第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Justin’s bedroom was so full of flat bicycle tires, bent tennis rackets, deflated（瘪掉的）basketballs, and games with missing pieces that you could barely get in the door. His parents pleaded with him to clean out his room.
“What use is a fish tank with a hole in the bottom?” his father asked. But Justin simply smiled and repeated his motto, “Never throw anything out, you never know when it might come in handy.”
When Justin was away from home, he always carried his blue backpack--a smaller version of his bedroom--a place to store the many objects that he collected. It was so worn and stretched that it hardly resembled a backpack anymore.
Justin had earned a reputation for figuring things out and getting people out of otherwise hopeless situations. Many of his classmates and neighbors sought him out when they needed help with a problem. On the first day of school, his friend Kenny, came looking for Justin.
“Do you think you have something in your bag that could help me remember my locker combination?” he asked. “I lost the piece of paper it was written on. I have a science class in two minutes and if I'm late on the first day it’ll make me look bad for the rest of the year.” Kenny looked really worried.
“Relax,” Justin said, taking his backpack off and unzipping the top. “Remember how you borrowed my notebook in homeroom to write the combination down? Well, I know how we can recover what you wrote.”
He took the notebook and a soft lead pencil out of his bag. The page that Kenny had written on had left faint marks on another page in the notebook. Justin held the pencil on its side and rubbed it lightly over the marks. Slowly but surely the numbers of the locker combination appeared in white, set off by the gray pencil rubbings.
“That's amazing!” Kenny said. “I owe you one.” And he dashed off to open his locker.
It was just another day in the life of the boy whose motto was “Never throw anything out, you never know when it might come in handy.”
56. Why is Justin's room such a mess?
A. He always forgets to clean it. B. He shares the room with his brother.
C. He has no time to clean it. D. He never throws anything away.
57. In what way is Justin’s backpack a smaller version of his bedroom?
A. He uses it as a place to store objects.
B. He uses it to carry his books and sports equipment.
C. His parents tell him to clean it all the time.
D. He's had it for as long as he can remember.
58. The underlined phrase "pleaded with" means
A. ignored B. asked C. pushed D. Ordered
59. How does Kenny feel toward Justin?
A. Annoyed. B. Disinterested. C. Grateful. D. Angry.
CALCUTTA, IndiaMar 24, 2006(AP) —One of the world’s oldest creatures, a giant tortoise believed to have been about 250 years old, has died in the Calcutta zoo where it spent more than half its long life.
Addwaita, which means “the one and only” in the local Bengali language, was one of four Aldabra tortoises brought to India by British sailors in the 18th century. Zoo officials say he was a gift for Lord Robert Clive of the East India Company, who was instrumental in establishing British colonial① rule in India, before he returned to England in 1767. Long after the other three tortoises died, Addwaita continued to thrive②, living in Clive’s garden before being moved to the zoo in 1875.
“According to records in the zoo, the age of the giant tortoise, Addwaita, who died on Wednesday, would be about 250 years,” said zoo director Subir Chowdhury. That would have made him much older than the world’s oldest documented③ living animal: Harriet, a 176-year-old Galapagos tortoise who lives at the Australia Zoo north of Brisbane, according to the zoo’s Web site. She was taken from the island of Isla Santa Cruz by Charles Darwin in the 19th century.
Aldabra tortoises come from the Aldabra atoll④in the Seychelle islands in the Indian Ocean, and often live to more than 100 years of age. Males can weigh up to 550 pounds. Addwaita, the zoo’s biggest attraction, had been unwell for the last few days, said local Forest Minister Jogesh Burman.
“We were keeping a watch on him. When the zoo keepers went to his enclosure on Wednesday they found him dead,” Burman said.
Notes:
①colonial adj. 殖民的
②thrive v. 茁壮成长
③documented adj. 备有证明文件的
④atoll n. 环礁
Choose the best answers according to the above:According to the passage, Addwaita ________.
| A．was sent to India as a gift by British government |
| B．was sent to India by British sailors in 1767 |
| C．lived together with three other Aldabra tortoises in India |
| D．belonged to Lord Robert Clive for some time |
By now, the oldest animal in the world is about at ________.
| A．176 years old | B．100 years old | C．250 years old | D．200 years old |
In the last few days before Addwaita died, he ________.
| A．had been sent to hospital for treatment |
| B．had been playing with travelers |
| C．had been found not better than before |
| D．had stayed in his enclosure for days |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．An Old Aldabra Tortoise Died in India |
| B．A Remarkable Life: Tortoise Dies at 250 |
| C．A Special Kind of Tortoise — Addwaita |
| D．The Oldest Animal Aldabra Tortoise Died |
In the past ten years, America’s National Basketball Association (NBA) has grown increasingly dependent on the rest of the world to supply players.
