III 阅读（共两节，满分50分）
第一节阅读理解（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A、B、C和D项中, 选出最佳选项, 并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Our neighbour's son was getting married at an out-of-town church, and my husband and I were invited. We immediately rushed out to a store, and I bought a nice pink dress with a jacket. The dress was a little tight, but I had a month to go before the June 30 wedding and I would lose a few pounds.
June 29 came and, of course, I hadn't lost a single pound; in fact I had gained two. But I figured a nice new girdle (紧身内衣) would cure everything. So on our way out of the city we stopped once again at the store. I ran in and told the clerk I needed a large-size girdle. The shop assistant found the box with the described girdle marked "LG", and asked if I would like to try it on. “Oh, no, a large will fit just right. I needn't try it on.”
The next morning was rather hot, so I waited to get dressed until about 45 minutes before time to go. I opened the box only to find a new girdle in a small size. Since it was too late to find another one and the dress wouldn't fit right without a girdle, a fight broke out in the hotel room between me and the girdle. Have you ever tried to shake 20 pounds of potatoes into a five-pound bag? That's it. Finally my husband, laughing like crazy, got hold of each side and shook me down into it. At once I put on the pink dress, which didn't match my red face well, and was ready to go.
Finally we got to the church. I heard one of the people say that they were having a High Mass. I turned to my husband and asked, "What is a High Mass?" He shrugged his shoulders.
Unfortunately, I learned that this particular mass would last one hour, twenty-two minutes and eight and one half seconds—the priest (神父) was going to bless everything except my girdle.
46. The author most probably bought a nice pink dress with a jacket ______.
A. 4 weeks later B. 4 weeks ago C. a fortnight ago D. a fortnight later
47. What had the author wanted to do with the tight dress?
A. To make herself thinner. B. To buy a large-size girdle.
C. To put on some weight. D. To shake herself into it.
48. Which of the following statements about the author is TRUE according to the story?
A. She was very lucky to buy a girdle to go with her dress.
B. She had no choice but to put on the dress without a girdle.
C. She complained to the shop assistant about her carelessness.
D. She managed to put on the girdle with her husband’s help.
49. The purpose of this passage is ______.
A. to show a husband’s selfless love B. to share an interesting experience
C. to describe a changeable girdle D. to tell us how to keep calm in trouble
50. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. A Funny Wedding B. A Wise Decision C. A Tight Situation D. A Fierce Fight
You can improve your child’s hearing memory considerably（在很大程度上）. Once his hearing memory has been greatly improved, he'll be able to use and remember what he listens to in class. The success of these suggestions depends upon your ability to use your child’s natural desire to get involved in games he finds simple and fun.
A good way to begin is to read aloud a sentence from a book suitable for your child's reading age. Then ask your youngster to repeat the sentence back to you correctly. Next, reread the sentence, leaving out a particular word. See if your child can identify the word you left out. At the beginning use only simple sentences. Gradually, increase the length of the sentences. Make sure you don’t rush things along too quickly, or your child may become discouraged and tired of the game.
Take your child shopping with you often. He’s to remember a list of items you want to buy in the supermarket. First, ask him to remember only a few things. Then, as he shows increased ability to remember, make the list longer and longer. Praise him often and warmly when he shows increased ability to remember things. He'll become proud of his ‘good’ memory and will happily play the game.
Encourage your child to learn easy and short poems. As his ability to do this becomes stronger, encourage him to remember longer poems. Do the same with songs.The suggestions will be successful if____.
| A．you find simple and funny games for your child |
| B．you can stimulate（激发）your child’s interest in the activity |
| C．you force your child to get involved in more practice |
| D．you improve your own hearing memory first |
The purpose of asking your child to repeat what you say is __.
| A．to practice his pronunciation |
| B．to develop his reading skills |
| C．to help him remember what he hears |
| D．to play a simple game he may find fun |
The third paragraph mainly talks about ___.
| A．another way to improve your child’s hearing memory |
| B．how you should take you child shopping with you |
| C．how to remember the items you want to buy |
| D．the way you help your child do shopping |
The last sentence ‘Do the same with songs’ means you should encourage your child to learn and remember ___.
| A．songs in the same way as he does with poems. |
| B．poems in the same way as he does with songs |
| C．the poems and songs which are similar in meaning |
| D．those songs that have the same meaning as poems |
Who are the supposed readers of this passage?
| A．Children. | B．Parents. | C．Teachers. | D．Psychologists. |
Do you often play with your pet dog or cat? Do you like touching wild animals such as squirrels? They are cute. But be careful. If they bite you, you may get a terrible disease——rabies.
