第三部分:阅读理解(共15小题;每小题2分,满分30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。
“Can I see my baby?” asked the happy new mother. The bundle was placed in her arms and when she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped-the baby had been born without ears. Time, however, proved that the baby’s hearing was perfect except his appearance.
One day when he rushed home from school and threw himself into his mother’s arms,he cried out bitterly,“A boy, a big boy…called me-a f—…freak.”She sighed, knowing that his life was to be endless of heartbreaks.
He grew up,handsome for his misfortune.A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that.He developed a gift for literature and music.
The boy’s father had a talk with the family doctor.Could nothing be done? “I believe we could graft on a pair of outer ears,if they could be donated,”the doctor decided.So the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for a young man.Two years went by.Then, “You’re going to the hospital,son.Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need.But it’s a secret,” said the father.
The operation was a brilliant success.His talents blossomed into genius.School and college became a series of successes.Later he married and entered the diplomatic service.“But I must know!” he urged his father.“Who gave so much for me? I could never do enough for him.”
“I do not believe you could,” said the father,“but the agreement was that you are not to know…not yet.”The years kept the secret, but the day did come …one of the darkest days that ever passed through a son.He stood with his father over his mother’s casket(棺材).Slowly and tenderly,the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick,reddish-brown hair to let out the secret.
56.When the mother unfolded the cloth and looked upon the tiny face we know that the mother________.
A.suddenly decided to make a sacrifice for the baby
B.kept the baby’s situation unknown to others
C.felt shocked and disappointed to see her new baby
D.complained of her bad luck and regretted having a disabled child
57.Give the closest meaning to the underlined word “freak” in Paragraph 2.
A.slow—acting person B.ugly—looking child
C.badly—behaved student D.strangely—shaped creature
58.At last, we may infer from the passage that_________.
A.The agreement was between the donator and the family
B.Finally the boy came to know the donator was a stranger
C.The mother may never let her hair be cut to keep her ears from being seen
D.The mother donated her ears to her son after she died
59.What moral lesson can we draw from this reading?
A.Real love lies in what is done unknown rather than what is done known.
B.It is up to parents to help their children heart and soul.
C.True beauty lies only in the heart not in appearance.
D.It is a virtue for young generations to learn to be grateful.
Any introduction to Peking Opera would not be complete without telling of Mei Lanfang. During his stage life, he combined the traditions of the past with his own creations, shaping a style of his own and giving birth to “The Mei Lanfang School”. He was also the first artist to introduce Peking Opera to an overseas audience, making it popular to the world.
Mei Lanfang began his stage life at the age of 8. His teacher said he showed little hope because of his boring eyes. To improve this, he exercised them day after day. Thanks to his efforts, he managed to change his dull eyes into a pair of bright and expressive eyes and win national fame before the age of 20.
In over 50 years on the stage, Mei Lanfang played no less than 100 different characters in the performance. He also wrote many new plays, designing the dances himself. The many dances he created form part of the great treasure that he left to Peking Opera.
In 1930, Mei Lanfang started on a successful US tour. There his brilliant performances impressed the audience, making them realize that Peking Opera was a theatrical form of great value.Mei Lanfang was the first artist to introduce Peking Opera to ________.
A.China | B.audience |
C.the world | D.schools |
How long did it take Mei Lanfang to exercise his eyes into bright and expressive?
A.About 8 years. | B.About 10 years. |
C.About 12 years. | D.About 14 years. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
A.The history of Peking Opera. |
B.Mei Lanfang’s early stage life. |
C.The performance of Peking Opera by Mei Lanfang. |
D.Mei Lanfang’s great contributions to Peking Opera. |
Make Up Your Mind to Succeed
Kind-hearted parents have unknowingly left their children defenseless against failure. The generation born between 1980 and 2001 grew up playing sports where scores and performance were played down because “everyone’s winner.” And their report cards sounded more positive (正面的) than ever before. As a result, Stanford University professor Carol Dweck, PhD, calls them “the overpraised generation.”
Dweck has been studying how people deal with failure for 40 years. Her research has led her to find out two clearly different mind-sets that have a great effect on how we react to it. Here’s how they work:
A fixed mind-set is grounded in the belief that talent (才能) is genetic – you’re a born artist, point guard, or numbers person. The fixed mind-set believes he’s sure to succeed without much effort and regards failure as personal shame. When things get difficult, he’s quick to blame, lie, and even stay away from future difficulties.
On the other hand, a growth mind-set believes that no talent is entirely heaven-sent and that effort and learning make everything possible. Because the ego (自尊) isn’t on the line as much, the growth mind-set sees failure as a chance rather than shame. When faced with a difficulty, he’s quick to rethink, change and try again. In fact, he enjoys this experience.
We are all born with growth mind-sets. (Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to live in the world.) But parents, teachers, and instructors often push us into fixed mind-sets by encouraging certain actions and misdirecting praise. Dweck’s book, Mind-set: The New Psychology of Success, and online instructional program explain this in depth. But she says there are many little things you can start doing today to make sure that your children, grandchildren and even you are never defeated by failure. What does the author think about the present generation?
A.They don’t do well at school. | B.They are often misunderstood. |
C.They are eager to win in sports. | D.They are given too much praise. |
A fixed mind-set person is probably one who ___ .
A.doesn’t want to work hard |
B.cares a lot about personal safety |
C.cannot share his ideas with others |
D.can succeed with the help of teachers |
What does the growth mind-set believe?
