Reading to dogs is an unusual way to help children improve their literacy skills (读写能力)With their shining brown eyes, wagging tails, and unconditional love, dogs can provide the nonjudgmental listeners needed for a beginning reader to gain confidence (自信心) , according to Intermountain Therapy Animals (ITA) in Salt Lake City. The group says it is the first program in the country to use dogs to help develop literacy in children, with the introduction of Reading Education Assistance Dogs (READ).
The Salt Lake City Public Library is sold on the idea. “Literacy specialists admit that children who read below the level of their fellow pupils are often afraid of reading aloud in a group, often have lower self-respect, and regard reading as a headache,” said Lisa Myron, manager of the children’s department.
Last November the two groups started “Dog Day Afternoon” in the children’s department of the main library. About 25 children attended each of the four Saturday-afternoon classes, reading for half an hour. Those who attended three of the four classes received a “pawgraphed” book at the last class.
The program was so successful that the library plans to repeat it in April, according to Dana Thumpowsky, public relations manager. What is mainly discussed in the text?
A.Children’s reading difficulties. | B.Advantages of raising dogs. |
C.Service in a public library. | D.A special reading program. |
Specialists use dogs to listen to children reading because they think _______.
A.dogs are young children’s best friends |
B.children can play with dogs while reading |
C.dogs can provide encouragement for shy children |
D.children and dogs understand each other |
By saying “The Salt Lake City Public Library is sold on the idea”, the writer means the library_______.
A.uses dogs to attract children | B.accepts the idea put forward by ITA |
C.has opened a children's department | D.has decided to train some dogs |
A “pawgraphed” book is most probably _______.
A.a book used in Saturday classes | B.a book written by the children |
C.a prize for the children | D.a gift from parent |
LONDON, England(CNN)--- The youngest person to sail solo around the world returned home Thursday from his 30,000-mile, 282-day ocean journey.
Mike Perham, 17, sailed into Lizard Point in Cornwall, the southernmost point in Britain, at 9:47 a.m., his race team said.
“It feels absolutely brilliant,” Mike told CNN by phone hours before crossing the finishing line. “I’m really, really excited to be going across the line at last. It doesn't feel like long since I crossed it first.”
Mike set off on his round-the-world trip on November 18, 2008. He has been sailing his yacht(游艇), single-handedly, though a support team has been sailing next to him along the way.
The teen has now achieved the title of Youngest Sailor to Circumnavigate the Globe Solo, according to the Guinness World Records.
Mike learned how to sail when he was seven years old from his father, Peter and at age 14, he sailed across the Atlantic alone.
The teenager’s school --- which Mike describes as “highly supportive” of his trip --- has redesigned his coursework to fit in with his trip. It also gave him some coursework to do during “quiet moments,” according to Mike’s Web site.
There haven’t been many of those quiet moments. Repeated autopilot failures forced him to stop for repairs in Portugal, the Canary Islands, South Africa, and twice in Australia, according to his Web site.
Bad weather in the Southern Ocean --- between Australia and Antarctica --- forced Mike to battle 50ft waves and 57 mph winds. He said at one point, a “freak wave” picked up the boat and turned it on its side.
“My feet were on the ceiling at the time,” he told CNN. “That was a really hairy moment, and I was certainly thinking, ‘Why am I here?’ But we took the sails off and the day after I thought, ‘This is brilliant!’”
Mike describes his father as his biggest hero, always supportive of what he wanted to achieve. Peter Perham said he wasn't too worried about his son facing dangerous situations at sea, as long as he knew what to do and stayed safe.
67. Mike Perham returned to Britain in _______ .
A. August B. September C. October D. November
68. Mike Perham is _______ that went on the round-the-world trip in the world up till now.
A. the first B. the bravest C. the luckiest D. the youngest
69. We can infer from the passage that _______ .
A. the English school is the same as ours
B. the English school doesn’t care for students
C. the English school has a humane management
D. the English school gives students a lot of course work
70. According to the passage, Mike did anything EXCEPT _______ on his trip.
A. regret B. worry C. abandon D. fear
71. The passage mainly tells us _______ .
A. Mike’s exciting sail trip around the globe
B. how Mike’s father taught him to sail a boat
C. why CNN wanted to report the news to the public
D. the introduction of the Guinness World Records
All plant cells are capable of taking up water. Even dead ones do to a certain degree. Absorption(吸收)of water by dead cell walls makes wood become larger. In common land plants, the living cells of roots take up most of the water. Land plants without roots do exist, however. Those greenish-yellow lichens(苔藓)you see on rocks in the high mountains have no roots. Half a billion years ago, when water plants started to enter the land, the first land plants did not have roots.