Believe it or not, in the last five months, rabies killed more people in China than any other disease. 2,254 people got rabies in the first nine months of this year. In September, 318 people died of rabies. That is 37 per cent more than last September.
Animals like dogs, cats, squirrels and bats can have rabies. If they bite or scratch（抓）someone, rabies could infect（感染）the person’s nervous system（神经系统）. The person could even die. It’s important to get the right treatment as soon as possible.
Every year, more than 50,000 people around the world die of rabies. Most of them are from developing countries. India has the most deaths. China is second.Rabies is the name of _____.
| A．a book | B．a man | C．a dog | D．a disease |
Paragraphs two and three _____.
| A．teach people how to deal with rabies. |
| B．explain the situation in China. |
| C．order people not to keep pets. |
| D．show what rabies is really like. |
Which of the following animals might NOT have rabies?
| A．Squirrels. | B．Ducks. | C．Cats. | D．Bats. |
The Chinese for the underlined word “treatment” probably is _____.
| A．医生 | B．请客 | C．治疗 | D．待遇 |
What the best title for the passage?
| A．Don’t keep pets | B．How to keep pets |
| C．Watch out for rabies | D．Pets with rabies |
Does this sound familiar? It’s 3:00 am and you’re still awake and staring at the clock. You can’t sleep , and you’ve already tried all the familiar tricks – taken a warm bath , drunk a glass of heated milk ,tried counting sheep, and read a book –all with no success. If you are such a sufferer, remember you’re not alone. Experts said that one in every four Americans have trouble falling or staying asleep.
Lack of sleep can hurt your quality of life in so many ways. Short temper, impatience, poor decision-making, and mood swings are common among those with sleeping problems. Besides, relationships with family, friends, and co-workers may suffer as a result. Improper sleep can also put your safety at risk by reducing your awareness.
When you’re awake in the middle of the night, you can start to feel desperate for a way out . However, it makes sense to weigh the available treatments before choosing the one that’s right for you. Other sleep aids may seem like a quick fix, but it turns out that there are many disadvantages of these drugs. For one thing, they may require expensive, time-consuming trips to your physician. They may also be habit-forming or have unpleasant side effects like dizziness( 眩晕) dry mouth, and next-day sleepiness. Plus , they become less effective over time.
So what is the best sleep aid available on the market today? The answer is Somnapure , a product that represents nature and science coming together. This all-natural sleep aid which comes from Peak Life allows you to fall asleep quickly and remain asleep through the night . With Somnapure, you wake up feeling refreshed and energetic. Somnapure is currently giving away a 14-day trial here. Get your Somnapure trial for better, deeper sleep that you deserve. From paragraph 1, we can know that sleep problems are_______.
| A．easy to make a sufferer lonely |
| B．common but hard to deal with |
| C．severe throughout the world |
| D．widespread only in the USA |
The underlined words“ a quick fix”(in paragraph3)most probably means____.
| A．a waste of money | B．a quick repair | C．an easy way out | D．a cheap aid |
The purpose of the passage is to _______.
| A．ask people with sleep problems to try and use Somnapure |
| B．introduce a kind of medicine to help sleep better |
| C．draw people’s attention to the bad effects of the lack of sleep |
| D．talk about what the main causes of the sleep problems are |
We can infer that the passage is probably immediately followed by information about ______.
| A．the instructions to take Somnapure |
| B．the side effects of Somnapure |
| C．the price of Somnapure |
| D．the way to get Somnapure |
What kind of job do you want to do in the future ? One that earns the most money or one that gives you the highest social position? What about a job that makes you feel happy? Surprisingly, these three things do not always go together in the job world .
According to a general social survey by the National Organization for Research at the University of Chicago in the US, the ten happiest jobs are not those with better pay or higher social position. They are ordinary jobs.
But what is it that makes a “happy” job?
