IV.阅读理解：（第一节15小题，每小题2分；第二节5小题，-优题课

At one time no one could travel on an English road faster than four miles an hour. That was the law until 1896. A man had to walk in front of a car which could not go faster than the man. At night the man had to carry a red lamp.
Once Charles Rolls brought a car from France to England, but he wanted to drive faster than four miles an hour .In order to have no trouble with the police, he had a talk with some of the police officers, who ordered their policemen to look the other way when the car came along the road. This was a good plan in the country, but not so easy to follow in the busy streets of London.
One night Rolls and some friends started from London on their journey to Cambridge. One of the men walked in front with the red lamp, but he walked as fast as he could. The police became very interested in walls and shop-fronts when they heard the car, and not one of them saw it.
They reached a hill; but what a waste of time it was to drive down the hill at four miles an hour! Rolls was getting ready to jump into the car; but then he noticed a policeman who was not looking the other way. The slow car reached him.
“Good evening,” said the policeman, looking at the car.
“Good evening,” said Rolls, holding the lamp.
“One of these horseless things,” said the policeman, looking at it with interest.
“Yes,” said Rolls, and waited.
“I’ve often wanted a ride in one; but of course policemen can’t buy things like that.” He turned and looked hopefully in Rolls’s face.
“Jump in,” said Rolls.
“Thanks,” said the policeman, and did so. “Now,” he said, sitting down, “you can let it go just as you like down this hill. There isn’t another policeman on this road for a mile and a half.”
60．The policemen were told “to look the other way” (the underlined part in Paragraph 2) so that .
A．they could watch the car coming from the other direction
B．the car could go faster than four miles an hour
C．they could make sure no one was in the way
D．the car would not hit them on the road
61．In what way did the policemen carry out the order from their officers?
A．They greeted Rolls when the car came along.
B．They walked in front of the car with a red lamp.
C．They pretended to be attracted by something else.
D．They stood on duty every 1.5 miles along the road.
62．The policeman who said “Good evening” to Rolls wanted to .
A．teach Rolls a lesson B．take a free ride home
C．have a talk with Rolls D．have a car ride experience
63．After the policeman jumped into the car, Rolls .
A．dared not drive the car faster than he was allowed to
B．could drive as fast as he wished within a certain distance
C．could drive on any road he liked for the rest of the journey
D．drove his car as fast as he could down the hill to Cambridge

“Come in, Kim. Have a seat, please,” said Bill Williams, the manager. This was Kim's first experience with an assessment. After only six months he was due for a raise if this assessment was satisfactory.
“Kim,” began Bill Williams, “I am very pleased with the quality of your work. I have nothing but praise for your devotion and your hard work. My only concern is that you are not active enough in putting forward your suggestions.”
“But,” replied Kim, “I have always completed every assignment you have given me. Mr. Williams.”
“I know that, Kim. And please, call me Bill. But what I expect is for you to think independently and introduce new ideas. I need more input from you—more feedback on how things are going. I don’t need a “yes man”. You never tell me what you think. You just smile as though everything is fine.”
“But,” said Kim, “I feel that since you are my superior, it would be presumptuous of me to tell you what to do.”
“I’m not asking you to tell me what to do, but what you think we could do. To make suggestions, I employed you because I respect your experience in this field, but you are not communicating your thoughts to me.”
“Yes. I see. I’m not accustomed to this, but I will try to do as you say…Bill.”
“Good, then, I expect to hear more from you at staff meetings or at any other time you want to discuss an idea with me.”
“Yes, of course. Thank you, Mr. Will…Bill.”
69. Kim is the sort of employee who_______.
A. does not speak out his own ideas B. is not devoted to the job
C. laughs too much over work D. can not finish his work on time
70. The word “presumptuous” in the middle of the passage is closest in meaning to “_____”.
A. full of respect B. too confident and rude
C. lacking in experience D. too shy and quiet
71.From the passage we can learn that______________.
A.Kim has been invited to take charge of the staff meetings
B.the manager appreciates those who just do that he tells them to do
C.the manager is pleased with Kim’s hard word and his suggestions
D.Kim is likely to have a higher salary if he can pass the assessment

