第二节阅读理解（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。
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. “How much is an ice cream sundae?” “Fifty cents,” replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it. “How much is a dish of plain ice cream?” he required. Some people were now waiting for a table and the waitress was a bit impatient. “Thirty-five cents,” she said rudely. The little boy again counted the coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the bill and departed. When the waitress came back, she began wiping down the table and then swallowed hard at what she saw. There, nearly beside the empty dish, were seven five-cent coins and fifteen one-cent coins---her tip.
36. How much money did the boy probably have in his pocket?
A. No more than fifty cents. B. More than fifty cents.
C. Not more than fifty cents. D. Less than fifty cents.
37. Why did the little boy have only a dish of plain ice cream?
A. The plain ice cream cost him much less.
B. He enjoyed the cheaper ice cream better.
C. The coins were not enough for an ice cream sundae.
D. He wanted to save some coins to tip the waitress.
38. We can infer that the waitress might have felt_______when she got the tip.
A. very surprised B. a bit of shame C. quite pleased D. a little worried
The Intel Science Talent Search is the top science competition for high school students in the US. The 40 finalists were honored in Washington last week. They met with scientists and politicians. President Obama welcomed them to the White House.
These 40 students were selected from almost 2,000 contestants nationwide. They had to present original research to be judged by professional scientists. The students showed their research projects on large posters. The winners were announced on March 15th, 2011.
Wendy Hawkins is executive director of the Intel Foundation, who says the 40 finalists represented excellence across many areas of science.
Selena Li is from Fair Oaks, California. She wanted to find a more effective treatment for liver cancer. She began her research four years ago. A scientist at the University of California, Davis, taught her how to design and do experimental work in the laboratory. Ms. Li placed 5th in the Intel Science Talent Search and was awarded 30,000 dollars.
Scott Boisvert lives near Phoenix, Arizona. He began using a laboratory at the University of Arizona at the age of 14. Over four years, he completed a project studying a fungus(真菌) linked to the decrease in amphibians（两栖动物）around the world. He was trying to find out if different chemicals and substances in the water could kill the fungus. He collected and tested water samples across Arizona. He says, “My results were able to identify a list of chemicals that were significant in the growth and in the movement of the fungus.” He placed10th in the Intel competition and was awarded 20,000 dollars.
Evan O’Dorney of Danville, California, won the top award of 100,000 dollars in this year’s Intel Science Talent Search. For his mathematical project, he compared two ways to estimate the square root of an integer (整数) , a number with no fractional parts.
Wendy Hawkins at the Intel Foundation says these young people represent the next generation of scientists who will help shape America’s future.According to the passage, if you want to win the Intel Science Talent Search, you must________.
| A．have high academic achievement |
| B．be excellent in all areas of science |
| C．offer original research |
| D．do many experiments in a university lab |
Who will be probably engaged in math study in the future and become a mathematician?
| A．Wendy Hawkins. | B．Selena Li. |
| C．Scott Boisvert. | D．Evan O’Dorney |
Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Scott Boisvert found a new fungus linked to the decease in amphibians. |
| B．The 1st, 5th and 10th students in the competition come from California. |
| C．Scott Boisvert is the youngest winner among the 40 students. |
| D．The Intel Science Talent Search is an intense competition. |
The Wendy Hawkins’s attitude to these 40 finalists is ______.
| A．critical | B．negative | C．positive | D．mixed |
Visitors can find a small, old house called the O. Henry Museum in central Austin, Texas. William Sydney Porter(1862-1910)----better known as O. Henry, was one of America’s best loved writers of short stories. Beginning in 1893, he lived here. It was saved from destruction, moved, and turned into a museum in 1934. The museum is a good way to learn about the interesting life of him.
William Porter rented this house and lived with his wife and daughter for about two years. Many objects in the museum belonged to the Porters. Others did not, but are in the house to recreate the way it looked during their lifetime.
Porter worked at a pharmacy, farm, land office and bank. He also loved words and writing. The museum has special proof of Porter’s love of language---his dictionary. It’s said that he read every word in it. Porter started a small publication called “The Rolling Stone”. He wasn’t being published early on, so he published himself. His funny stories, poems, and drawings were published in the magazine. But it was too costly to continue for long, so he closed the project after about one year.
Other troubles would lead the Porters to leave Austin. Porter was accused of financial wrongdoing at the bank and lost his job. Fearing a trial, he fled the country. But he returned because his wife was dying. After her death, he faced trial and was found guilty. He served three and a half years in a federal prison in Ohio.
Porter would keep his time in prison a secret. But there was one good thing about it. It provided him with time to write. By the time of his release, he had published 14 stories and was becoming well-known as O. Henry.
Porter would later move to New York City and find great success there. He published over 380 stories in the last eight years of his life.What is the author’s purpose of writing paragraph 3?
| A．To attract more visitors to the O. Henry Museum. |
| B．To show the jobs O. Henry once did. |
| C．To show O. Henry’s early love of words and writing. |
| D．To introduce O. Henry’s publication called “The Rolling Stone”. |
Which of the following shows the right order of O. Henry?
a. He was committed to prison.
b. He settled down in central Austin.
c. His wife died.
d. He started a small publication called “The Rolling Stone”.
e. He moved to New York City.
| A．bdcae | B．bcade | C．bdcea | D．bacde |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Most of O. Henry’s short stories were finished in prison. |
| B．O. Henry didn’t start his career as a successful writer when living in central Austin. |
| C．O. Henry was born in a small, old house which is called the O. Henry Museum now. |
| D．O. Henry spent his last life in the small, old house in Texas. |
What does the author want to tell us in the passage?
| A．O. Henry’s experience in prison. |
| B．The objects in the O. Henry’s Museum |
| C．O. Henry’s achievement in literature. |
| D．A brief account of O. Henry’s life |
Many reasons can explain why football is so popular. All around the world, millions play the sport and many more like to watch it. Some would say that the simplicity of the game is the main reason for its popularity, but that can’t be true as, this way, marathons or races would be the most popular sports in the world. In fact, the most popular sport in the world is football.