When Michael Jordan and Larry Bird won gold in Barcelona in 1992, the Americans were praised for teaching the world how to play basketball. This season, however, 20 percent of NBA rosters① will be filled by non-Americans. NBA commissioner David Stem happily embraces the trend. On a visit to Paris in October, Stern outlined his vision for the future, which is likely to see Europe hosting NBA games by 2010.
The NBA is now planning to take China by storm.
“Our experience in China has been that it is going to be explosive in its growth,” said Stern. The strategy② in China is television. “We’ve made 14 deals in China with local and national networks on cable and satellite.” The success of Chinese centre Yao Ming has paved the way for the NBA marketing blitz in China. The NBA, which is broadcasted in more than 200 countries in 42 languages, will put that to the test in October 2004 when the Houston Rockets play two pre-season games against the Sacramento Kings in Beijing and Shanghai. The NBA knows that it needs a global market to compensate for tough times on home soil.
“It doesn’t matter where the players come from, all the NBA teams now know that they have to scout③ internationally,” said Terry Lyons, the NBA’s vice-president of international public relations. “It has increased the level of competition here.” As Frenchman Tony Parker and Argentine Emanuel Ginobili showed in winning championship rings with the San Antonio Spurs last season, many people can earn the respect of their American peers. Others, such as the Houston Rockets’ Chinese centre Yao Ming — number one draft pick in 2002 —and the Detroit Pistons’ 18-year-old Serb Darko Milicic —number two overall in this year’s draft —are icons④in-waiting. It is the ultimate⑤ revolution — the rest of the world teaching the US how to play basketball.
Notes:
①roster n. 花名册
②strategy n. 战略，策略
③scout vt. 寻找，觅得
④icon n. 偶像
⑤ultimate adj. 最后的，根本的
Choose the best answers according to the above: According to the report, ___.
| A．Michael Jordan is still playing a very important role in NBA |
| B．the part played by the foreign players in NBA will be great |
| C．Yao Ming is to play two pre-season games in NBA |
| D．European countries will host the 2004 NBA games |
The underlined phrase “take China by storm” has the meaning of ___.
| A．NBA intends to make China its “marketing center” |
| B．NBA is planning to set up some training centers in China |
| C．there’ll be a big storm when NBA comes to China to play against the Sacramento Kings |
| D．the NBA’s live basket games will be broadcasted on all the TVs in China |
. What seems to be the biggest change that is happening to NBA?
A. NBA is expecting more foreign players to join the league.
B. China’s rapid development in sports affects NBA.
C. Yao Ming has taken the place of Michael Jordan.
D. The NBA will stop teaching the world how to play basketball. When the writer talked of “home soil”, he was referring to __.
| A．farms in the States | B．native Americans |
| C．the NBA training center | D．the USA |
Which of the following can be used as the best title for the passage?
| A．The Non-American Basketball Players | B．NBA Is Coming to China |
| C．The Foreign Ties That Bind the NBA | D．NBA Is Making Big Progress |
A typical① Chinese Internet user is a young male who prefers instant messaging to e-mail, seldom makes online purchases② and favors news, music and games sites. According to a study, about two-thirds of survey participants③ use the Internet for news — often entertainment-related — or for online games. About half download music and movies.
They also tend to prefer instant messaging to e-mail, and they are depending on the Internet more frequently than before to communicate with others who have the same professions, hobbies and political interests. Online purchases still remain unpopular in China. Three-quarters of users surveyed have never bought anything over the Internet, and only 10 percent make purchases even once a month. Among those who do buy online, most pay for entertainment while others buy phone cards, or computer hardware or software.
“Many people don’t trust the quality of goods bought online,” Guo said Wednesday. “If they buy it in a store and don’t like it, they can easily bring it back.”
The survey was done in five major cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Changsha. Results do not necessarily project countrywide because Internet use in rural areas is lower than in cities. Guo describes the typical netizen④ in the five cities surveyed as young, male, richer and more highly educated. Males make up two-thirds of the Internet community, and more than 80 percent of users are under 24. Among people ages 25 to 29, 60 percent to 80 percent go online.
China has more than 100 million people online, second in the world to the United States.
Notes:
① typical adj.典型的
② purchase n. / v. 购买
③ participant n. 参与者
④ netizen n. 网民
Choose the best answers according to the above:A typical Chinese Internet user will be the one who _________.
| A．likes to send e-mails | B．likes to buy goods online |
| C．likes to pay for entertainment | D．likes the games sites |
Online purchases still remain unpopular in China mainly because _________.
| A．it is more difficult for sales returns |
| B．people haven’t computers |
| C．people can’t have a look at the goods |
| D．goods bought online are of low quality |
Which of the following words fails to describe the typical netizens in the five cities?
| A．well educated | B．richer | C．female | D．young |
According to the text, which of the following shows the right relation between online people and their ages?
A． |
B． |
C． |
D． |
Japanese scientists have taken the first photographs of one of the most mysterious creatures in the deep ocean — the giant squid①.
