第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，满分40分）阅读下-优题课

III 阅读(共两节，满分40分)
第—节阅读理解(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A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I stood outsideNew York's Madison Square Garden and just stared, almost speechless. I was a farm boy from County Kilkenny, a child who some thought would never walk, let alone go as far as I had in the world.
From the day I was born, there was a problem. The doctors at the Dublin hospital told my parents I had phocomelia, a deformity that affected both legs below the knee, which were outward and shorter than normal and each foot had just three toes.
Life was tough. I couldn't stand, much less walk. I rarely left the farmhouse—and then only in someone's arms. Mam bundled me up whenever she took me to town, no matter the season.
"The world will see him when he can walk," she told Dad. "And he willwalk."
Mam devoted herself to helping me. She tried everything to get me on my feet. When I was three, she and Dad took me to a clinic in Dublin.
A few weeks later we returned to Dublin with my artificial limbs (肢). Back home I practiced walking with my new limbs.
"There's nothing anyone can do but you can't," Mam said. "You and I are going to walk through town."
The next day Mam dressed me in my finest clothes. She wore a summer dress and fixed herhair and makeup. Dad drove us to the church. We stepped out of the car. Mam took my hand. "Hold your head up high, now, Ronan," she said.
We walked 300 meters to the post office. It was the farthest I'd walked, and I was sweating from the effort. Then we left the post office and continued down the street, Mam's eyes shining with a mother's pride.
That night, back on our farm, I lay exhausted on my bed. It meant nothing, though, compared to what I'd done on my walk.
Then I began to pursue my dream of singing. And at every step Mam's words came back to me—Ronan, you can do anything anyone else can do—and the faith she had in God, who would help me do it.
I've sung from the grandest stages in Europe, to music played by the world's finest musicians. That night, I stood at the Madison Square Garden, with Mam's words chiming in my ears. Then I began singing. I couldn't feel the pulse of the music in my feet, but I felt it deep in my heart, the same place where Mam's promise lived.
41. What was the problem with the author as a baby?
A. He was expected unable to walk.
B. He was born outward in character.
C. He had a problem with listening.
D. He was shorter than a normal baby.
42. The underlined word “deformity” in the second paragraph most probably means ______.
A. shortcoming B. disadvantage C. disability D. delay
43. Why did Mam dress him and herself in finest clothes?
A. To hide their depressed feeling. B. To indicate it an unusual day.
C. To show off their clothes. D. To celebrate his successful operation.
44. From the story we may conclude that his mother was ______.
A. determined B. stubborn C. generous D. distinguished
45. According to the writer, what mattered most in his success?
A. His consistent effort. B. His talent for music.
C. His countless failures. D. His mother’s promise.

People should be warned against using mobile phones outdoors in stormy weather because they may “be struck by lightning”, according to doctors.
Three experts have described how a teenage girl was struck by lightning while using her phone in a large London park. The girl, aged 15, recovered, but a year later was still wheelchair-bound and found to be suffering complex physical and emotional problems.
The girl also had a perforate eardrum（打孔耳膜）on the side where she had been holding the mobile phone. She was having general recovery in Northwick Park Hospital, Middlesex.
Swinda Esprit, a senior house officer, said that while the brain and muscle damage was similar to that of many lightning victims—who can experience heart attacks on being struck— the ear problems were not.
She said that the damages were particularly relevant for people who might be involved in less serious lightning incidents, who might otherwise recover, but would never get their full hearing back if struck while on the phone.
“We were shocked by the damage, which is why we wanted to draw attention to it,” Dr Esprit said. “A year on and she still was suffering these difficult hearing.”
They added that three other cases had been reported in newspapers in China, South Korea, and Malaysia. In the Malaysian case, a sales executive was killed by lightning while talking on his phone during a thunderstorm near Kuala Lumpur.
“All these events resulted in death,” the doctors wrote. “This rare phenomenon is a public health issue, and education is necessary to stress the risk.”
The Australian Lightning Protection Standard recommends that metallic objects, including cordless or mobile phones, should not be carried outdoors during thunderstorms. However, “the United States National Weather Service says on its website that both are safe to use “because there is no direct path between you and the lightening”.
Paul Taylor, of “the Met Office”, said the ear injuries were a consequence of mobile phones being metal, and not related to radio waves.
Mr. Taylor said that mobile phones should be treated as another piece of metal, similar to carrying coins or wearing rings, and people need to be warned against the possible danger.
51. What do we know about the teenage girl?
A. She was struck by lightning at school.
B. She completely recovered from being struck.
C. She still suffered from mental problems.
D. She had to press her ear all day.
52. It can be inferred that damage done by lightening while using mobile phones ______.
A. is more serious than that when one is not using a mobile phone
B. can be healed quickly except for heart attacks
C. is less serious because the victims can usually recover
D. is mainly in the brain and muscle of the victims
53. Why did doctors stress the risk about using phones outside in lightening?
A. Because more people are faced with it. B. Because some deaths have been caused.
C. Because lightning is harmful for the brain. D. Because a teenage girl got killed.
54. We can infer from the last three paragraphs that ______.
A. both cordless and mobile phones are safe to use outside in lightning
B. there is no direct connection between lightning and ear injuries at all
C. opinions differ as to whether it is safe to use mobiles phones in lightning
D. ear injuries are the result of carrying coins or wearing rings in lightning
55. The purpose in writing this passage is ______.
A. to draw attention to the risk of using mobile phones in lightening
B. to focus on various damages done to lightning victims
C. to tell us the news that a teenage girl was struck by lightning
D. to stress the danger of making phone calls in lightning