Researchers found that people are happier when they feel they are doing something worthwhile. Six of the top ten happiest jobs are based heavily on helping others, such as firefighters, teachers, and physical therapists(理疗师 ).
Being able to express oneself is also important for people to feel satisfied . Take authors as an example. Their pay is “ridiculously low or non-existent”, but “the freedom of writing down the contents of your own mind leads to happiness ,”wrote business author Steve Denning on his blog on Forbes.com.
These jobs are greatly different to the top ten “hated jobs”, according a website survey earlier this year. Director of information technology, sales manager, technical specialist and others that are generally considered respectable jobs are on the list.
Todd May from The New York Times didn’t find the results strange. He argued that
“ a meaningful life must, in some sense then , make people feel worthwhile”. If a person doesn’t participate in the causes “ that are generally regarded as worthy, like feeding and clothing the poor, their life will lack meaning ,”he said . Work takes up the greater part of most people’s lives . It’s no wonder that the people with the most worthwhile jobs are the happiest of all.
However, it’s important to remember that these two surveys are broad ones and that it doesn’t matter whether your dream job is on the two lists. Now it is the time to think about the future . After all, something that satisfies your mind will always bring you happiness. According to the passage , which of the following is probably a happy job?
| A．A marketing manager | B． An engineer of IT |
| C．A teacher of art | D． A technical expert |
Steve Denning thinks that being an author is happy mainly because authors_____.
| A．are helpful to others |
| B．can be free to express themselves |
| C．earn much money |
| D．are considered respectable |
From the passage we learn that_________.
| A．the more you earn , the happier you are |
| B．respectable jobs are happy jobs |
| C．the higher your social position is , the happier you are |
| D．most happy jobs are related to helping others |
In the last paragraph the author stresses that_________.
| A．your future job should be one that makes you happy |
| B．your dream jobs should be based on the two surveys |
| C．the two surveys are of great importance |
| D．it won’t be easy to find a job in the future |
To Whom It May Concern:
On March 5, 2012 , I bought a Perfect Muffin Kit(松饼粉 ) from your store at Midfield Shopping Center. The cashier who assisted me was George. George was very friendly and told me that the Perfect Muffin Kit would live up to the guarantee on the box: “Perfect Muffins Every Time!”.
Unfortunately, this product did not live up to what it promised . The muffins I made were far from perfect . I followed the directions in the package very carefully . First , I removed the bag of mix from the box. Then , I poured it into a bowl. Next, I added the correct amount of water to the mix and stirred it. According to the directions, after stirring the mixture , I added half a cup of dried prapes, nuts , berries, or another favorite ingredient(配料 ) . My favorite ingredient happens to be hot sauce (沙司 ). I find that a bit of hot sauce makes pizza and soup taste very delicious. So, continuing to follow the directions, I added half a cup of hot sauce to the mix and stirred it. Finally, I poured the mix into muffin tins and baked it in the baker at 350 degrees for exactly 20 minutes.
When the muffins finished baking, I was very excited to eat the “Perfect Muffins” as promised on the box. You can imagine my disappointment when, upon tasting the muffins, I discovered that they were not perfect. These muffins were , in fact , absolutely terrible. Not even my dog was interested in eating these supposedly “perfect”muffins.
I would appreciate a full refund(退款 ) of $3.99 for this product as soon as possible. Enclosed are the receipt, the empty box, and one of the un-perfect muffins so that you can experience it for yourself . Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely ,
Michelle BauerThis letter is most likely addressed to _______.
| A．a local storeowner |
| B．the owner of the muffin mix company |
| C．the clerk at a local muffin bakery |
| D．George, the cashier who sold the muffin mix |
The tone(语气 ) of the author can best be described as ________.
| A．embarrassed | B．hopeless | C．disappointed | D．disgusted |
The author was unhappy with the product because________.
| A．the directions of the product contained a mistake |
| B．it was not up to the promise made on the box |
| C．it was too difficult to follow the directions |
| D．it was worth less money than she paid for it |
The author’s main purpose in writing this letter is to ________.
| A．prevent others from making the same mistake |
| B．persuade the company to change the wording on their box |
| C．get back all the money paid from the shop |
| D．complain about how bad the muffins tasted |