A.Admitting failure is shameful. |
B.Talent comes with one’s birth. |
C.Scores should be highly valued. |
D.Getting over difficulties is enjoyable. |
What should parents do for their children based on Dweck’s study?
A.Encourage them to learn from failures. |
B.Prevent them from making mistakes. |
C.Guide them in doing little things. |
D.Help them grow with praise. |
Facial expressions carry meaning that is determined by situations and relationships. For example, in American culture (文化) the smile is in general an expression of pleasure. Yet it also has other uses. A woman’s smile at a police officer does not carry the same meaning as the smile she gives to a young child. A smile may show love or politeness. It can also hide true feelings. It often causes confusion (困惑) across cultures. For example, many people in Russia smiling at strangers in public to be unusual and even improper. Yet many Americans smile freely at strangers in public places (although this is less common in big cities). Some Russians believe that Americans smile in the wrong places; some Americans believe that Russians don’t smile enough. In Southeast Asian culture, a smile is frequently used to cover painful feelings. Vietnamese people may tell a sad story but end the story with a smile.
Our faces show emotions (情感), but we should not attempt to “read” people from another culture as we would “read” someone from our own culture. The fact that members of one culture do not express their emotions as openly as do members of another does not mean that they do not experience emotions. Rather, there are cultural differences in the amount of facial expressions permitted. For example, in public and in formal situations many Japanese do not show their emotions as freely as Americans do. When with friends, Japanese and Americans seem to show their emotions similarly.
It is difficult to generalize about Americans and facial expressiveness because of personal and cultural differences in the United States. People from certain cultural backgrounds in the United States seem to be more facially expressive than others. The key is to try not to judge people whose ways of showing emotion are different. If we judge according to our own cultural habits, we may make the mistake of “reading” the other person incorrectly. What does the smile usually mean in the U.S?
A.Love. | B.Politeness. |
C.Joy. | D.Thankfulness. |
The author mentions the smile of the Vietnamese to prove that smile can ___ .
A.show friendliness to strangers |
B.be used to hide true feelings |
C.be used in the wrong places |
D.show personal habits |
What should we do before attempting to “read” people?
A.Learn about their relations with others. |
B.Understand their cultural backgrounds. |
C.Find out about their past experience. |
D.Figure out what they will do next. |
What would be the best title for the test?
A.Cultural Differences | B.Smiles and Relationship |
C.Facial Expressiveness | D.Habits and Emotions |
You may think that sailing is a difficult sport, but it is really not hard to learn it. You do not need to be strong. But you need to be quick. And you need to understand a few basic rules about the wind.
First, you must ask yourself, “Where is the wind coming from? Is it coming from ahead or behind or from the side?” You must think about this all the time on the boat. The wind direction tells you what to do with the sail.
Let’s start with the wind blowing from the behind. This means the wind and the boat are going in the same direction. Then you must always keep the sail outside the boat. It should be at a 90° angle (角度) to the boat. Then it will catch the wind best.
If the wind is blowing from the side, it is blowing across the boat. In this case, you must keep the sail half way outside the boat. It should be at a 45° angle to the boat. It needs to be out far enough to catch the wind, but it shouldn’t flap (摆动). It shouldn’t look like on a flagpole. If it is flapping, it is probably out too far, and the boat will slow down.
Sailing into the wind is not possible. If you try, the sail will flap and the boat will stop. You may want to go in that direction. It is possible, but you can’t go in a straight line. You must go first in one direction and then in another. This is called tacking. When you are tacking, you must always keep the sail inside the boat. What should you consider first while sailing?
A.Sailors’ strength. | B.Wave levels. |
C.Wind directions. | D.Size of sails. |
What does the word “It” underlined in Paragraph 4 refer to?
A.The boat. | B.The wind. |
C.The sail. | D.The angle. |
What do you have to do when sailing against the wind?
A.Move in a straight line. | B.Allow the sail to flap. |
C.Lower the sail. | D.Tack the boat. |
Where can you probably find the text?
A.In a popular magazine. | B.In a tourist guidebook. |
C.In a physics textbook. | D.In an official report. |
Cold weather can be hard on pets, just like it can be hard on people. Sometimes owners forget that their cats are just as used to the warm shelter (住所) as they are. Some owners will leave their animals outside for a long period of time, thinking that all animals are used to living outdoors. This can put their pets in danger of serious illness. There are things you can do to keep your animal warm and safe.
Keep your pets inside as much as you can when the weather is bad. If you have to take them out, stay outside with them. When you’re cold enough to go inside, they probably are too. If you must leave them outside for a long time, make sure they have a warm, solid shelter against the wind, thick bedding, and plenty of non-frozen water.
If left alone outside, dogs and cats can be very smart in their search for warm shelter. They can dig into snow banks or hide somewhere. Watch them closely when they are left outdoors, and provide them with shelter of good quality. Keep an eye on your pet’s water. Sometimes owners don’t realize that a water bowl has frozen and their pet can’t get anything to drink. Animals that don’t have clean and unfrozen water may drink dirty water outside, which may contain something unhealthy for them. What do we learn about pets from Paragraph 1?
A.They are often forgotten by their owners. |
B.They are used to living outdoors. |
C.They build their own shelter. |
D.They like to stay in warm places. |
Why are pet owners asked to stay with their pets when they are out in cold weather?
A.To know when to bring them inside. |
B.To keep them from eating bad food. |
C.To help them find shelters. |
D.To keep them company. |
What is the purpose of this text?
A.To solve a problem. |
B.To give practical advice. |
C.To tell an interesting story. |
D.To present a research result. |