Until now the only information about the behavior of the creatures which measure up to 18 meters (59 feet) in length has been based on dead or dying squid washed up on shore or captured②in commercial fishing nets.
But Tsunemi Kubodera, of the National Science Museum, and Kyoichi Mori of the Ogasawara Whale Watching Association, both in Tokyo have captured the first images of Architeuthis attacking bait③900 meters below the surface in the cold, dark waters of the North Pacific. “We show the first wild images of a giant squid in its natural environment,” they said in a report in the journal Proceedings B of the Royal Society.
Little is known about the creatures because it has been so difficult to locate and study them alive. Large ships and specialist equipment, which is costly, are needed to study deep sea environments.
The Japanese scientists found the squid by following sperm whales, the most effective hunters of giant squid, as they gathered to feed between September and December in the deep waters off the coast of the Ogasawara Islands in the North Pacific. They used a remote long-line camera and depth logging system to capture the giant squid in the ocean depths.
The most dramatic character of giant squids is the pair of extremely long tentacles④, distinct from the eight shorter arms. The long tentacles make up to two-thirds of the length of the dead specimens⑤to date. The giant squid appear to be a much more active meat-eating animals than researchers had thought.
Notes:
① squid n. 鱿鱼
② capture vt. 捕获
①bait n. 鱼饵
②tentacle n. 触角，触须
③specimen n. 标本，样本The passage mainly tells us that ________.
| A．Scientists captured a giant squid alive |
| B．Scientists captured a giant squid on camera |
| C．giant squids are special meat-eating animals |
| D．giant squids mainly live in the deep sea |
According to the passage, we can infer that the word “Architeuthis” should refer to ________.
| A．a scientist | B．the sperm whale | C．a big ship | D．the giant squid |
Which of the following about giant squids is TRUE?
| A．They like living the cold and deep waters. |
| B．They mainly feed on the dead fish. |
| C．They like playing, using their tentacles. |
| D．They have only eight arms around the mouth. |
According to the passage, the scientists located the giant squid ________.
| A．through a remote long-line camera |
| B．by using depth logging system |
| C．by following sperm whales |
| D．by using the bait to attract them |
Among the dead in South Asia’s tsunami① were many tourists at Sri Lanka’s national wildlife park at Yala. But very few of the park’s animals — elephants, buffaloes, monkeys and wild cats — appear to have died. There are theories that animals can sense natural disasters and flee to safety.
First, it’s possible that the animals may have heard the quake before the tsunami hit. The underwater rupture likely produced sound waves known as infrasound② or infrasonic sound. Humans can’t hear infrasound, but many animals including dogs, elephants, tigers and pigeons can.
A second early warning sign the animals might have sensed is ground vibration③. The massive quake would have produced vibrational waves known as Rayleigh waves. These vibrations move through the ground like waves move on the surface of the ocean but faster. They travel at ten times the speed of sound. The Rayleigh waves would have reached SriLanka hours before the water hit. Mammals, birds, insects and spiders can sense Rayleigh waves. So the animals at Yale might have felt the Rayleigh waves and then run to higher ground.
But what about humans? While we can’t hear infrasound, we can feel it, although we don’t necessarily know we’re feeling it. We also experience Rayleigh waves by special sensors in our joints, which exist just for that purpose. Sadly, it seems we don’t pay attention to the information when we get it. Maybe we screen it out because there’s so much going on before our eyes and in our ears. Humans have a lot of things on our minds and usually that works out OK.
Notes:
①tsunami n. 海啸
②infrasound n. 次声
③vibration n. 振动，颤动
Choose the best answers according to the above: Why did few animals at Yala die when the tsunamis that caused a huge number of human deaths hit?
| A．Because the animals were staying at a higher place in the park. |
| B．Because the animals were able to run much faster than human beings. |
| C．Because human beings cannot hear the infrasonic sound. |
| D．Because the animals might have picked up the danger signals and ran away. |
Which of the statements about “Ravleigh waves” is true?
| A．Rayleigh waves are massive vibrational waves that usually cause quakes or tsunamis. |
| B．Rayleigh waves move on the ocean surface at a speed ten times that of sound waves. |
| C．Rayleigh waves can be felt both by animals and human beings. |
| D．Rayleigh waves, just like infrasonic sound, can only be felt by animals. |
When a tsunami hits, it is possible that＿＿＿＿.
| A．we can’t feel the infrasound so we can’t be informed of the danger |
| B．we can feel Rayleigh waves as well as infrasound so we are able to escape the danger like animals |
| C．we were so busy with things on our minds that we feel neither infrasound nor Rayleigh waves |
| D．we think nothing of the information of its coming even though we can also get it |
What does the underlined word “that” in the last sentence refer to?
| A．Screening out the information. |
| B．There being so much going on before our eyes and in our ears. |
| C．Having a lot of things on our minds. |
| D．Paying attention to the information. |