The main reason for the popularity of any sport is the room for creativity inside the sport. Football has plenty of room for creativity as it enables players to use their bodies in unique ways to get hold of the ball and score while at the same time keeping the other team from scoring. In addition to this, the rules ensure that the game is clean and fair, thus encouraging new players to play it.
Another reason is that this game doesn’t require expensive equipment. All the kids in poor developing countries like playing it as all they need to play it is a ball and an empty playground, and that would ensure a quality time for a group of kids who want to enjoy their time. The Federation International de Football Association (FTFA) knows this fact and is always trying to keep the rules and regulations applicable for poorer countries.
For fans of the sport, it is very entertaining to watch the skills and talents of the players in professional matches. The outcome of a match can easily change in the dying moments of a game. Some matches are even better than watching a thriller, because you really have no idea what the result of the match will be.From the first paragraph, we know that marathons and races _______.
| A．are sports that are as simple as football |
| B．are sports that are simpler than football |
| C．are sports that people like watching most |
| D．are the most popular sports in the world |
We can learn from the text that _____.
| A．football is popular mainly because of its simplicity |
| B．the rules of football make the game safe and simple |
| C．football gives players room for creativity |
| D．playing football can help poor kids earn money |
This fact in the third paragraph refers to ______.
| A．kids need balls and empty playground to play in |
| B．the equipment in developing countries is very cheap |
| C．kids in developing countries enjoy playing football |
| D．kids in developing countries don’t keep football rules |
Many businesses today use conferences as a means of discussing new plans of the company. As people are paying more attention to the environment and green problems, more businesses are looking for ways to reduce their negative effect on the environment. Many businesses do this by using Web conferencing.
Web conferencing is a technology that allows people to communicate more effectively over the Internet. It’s an easy way of hosting and attending conferences without having to leave the office. Each of the people involved in a Web conference will be posted an invitation to the conference with the time and date of the Web conference on it. When the conference is ready to begin, all participants (参与者) must sit at their computers and they will be connected over the Internet.
With Web conferencing all participants attend conference from the comfort of their own desks. Obviously, in doing this no fuel is used in traveling to and from a conference, and less work is taken up in attending a conference.
Any material to be used during Web conference is simply e-mailed to all the participants before the conference. Participants can then either choose to print material or read it on screen. This not only saves paper but also greatly reduces mailing costs for the business.
As a conference hall or business center isn’t being used, it means that the only power that is used is the power that is used by the participants’ personal computers. Similarly, conference organizers don’t have to arrange for food or overnight accommodation. All this means that less energy is used.
Often in business some companies actively choose to do business with other companies that do many things to reduce their negative impact on the environment. And Web conferencing helps you show other businesses that you are willing to work hard for the green cause.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Ways of protecting the environment |
| B．Green benefits of Web conferencing |
| C．Ways of hosting a Web conference |
| D．Impact of Web conferencing on costs |
According to paragraph 1, many companies use Web conferencing because they ______.
| A．are interested in using any new technology. |
| B．believe that Web conferencing is more convenient. |
| C．want to do something to protect the environment . |
| D．haven’t enough money to hold a traditional conference. |
The participants of a Web conference _____.
| A．will be e-mailed an invitation before the conference. |
| B．are required to sit in an office together. |
| C．will receive many paper materials. |
| D．must have access to the Internet. |
Which of the following words best describes the author’s opinion about a Web conference?
| A．Useless | B．Environmentally friendly |
| C．Inconvenient | D．Money-consuming |
Directions: Read the passage carefully and answer the questions or complete the statements in no more than 12 words.
The first fast food restaurants opened in the United Sates at the end of the 1950s. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the fast food industry continued to expand across the United Sates. Two aspects of American society that helped the fast food industry take off were teenagers and cars. Teenagers were the best workers to fill the low-skill jobs needed to work in fast food restaurants putting together hamburgers, taking orders and frying potatoes. Fast food chains also marketed themselves to people with cars by having drive-thru order windows and car hops. Car hops were waitresses who usually wore roller skates and brought the food outside the restaurant so that people could eat in their cars.
The trend of fast food chains hiring teenagers continues today. One out of every eight Americans has worked at McDonald’s, the largest fast food chain in the United States. Fast food chains used to be found only along highways or in business areas where people need to grab a quick lunch before returning to work. Today, however, fast food restaurants can be found in sports stadiums, airports, gas stations, malls; on college campuses, cruise ships; at K-Mart, Wal-Mart; and in hospital cafeterias.
The popularity of fast food in the United States is related to the idea that people would rather eat in a place they are familiar with rather than try a new place they know nothing about. This is the philosophy behind franchises(特许经营). When a person buys a franchise, they are paying for the use of the company’s name. This system has advantages and disadvantages for the person starting the restaurant. The new franchise owner is called the “franchisee”. The company selling its name is the “franchiser”. The franchiser brings experience, equipment, and a business plan to the deal. The franchisee puts up the money and does all the work. On the negative side, the franchiser gives up some control by not owning each restaurant or store directly. The franchisee gives up her or his ability to make personal decisions because she or he has to obey the rules of the company.
(Note: Answer the question or complete the statement in NO MORE THAN 12 WORDS.)Fast food chains hire teenagers because ________________________________________.
Fast food restaurants used to find its location according to _________________________.
According to the author, what’s the philosophy behind franchises?
What is the advantage of franchise to the franchisee?