My mother was a household servant. Through her work, she observed that successful people spent a lot more time reading than they did watching television. She announced that my brother and I could only watch two to three pre-selected TV programs during the week. With our free time, we had to read two books each from the Detroit Public Library and write book reports. She would mark them up with check marks. Years later we realized her marks were a ruse. My mother had only received a third-grade education. Although we had no money, between the covers of those books, I could go anywhere, do anything and be anybody.
When I entered high school, I was an A-student, but not for long. I wanted the fancy clothes. I wanted to hang out with the guys. I went form being an A- student to a B- student to a C-student, but I didn’t care.
One night my mother came home and I complained about not having enough shirts. She said, “Okay, I’ll give you all the money I make this week cleaning floors and bathrooms, and you can buy the family food and pay the bills. With everything left over, you can have all the shirts you want.”
I was very pleased with that arrangement but once I got through allocating(分配) money, there was nothing left. I realized my mother was a financial genius to be able to keep a roof over our heads and any kind of food on the table, much less buy clothes.
I also realized that immediate satisfaction wasn’t going to get me anywhere. Success required intellectual(理智的) preparation. I went back to my studies and became an A-student again. I dreamed of becoming a doctor when I was just a kid. And now I have achieved my dream.
Over the years my mother’s changeless faith in God has inspired me, particularly when I found myself faced with my own medical illness. A few years ago I discovered I had a very serious cancer; I was told it might have spread to my spine(脊柱). My mother believed in God very much. She never worried. She said that God would never throw me away forever; there was no way that this was going to be a major problem. The abnormality in spine turned out to be not bad; I was able to have surgery and am cured.
My story is really my mother’s story -a woman little formal education or worldly goods who used her position as a parent to change the lives of her children. The underlined word “ruse” in the first paragraph probably means .
| A.discovery | B.success | C.trick | D.pleasure |
When the author asked his mother to buy him shirts, she .
| A.advised him to earn money by himself |
| B.asked him to try to manage their money |
| C.persuaded him not to buy them patiently |
| D.agreed to buy them for him immediately |
What do we learn about the author?
| A.He now works as a doctor. |
| B.He disliked watching TV as a kid. |
| C.He received little formal education. |
| D.He often did housework when young. |
The underlined word “this” in the last but one paragraph refers to .
| A.God’s throwing me away |
| B.my own medical illness |
| C.the operation on my spine |
| D.my mother’s changeless faith in God |
In writing the passage, the author mainly shows us .
| A.the happy relationships in his family |
| B.the benefits of reading for young children |
| C.the importance of formal education for adults |
| D.his mother’s great influence on his development |
第三部分阅读理解(共16小题;每小题 2 分,满分 32分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
One evening a police officer was driving slowly along a road. He was off duty and was wearing plain clothes.
Suddenly he saw two men running out of a building. He heard someone shouting, “Help! Help! Stop thief!” The police officer was sure that the two men were thieves. He knew he must arrest them. However, he was not only out of uniform (制服) but also unarmed (没有带枪). He knew if he got out of his car and tried to arrest them, at least one of the men would easily escape. The police officer was facing a difficult problem. He knew that he mustn’t let the men escape, but how could he arrest them?
He thought quickly and had an idea. It involved danger and it might not work, but he decided to try.
He drove his car up to the men and stopped beside them. Then he put his head out of the window and asked, “Do you want a lift?”
“Yes, yes,” the men answered, and quickly got into his car. “Please take us to the railway station,” they told him.
“Very good,” the police officer said and drove off. After a few minutes, one of the men cried out, “But this isn’t the way to the railway station. Where are you going?” “I must go this way,” the police officer explained. “There’s a big fire and the traffic is held up. You don’t want to sit in a traffic jam, do you?”
“No, no,” the men agreed. “Please take us the quickest way.”
The next moment, the police officer had pulled up at the police station. He jumped out, shouted for help, and seconds later the two thieves were arrested.
61. How did the police officer decide to try to arrest the two thieves?
A. By telephoning the police for help.
B. By letting them get into his car.
C. By going back to the police station for his gun.
D. By asking people around to help him.
62. The underlined word “involved” means “”.
A. developed B. offered C. stopped D. caused
63. Why did the police officer tell the two thieves to get into his car instead of going to catch them directly?
A. He was afraid he would be beaten by them.
B. He was afraid they would recognize him.
C. He was afraid one of them would escape.
D. He was afraid they would not escape.
64. Soon after the two thieves got into the car they found out that ________.
A. they were not on the way to the railway station
B. the police officer was taking them to the police station
C. they were on the way to the airport
D. they were caught by the policeman
E
When the six very best students from different cities in Guangdong province all together chose universities in Hong Kong; when the very best student of Beijing picked up HK University while giving up the nearby Peking or Tsinghua University; when the highest enrollment(录取) rate of Hong Kong Science and Industry University reached 48:1, it’s the high time to ask where the real education heaven for students in China is.
Years ago, the answer certainly would be “Peking or Tsinghua University”. But now no one could give the exact reaction without hesitation. The only sure thing is that HK universities have gradually showed an unusual attraction to a great many mainland students.
