"Yes, madam," said the singer. "I usually sing for the people after I have dinner with them, you know."
And with a polite "Good night", he left the rich woman's house.
56. Martin Brown was
A. a rich woman B. a famous singer
C. a servant D. the rich woman's friend
57. The rich woman asked Martin Brown to her house .
A. to meet her friends B. to have dinner with her
C. to sing for her friends D. to do some cooking
58. What did the singer do after the meal?
A. He cleaned the house.
B. He went upstairs to see his friends.
C. He went home by bus.
D. He sang for the servants.
59. How did the rich woman feel when she knew that the singer had sung for her servants?
A. She was happy. B. She was angry.
C. She was surprised. D. She was sorry.
60. From this story we know .
A. the rich woman and the singer are very good friends
B. the singer didn't sing for the rich woman's friends
C. the servants didn't like Martin Brown's songs
D. the woman's friends were very pleased to hear the songs
My grandfather lived only half a mile away from where I grew up in New York. Every day, he would walk down to our house and bring my dad newspapers. Along with the papers he would bring a small bag of treats (美食) for my two brothers and me.
Western New York had terrible winter weather: rain, sleet (雨夹雪), or even 3 feet of snow. Even when he was 81, he still walked the half mile every single day. As a child, I looked forward to the daily treats, but now I’m older and I realize he braved the rough weather each day just to see us smile; I now value that more than anything else.
My grandfather touched many lives. A woman who had been in hospital for five years told me her story. She said my grandfather would visit her twice a week at her home: to read to her, play bridge, or just chat. It lasted for years without stop. She had few visitors. Even a hitch-hiker who had traveled by getting free rides from passing cars told me of my grandfather’s influence on his life. My grandfather had picked him up for free and took the traveler to his home. After learning that the man was homeless, my grandfather gave him a place to stay. The man told me that no one had ever been so nice to him. He later found a job in a supermarket.
I was touched, but not surprised to know all of the touching stories from which I understood my grandfather’s selflessness. I have since tried to learn from him to help others. Although he died years ago, we still respect him.The writer’s grandfather walked to his grandson’s home each day in order to ________.
| A．bring his son newspapers |
| B．give his grandchildren some food |
| C．take exercise by walking |
| D．see his son and grandchildren |
All of the following can describe the writer’s grandfather EXCEPT ________.
| A．kind | B．selfless | C．strict | D．helpful |
The underlined word “hitch-hiker” in Paragraph 3 refers to ________.
| A．喜欢乘车旅行的人 | B．免费搭便车旅行的人 |
| C．被父母遗弃的人 | D．独自旅行并迷路的人 |
From the text we can infer that ________.
| A．the writer didn’t know his grandfather’s selflessness until years later |
| B．the writer’s grandfather went to his house except on snowy days |
| C．the writer’s grandfather ever looked after a woman in hospital for five years |
| D．the writer’s grandfather ever helped a stranger find a job in a supermarket |
After learning about his grandfather’s stories, the writer ________.
| A．felt a little surprised at first |
| B．followed the example of his grandfather |
| C．was much sad all the time |
| D．didn’t like his grandfather’s action |
Tayka Hotel de Sal
Where：Tahua，Bolivia
How much：About $95 a night
Why it’s cool：You’ve stayed at hotels made of brick or wood，but salt？That’s something few can claim．Tayka Hotel de Sal is made totally of salt—including the beds （though you’ll sleep on regular mattresses（床垫） and blankets）．The hotel sits on the Salar de Uyuni，a prehistoric driedup lake which is the world’s biggest salt flat．Builders use the salt from the 4,633squaremile flat to make the bricks，and glue them together with a paste （糊） of wet salt that hardens when it dries．When rain starts to dissolve the hotel，the owners just mix up more salt paste to strengthen the bricks．
Green Magic Nature Resort
Where：Vythiri，India
How much：About $240 a night
Why it’s cool：Taking a pulley（滑轮）operated lift 86 feet to your treetop room is just the start of your adventure．As you look out of your open window—there is no glass！—you watch monkeys and birds in the rain forest canopy（罩篷）．Later you might test your fear of heights by crossing the handmade rope bridge to the main part of the hotel，or just sit on your bamboo bed and read．You don’t even have to come down for breakfast—the hotel will send it up on the pulleydrawn “elevator”．
Dog Bark Park Inn B&B
Where：Cottonwood，Idaho
How much：$92 a night
Why it’s cool：This doghouse isn’t just for the family pet．Sweet_Willy is a 30foottall dog with guest rooms in his belly．Climb the wooden stairs beside his hind leg to enter the door in his side．You can relax in the main bedroom，go up a few steps of the loft（阁楼） in Willy’s head，or hang out inside his nose．Although you have a full private bathroom in your quarters，there is also a toilet in the 12foottall fire hydrant（消防栓） outside．
Gamirasu Cave Hotel
Where：Ayvali，Turkey
How much：Between $130 and $475 a night
Why it’s cool：This is caveman cool！Experience what it was like 5,000 years ago，when people lived in these mountain caves formed by volcanic ash．But your stay will be much more modern．Bathrooms and electricity provide what you expect from a modern hotel，and the white volcanic ash，called tufa，keeps the rooms cool，about 65in summer．（Don’t worry—there is heat in winter．）What do we know about Tayka Hotel de Sal?
| A．It is located on a prehistoric lake． |
| B．It should be protected against the rain． |
| C．Everything in the hotel is made of salt． |
| D．You have to cross a rope bridge to the hotel． |
What is the similarity of the four hotels?
| A．Being expensive． | B．Being comfortable． |
| C．Being natural． | D．Being unique． |
What does the underlined words “Sweet Willy” refer to?