Even among the flowering plants, one finds rootless forms. These flowering plants are “the higher plants” because they evolved(进化)recently and are thus considered higher on the evolutionary scale(进化度). In the Peruvian desert, there grows one of these rootless higher plants, a bromeliad. It is a relative of the pineapple. Even if this plant had roots, they would be of no use, because where the plant grows, it never rains. The plant gets its water only from the dew(露水)it collects at night, when its leaves cool off. Such rootless plants, of course, can be moved with ease, but they will only grow when they are placed out in the open. If they are placed too near a house, the radiation from the heat of the house prevents the leaves from cooling and so prevents dew from forming, and the plant dies. In the southern United States and in Puerto Rico, one sees bromeliads growing high above the streets on the insulation(绝缘物)of electric wires. These plants get their water from rain, and the only soil they ever come in contact with is the dust that may blow on their leaves.
64.From the passage we know that the evolutionary scale is graded according to _______ .
A. evolutionary cycles B. heights and depths
C. time D. kinds
65.The “bromeliad” is a plant that _______ .
A.has useless roots B. is a pineapple
C.can grow anywhere D. takes up water through its leaves
66.The most suitable title for this passage is “_______ ”.
A. Absorption of water by plants B. Rootless plants
C. Plants in the desert D. Higher plants
The resounding film Avatar has been very popular in the UK and around the world, becoming the fastest film ever to earn $1bn(7bn yuan) in ticket sales.
But as well as being an entertaining feast for the eyes, the sci-fi epic(叙事诗)also introduces the audience to a brand new language invented especially for the film.
The movie is set on an alien planet called Pandora which is inhabited by many strange species. The most humanoid of the planet’s inhabitants are the Na’vi, and it is the struggle between the Na’vi and human invader that forms the main story of the film.
The film has been released in 2D and 3D versions.
In order to add a sense of reality to his vision of an alien race the film’s director James Cameron asked a professor of language form the University of Southern California to invent a language for the Na’ vi.
Professor Paul Frommer worked with James Cameron for four years to build upon the original 30 words or so that the director had already come up with for the language.
According to Professor Frommer, the most important aspect of the Na’ vi language was that it could be pronounced.
“This is an alien language but obviously it has to be spoken by human actors,” Professor Frommer told the BBC, “it has to be sounds that human beings are comfortable producing.”
The language currently has around 1,000 words but Professor Frommer hopes to expand it in possible sequels(续集)to the film and in video games.
The professor hopes that one day his creation will have a high level of the Klingon alien language from the Star Trek films.
“There’s a translation of Hamlet into Klingon,” says Professor Frommer.
“If anything happened like this with Na’vi, I’d be delighted.”
60. The underlined word “resounding” in Paragraph 1 means _______ .
A. later B. scientific C. hit D. surprising
61. Which of the following is Right according to the passage?
A. A kind of new language was invented especially for the film.
B. The film Avatar is as good as a film as the Star Trek.
C. The creation in Alien Language is different from that in human beings.
D. Avatar is one of an excellent films invented by Pandora.
62. The most challenging part in the creation of the language is _______ .
A. that Professor Frommer needs to create 1,000 words for the film Avatar by himself
B. that the language is based on that of the Alien planet called Pandora
C. that James Cameron introduces a new style of language to the audience
D. that an Alien language is created to be spoken by human beings
63. We can infer from the passage that _______ .
A. the film Avatar has been released in 2D and 3D versions
B. the most important aspect of the Na’vi language was that it could be pronounced
C. Professor Paul Frommer believes his language creation in the film Avatar is very successful
D. Professor Paul Frommer worked with James Cameron for four years for a sense of reality of the film
第三部分阅读理解(共20小题,每小题2分,满分40分)
Welcome to the National Maritime Museum!