Young women are more adventurous than young men when travelling abroad in gap years. One in three female backpackers visits more than three countries during a year out and travels alone, according to new research.
By contrast, the majority of their male counterparts visit only one country and tend to travel in groups, says a survey by the Gap Year company, which provides information and services for students considering taking a year out.
More women than men say that their prime reason for taking time off is to see the world and experience different cultures. Men were more likely to rank “having fun” higher on their list of priorities. Women were more likely to value the challenge of a foreign trip, and many cited reasons such as learning a language and meeting new people.
The more adventurous gap years taken by women seem to work to their benefit: more than three quarters of those surveyed reported increased confidence, self-reliance and independence, whereas only half of the men had that experience.
The research also showed that women were more likely to do voluntary work while travelling, with more than one in ten helping with teaching or development projects. One of the reasons given for this is a wish to see the country in an authentic light.
A greater proportion of women than men faced objections or criticism from their families over their gap-year plans. Among the men surveyed, lack of money was the main barrier to travel.
Carolyn Martin, a doctor from London, was a typically confident female traveller.
Starting in Cape Town, she travelled around southern Africa and Australia with a string of
unusual and sometimes dangerous jobs.
“I had one job chasing elephants off the runway in Africa by banging a stick against a pan,” she recalled. “It was OK but one day I did get chased by one.”
She said that she had travelled alone because “you meet more people”.
46. By referring to “gap year” the writer means ______.
A. a gap you come across after leaving high school
B. a time when you are caught in a dilemma between work and study
C. a period before you find a job upon your graduation from college
D. a year off between high school and college for certain purposes
47. According to the article, ______.
A. most of the women students will travel abroad during the summer holidays
B. one third of the women students will travel abroad in a year
C. women students are more likely to travel abroad alone
D. women students are willing to travel abroad in a group
48. In the third paragraph, the underlined word “priorities” most probably means ______.
A. selections B. attractions C. preferences D. projects
49. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Men students will travel less during the gap year because of their part-time jobs.
B. Women students will travel more but face more objections.
C. The article suggests that women travelling alone will have dangerous experiences.
D. Men students prefer to travel inside their own country to going abroad.
50. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. Girls Get the Best out of Gap Years B. Boys Lack Courage in Gap Years
C. For Fun or for Adventure? D. Young Women Are More Adventurous