The house was quiet at 5 a.m.and Tim' s mother was asleep. Only the sound of the big freezer broke the quiet. He' d dreamt of the cave last night. The purring (轻微颤动声) of the freezer had been the sea.
Tim pulled on a sweater and put some apples into his schoolbag. It was too early for breakfast. He' d eat after he' d been through the cave, sitting on the rocks and staring at the sea.
He wished he had a proper pack. His schoolbag would have to do. What else? Sandwiches-but his mother might wake up if he started pulling out bread for sandwiches, she' d want to know why he had to leave so early. He settled for some biscuits, and left a note stuck to the table:
Gone to Michael' s. Back tonight, Tim.
The sky was high and soft and light outside, though the sun still wasn't up. Even the highway up the hill was quiet as he made his way down the street. The wind from the sea was fresh and sweet.
The sandhills still breathed heat from yesterday' s sun, though the top of the sand was cool. He ran down to the beach impatiently, but there was no one, just dry sand dancing in the early wind and seabirds marching up and down watching the waves.
The light changed suddenly. The first rays of sunlight stretched (延伸) across the sea. The sun was pushing its way over the edge of the world.
Over the first rocks, along to the point. Tim glanced back. The beach was still empty. The sun sailed higher in the sky.
He could see the cave now, even darker in the morning light. The sand turned silver then dark gold as the water flowed away from it. He had to force himself to go closer. Why was it so much more mysterious (神秘的) now? But it would be silly to go back now after so much trouble. He needn't go in all the way...
43. What did Tim do at the beginning of the story?
A. He left the house quietly. B. He had breakfast at home.
C. He left a note on the freezer. D. He put a sweater in his schoolbag.
44. "He settled for some biscuits” ( in Paragraph 3 ) means that Tim_______.
A. had to leave the biscuits on the table B. liked biscuits better than sandwiches
C. had to take biscuits instead of sandwiches D. could only find some biscuits in the kitchen
45. What made it possible for Tim to see the entry to the cave?
A. The height of the first rocks. B. The ups and downs of the waves.
C. The change in the position of the sun. D. The vast stretch of the sunlit beach.
46. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the story?
A. The sea looked like a piece of gold. B. Seabirds flew away when Tim arrived.
C. Tim was the only person on the beach. D. The sky got dark as Tim reached the cave.
47.In the story, Tim' s mood (心情) changed from_________.
A. loneliness to craziness B. anxiousness to excitement
C. helplessness to happiness D. eagerness to nervousness

Last year my sixth-grader daughter ,Elizabeth ,was forced to put up with science .Her education week after week ,contained mindless memorization of big words like “batholith” and “saprophyte” She learned by heart the achievements of famous scientists who did things like “improved nuclear fu-sion（核聚变） “—never mind that she hasn’t the least idea of what nuclear fusion means .Eliza—beth did very well (she’s good at memorizing things ). And now she hates science .My eighth-grader son ,Ben ,also suffered from science education . Week after week he had to perform lab experiments with answers already known .Ben figured out how to guess the right answers ,so he got good grades .Now he hates science ,too.
Science can provide an exciting way to develop children’s curiosity .Science education should teach ways to ask questions and week answers .But my children got the mistaken idea in school than science is difficult dull and has no relation to their everyday interests .
As a physicist ,I am saddened and angered to see “the great science turnoff” I know that science is important in our lives .Yet studies prove that our schools are turning out millions of graduates who know almost nothing about and have almost no interest in science .What’s gone wrong ?Who is to blame ?
58．We learn from paragraph 1 that .
A．the writer was proud of Elizabeth and Ben
B．both Elizabeth and Ben could become scientists
C．Elizabeth had to learn much about great scientists
D．Ben was good at trying new ideas in lab experiments
59．The writer thinks that in science education we should first .
A．get students interested in the subject B．answer students’ questions in delightful ways.
C．smooth out difficulties in lab experiments D．explain the special terms clearly
60．By writing the text ,the author questions .
A．the difficulty level of the science texts B．the way science is taught in school
C．the achievements of famous scientists D．students’ poor records in science classes

Every year on my birthday, from the time I turned 12, a white gardenia was delivered to my house. No card came with it Calls to the flower-shop were not helpful at all. After a while I stopped trying to discover the sender’s name and just delighted in the beautiful white flower in soft pink paper.
But I never stopped imagining who the giver might be. Some of my happiest moments were spent daydreaming about the sender. My mother encouraged these imaginings. She’d ask me if there was someone for whom I had done special kindness. Perhaps it was the old man across the street whose mail I’d delivered during the winter. As a girl, though, I had more fun imagining that it might be a boy I had run into.
One month before my graduation, my father died. I felt so sad that I became completely uninterested in my upcoming graduation dance, and I didn’t care if I had a new dress or not. But my mother, in her own sadness, would not let me miss any of those things. She wanted her children to feel loved and lovable. In truth, my mother wanted her children to see themselves much like the gar-denia-lovely, strong and perfect with perhaps a bit of mystery(神秘).My mother died ten days after I was married. I was 22. That was the year the gardenia stopped coming.
41． Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A．A childhood Dream. B．A Mother’s Love.
C．A Graduation Party. D．A Special Birthday.
42．The mother insisted that her daughter go to the graduation dance because _________.
A．she could take care of things herself B．she hoped she would find a boyfriend
C．she wanted her to be happy and strong D．she thought education was most important
43．Who was the sender of the flower?
A．A boy the writer had run into.B．One of the writer’s neighbors.
C．One of the writer’s classmates. D．The writer’s mother.