The National Maritime Museum is the largest of its kind in the world, with over two million items in its collections. Twenty galleries display some of the finest sea affairs in historic buildings, which were formerly a school for the sons of seamen.
Opening times
10:00 – 17:00 Winter hours
10:00 – 18:00 Summer hours
Last admission is thirty minutes before closing. Smoking is not allowed in the museum. Eating and drinking are only allowed in the designated areas. Photography and video are not permitted inside the building.
Bookings
Our Central Booking Group handles all group visit enquiries, from schools, group organizers and tour operators.
Education and Interpretation(解说)
Schools’ programs operate in term-time. Programs of talks, tours, work-shops, storytelling, living history and interpretation are run throughout the year, especially at weekends and during school holidays.
E-library
Facilities are provided for electronic access to the Museum’s collections. Please ask a member of staff for directions to the nearest terminals (终端). These facilities are also available from the comfort of your own home.
56. This passage mainly tells us _______ the museum.
A. the way to get to B. the purpose to build
C. a brief introduction to D. a detailed description of
57. Which of the following is certainly forbidden according to the passage?
A. Trying to enter the museum after 5:00 p.m.
B. Taking pictures in front of the museum.
C. Talking loudly when you enjoy the collections.
D. Eating and drinking wherever you are.
58. From the passage we can learn that _______ .
A. the museum runs a school and has students of its own
B. students can receive different kinds of education here
C. part of school education has to be done in the museum
D. school programs are only run at weekends and on holidays
59. It can be inferred from the passage that _______ .
A. the museum is very popular among visitors
B. things from ancient times are more attractive
C. the most valuable things are displayed in the museum
D. the museum is anxious to make more money
A week ago, I had the great pleasure of reading an e-book, When Money Talks, Listen! by Rich Ezzo. It took only about an hour to read.
When I first received a copy, I thought it was a Get Rich Quick-type of publication. Nothing is wrong with Getting Rich Quick, but my mind just doesn't chase after dreams of wealth. I think that if God ever wants me to be rich, he knows where to find my purse.
When I began reading When Money Talks, Listen! I was overjoyed to find that Rich Ezzo isn’t money hungry either. He, too, is hungry for things far more important than money.
Since I love this e-book so much, why wait a week to write the review (书评)? Simple. I wanted to see if the effect it had on me was a keeper. After reading the last word of the e-book, I totally agreed with the subtitle which promised to forever change the way we thought about money. I had so many thoughts running around my mind that 1 had to install (安装) a stop light to stop some while others made their way into the picture, then I yield (使让路) them as a few new ones arrived in town. I had a mental traffic jam, which only goes to show how slow the traffic usually is.
It has been a week and the effect is the same. I truly do look at money different and have even done a few things differently this week. This is an e-book you'll want to read, I promise. I often recommend boos to my daughters, and this is one that I didn't just "suggest" – I left it open at the bottom of the computer and told each one, "Read it you'll love it."
I would never point someone in a direction I wouldn't go myself. I urge you to visit the author’s website, Myster Money, and to download the e-book. You won’t regret it.
72. What's the purpose of this passage?
A. To strongly recommend an e-book. B. To show the author’s attitude towards money.
C. To introduce the general idea of an e-book. D. To point out Rich Ezzo isn’t money hungry.
73. The author didn't write the review as soon as he finished reading tile book because ________.
A. he was too excited to write anything
B. he was not sure whether he liked the book
C. he had to wait for Rich Ezzo's permission
D. he wondered if the book would influence him
74. By saying the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4, the author probably ________.
A. shows that the book brought him many new thoughts
B. shows how bad the traffic is in town
C. describes the difficulty in understanding the book
D. explains it's hard to change one ' s attitude to money
75. Which of the following is supported by the passage?
A. The author has known Rich Ezzo before.
B. The author hasn't dreamed of getting rich immediately.
C. The author always prefers e-books to paper books.
D. The author likes Get Rich Quick-type of publications.