A．The name of the hotel．
B．The name of the hotel owner．
C．The building of Dog Bark Park Inn B&B．
D．The name of a pet dog of the hotel owner．Which of the hotels makes you have a feeling of living in the far past?
A．Tayka Hotel de Sal．
B．Green Magic Nature Resort．
C．Dog Bark Park Inn B&B．
D．Gamirasu Cave Hotel．
On a freezing cold day, a couple had to move into a small apartment because of their failure in business．The husband worked day and night to support the family but with no care of his wife．So she thought, “He doesn't love me any more, he just cares about his business ．．．not me”．
One day, she was about to take a shower when he stopped her at the door, “Let me take it first, okay？”“Why not me first？” she asked．“I am tired, honey, you take it later, okay？”She was entirely unhappy．
One day, she found nothing to do and turned on his computer．A few words came into her sight．Reading them, she burst into tears．It was his diary：
Today, I was quite sad．She asked me why I was always taking the shower first, and I said to her, I was exhausted．She was unhappy．In her mind, I treated her not as well as usual, but what could I do? I was not as rich as before! We moved to the small apartment, and there was only one shower in the bathroom．It was so cold to take a shower in such a cold winter．But I found that if one person took the shower first, the room could get a little warmer．So every day I rushed to the bathroom first．I was thinking that, when she took the shower, the room would get warmer, even if it was only 1℃．
Now I cannot give her a comfortable life, take her to good restaurants, or buy expensive dresses for her, but at least, I can give her 1℃love．Why did the couple move to the small apartment?
| A．Both of them were out of work． |
| B．They wanted to live a better life． |
| C．The man could take better care of his business． |
| D．They were too poor to live in the former house． |
Which of the following can replace the underlined word “exhausted”？
| A．Devoted． | B．Worried． | C．Tired． | D．Injured． |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．They would live a richer life soon． |
| B．The woman misunderstood her husband． |
| C．The man would care less about his business． |
| D．The woman would get angry after reading the diary． |
What's the best title of the passage?
| A．A Love Story | B．1℃Love |
| C．A Suffering Couple | D．Fight for the Bathroom |
In Europe, many people make friends across the borders between their countries through town twinning. Town or city twinning means two towns in different countries agree and decide to become “twins” with sister city relationship.
Their citizens find pen friends in the twin town. They exchange newspapers and stamps. The school teachers discuss teaching methods with the teachers in the twin town. Officials visit the twin town for celebrations. Ordinary citizens travel to the twin town, too, but not very often if it is far away.
Sometimes, schools even exchange their classes for two or three weeks! For example, German middle school students study for a while at the school in their twin town in Britain, staying with British families. A few months later, their British friends come to study in Germany.
Some towns even arrange exchange visits for theatre groups, choirs（合唱团）and orchestras （ 管弦乐队）. Others send lecturers to the twin town who tell the people there all about their own town , and show photos and slides.
Town twining can help make friends and motivate（促进） people to learn from each other. It helps students to improve their language skills, and it contributes to （有助于）strengthening peace and understanding between different nations.Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．Town Twinning |
| B．Friendly Towns |
| C．Exchange Teachers and Students |
| D．Peace and Understanding |
Twin towns develop ________.
| A．between European countries and China |
| B．in the English-speaking countries only |
| C．in the same country |
| D．between different countries in Europe |
One of the advantages of town twinning is __________.
| A．to earn more money |
| B．to set up schools |
| C．to improve students language skills |
| D．to develop industry and agriculture |
There are many traditions around the holidays. “Holiday traditions” are things that people do every year during a holiday such as Christmas or Thanksgiving. At Christmas, for example, many people put up a Christmas tree or Christmas lights. These are Christmas traditions that have been going on for many years. But there is a “new” Christmas tradition that has become very popular: the TV firelog, a TV channel that shows nothing but a large log fire, blazing in a fireplace.
People put it on their TV and it makes them feel like they are watching and listening to a crackling fire. It makes them feel calm and comfortable. The origin(起源) dates back to 1986 in Canada. At that time, not very many people knew about it or watched the channel. Today, more than three million people watch the firelog channel during the winter holiday season. That year, the firelog channel was created(创造) to give the workers in the company that is now called Shaw Cable, a break at Christmas. By running the firelog during the holidays, everyone could go home for a few days and enjoy a bit of time off.
At that time, it was only broadcast to people in Edmonton but today it reaches people across Canada and beyond. This year, the Shaw firelog was updated. It is pretty high tech. Although it’s still really just a fire log that has been filmed, it has its own Twitter account (@ShawFireLog), its own Facebook page and it even has a computer App so you can see the burning log on a smartphone or a tablet. The Shaw firelog will burn until Jan. 5 on Shaw Cable, channel 222.What does this passage mainly talk about?
| A．The origin and popularity of the TV firelog. |
| B．Famous holiday traditions. |
| C．What makes the TV firelog so popular. |
| D．The TV firelog today. |
What does the underlined words “the TV firelog” mean in Paragraph 1?
| A．It is an old Christmas tradition beginning a long time ago. |
| B．It is a TV channel that shows nothing but a fireplace. |
| C．It is a TV channel with all kinds of Christmas traditional programs. |
| D．It is a TV channel where people can watch a large log fire. |
For what purpose was the TV firelog created?
| A．To attract more people to watch their programs. |
| B．To make people feel calm and comfortable by watching a crackling fire. |
| C．To give the people working at the company a few days off at Christmas. |
| D．To create more new traditions for people to celebrate Christmas. |
What can we learn about the TV firelog from the passage?
| A．More than three million people watched the channel in 1986. |
| B．It was broadcast to people in Edmonton and across Canada when it first started. |
| C．It has its own Twitter account but no Facebook page now. |
| D．The burning of the firelog will last until Jan. 5 on Shaw Cable. |