Some of Man's closest relatives in the animal kingdom are under serious threat because of human activity, according to a recently published report.
According to the document, almost one in three of all apes and monkeys - that is non-human primate species (灵长类动物) are now considered to be in danger of dying out and disappearing from our planet, if action is not taken soon.
The report, which was produced for the World Conservation Union (WCU), states that 114 of the world's 394 primate species could be lost forever, and the main reason they are threatened is the continuing destruction of forests where most of these animals live. In addition, illegal wildlife trade, climate change and commercial hunting for meat are also pressuring existing primate populations.
What's more, the problem is getting more serious. The number of species on the organization’s Red List - listing those primate species most threatened and in very serious danger of dying out - has increased by 3 to 25 since 2005.
Russell Mittermeier, the chief researcher of the WCU report, said, "You could fit all the surviving members of these 25 species in a single football stadium. So the problem is obviously urgent."
The scientists, who drew up the Red List, believe that the situation is now so bad that if action is not taken immediately, it will result in primate species becoming extinct - something which has not happened in over a century.
The loss of habitat caused by the clearing of forests for wood, farmland and fuel continues to be the main reason for the declining number of primates, according to the report, and the problem was most severe in Asia.
The loss of forest trees is also responsible for approximately 20 percent of all greenhouse gases - more than all the cars, trucks, trains and aeroplanes in the world combined.
Mr. Mittermeier added, "By preserving the world's remaining forests, we save primates and protect other animals while preventing more pollution from entering the atmosphere to warm the climate."
46．What is the main subject of the report discussed in the text?
A．Climate change. B．Loss of animal habitat.
C．Endangered animals. D．Animal protection.
47．According to the text, when did an ape or monkey species last die out?
A．In 1908．B．In 2005.
C．Over a hundred years ago. D．Almost a hundred years ago.
48．How many animals were on the Red List in 2005?
A．19． B．22． C．25． D．28.
49．The spokesman refers to 'a football stadium' in paragraph 5 to stress that ______.
A．the animals enjoy playing sports
B．there are not many of these animals left
C．these animals should be placed there for protection
D．the report was announced there
50．What is the main cause of the greenhouse gas problem according to the text?
A．Aeroplanes.B．Road vehicles.
C．Factory pollution. D．Loss of trees.

I used to watch her from my kitchen window. She seemed so small as she muscled her way through the crowd of boys on the playground. The school was across the street from our home and I would often watch the kids as they played during break. I remember the first day I saw her playing basketball. I watched in wonder as she ran circles around the other kids. She managed to shoot jump shots just over their heads and into the net. The boys always tried to stop her but no one could. I began to notice her at other times, basketball in hand, playing alone.
One day I asked her why she practiced so much. Without a moment of hesitation she said, “I want to go to college. The only way I can go is to get a scholarship. I am going to play college basketball. I want to be the best. My Daddy told me if the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count.” Well, I had to give it to her—she was determined. I watched her through those junior high years and into high school. Every week, she led her school team to victory.
One day in her senior year, I saw her sitting in the grass, head in her arms. I walked across the street and sat down in the cool grass beside her. Quietly I asked what was wrong. “Oh, nothing,” came a soft reply, “I am just too short.” The coach told her that at 5’5” she would probably never get to play for a top ranked team—much less offered a scholarship—so she should stop dreaming about college. She was heartbroken and I felt my own throat tighten as I sensed her disappointment. I asked her if she had talked to her dad about it yet. She told me that her father said those coaches were wrong. They just did not understand the power of a dream. He told her that if she truly wanted a scholarship and that nothing could stop her except one thing — her own attitude.
The next year, as she and her team went to the Northern California Championship game, she was offered a scholarship and on the college team. She was going to get the college education that she had dreamed of.
41．The author was probably the girl’s .
A．neighbor B．grandfather C．mother D．teacher
42．Why was the girl heartbroken?
A．She was considered too short to be a top player.
B．Her coach stopped her training because she did not play well enough.
C．Her father thought that she couldn’t be on a college basketball team.
D．She wouldn’t be admitted by an ideal college for her marks were not good.
43．We can learn from the passage that .
A．her family wouldn’t like to pay her college fee
B．her father forced her to play basketball in collage
C．being a top basketball player can win you a scholarship for college
D．she wouldn’t like to turn to his father for help when in difficulty
44．Which word can best describe her father?
A．Encouraging. B．Strict. C．Stupid. D．Cold.
45．Which proverb best matches the story?
A．Practice makes perfect.
B．Rome was not built in a day.
C．Where there is a will, there is a way.
D．Pride comes before a fall.