It’s no doubt to call this HK craze(狂热), which is even out of the expectation of those HK universities themselves.
How can HK universities shake the steady foundations of Peking and Tsinghua and attract so many mainland students?
First, Hong Kong universities offer large-amount scholarship, especially for the top students who can receive the sum scholarship as much as 400 000 HK dollars. Since higher education has become a kind of heavy burden of many families, it’s easy to understand why the reaction to the generous offering of HK universities is great.
Second, most HK universities receive professors and students from all over the world and carry out bilingual (双语)education. This kind of excellent language atmosphere is another attraction for mainland students.
Furthermore, university students in Hong Kong have a better chance to study abroad as exchange students.
Can mainland top universities like Peking or Tsinghua University calm as before when facing the unexpected competition from HK? Will they take relevant measures to win back the top students who once help them set the worldwide reputation? Time will explain it.
The fierce competition brought by HK universities can be a good thing for an entire improvement of education in China. After the awakening and action-taking of mainland universities, they can perform better together with HK universities.
At least, it reminded the mainland universities the tuition fees(学费)are among students’ top concern when they are choosing universities. It’s time to move.
72.What is the passage mainly talking about?
A.Some thoughts brought by the enrollment of HK universities.
B.Higher education in Hong Kong.
C.The competition between HK University and Peking University.
D.The fall of mainland universities.
73.Top students from mainland apply for HK universities because________.
A.many students now would love to study abroad to get a better experience
B.they concern only about the tuition fees when shoosing universities
C.HK Universities offer higher scholarship, better environment and more opportunities for their further study
D.Peking university has lost its worldwide reputation
74.What is the author’s attitude toward the competition brought by HK universities?
A.The government should take relevant measures to stop this unfair competition
B.Mainland universities had better lower their tuition fees and win back the top students.
C.Universities both in mainland and in HK would get an entire improvement during the competition.
D.It may probably cause a complete loss to both sides in the end.
75.From the passage we can see HK universities________.
didn’t mean to enroll top students from mainland
B.didn’t expect their enrollment of mainland students would be so popular
C.have strict enrollment rules and only 1out of 48 students can get the chance to study there
D.are proud of their teaching staff and facilities
D
Skyscrapers and domed stadiums can amaze us. These modern “wonders of the world” are great achievements in building. Some skyscrapers stretch more than 100 stories toward the sky. The Sears Tower, the tallest building in Chicago, soars 110 stories above the city. Domed stadiums like the Astrodome in Huston, Texas, have seats for thousands of people. Inside these stadiums, people can watch their favorite sports without the bother of heat, cold, rain, or snow. Modern skyscrapers and domed stadiums are certainly marvelous structures!
On the other hand, our modern buildings may seem small when compared to some structures of the ancient world. Our buildings may be large, hold many people, and protect us from the weather. However, many ancient structures stand as some of the greatest achievements in building. Ancient builders used great creativity and physical strength to plan and complete these buildings. Today, we could make most of these ancient structures easily, but it is hard to understand ho
w people built them hundreds and hundreds of years ago.
Stonehenge is a huge stone circle in Europe. It was built more than 4,000 years ago. The circle has stone slabs that stand up to 30 feet tall. The heaviest stones in the circle weigh about 50 tons. How did people build Stonehenge without cranes or other modern equipment? Scientists have studied Stonehenge for years and think it probably took more than 30 million hours to complete the project.
Tourists in Africa like to see the Great Pyramids of Egypt. These tombs for Egyptian kings were
built over 4,000 years ago. Each tomb has walls shaped like triangles and a square base. The largest pyramid is more than 450 feet tall and contains more than two million stones. Each stone weighs more than two tons. Some of the stones weigh as much as 200 tons. More than 900 workers worked to move the largest stones into place.
The stone faces are unusual structures on Easter Island. The faces are 12 to 20 feet high. Islanders made the stone faces more than 1,000 years ago. We do not know why they built them. There are more than 600 stone faces on the island. The great number of stone faces is surprising, since Easter Island is only 11 miles long and 15 miles wide.
Stonehenge, the Great Pyramids, and the stone faces on Easter Island give only a glimpse of the ancient achievements in building. If we look back through history, we can find many more examples of marvelous structures built without the aid of modern tools and equipment.
68.What is the main idea of this passage?
A.Modern builders have learned a great deal by studying ancient structures.
B.Modern builders have shown great creativity in the structures they have made.
C.Ancient builders could not create structures as great as modern ones.
D.Ancient builders created some of the world’s finest structures without the use of the modern methods or materials.
69.According to the passage, ancient structures are amazing because they were built ______ .
A.in places like Egypt and EuropeB.without the use of modern equipment
C.from stone slabs D.over long periods of time
70.The author of this passage would probably describe the achievements of ancient builders as _____.
A.ordinary B.amazing C.strange D.impossible
71.Which of the following is an OPINION expressed in this pas
sage?
A.The stone slabs at Stonehenge stand up to 30 feet tall.
B.Modern skyscrapers and domed stadiums are certainly marvelous structures.
C.Some ancient structures required 900 workers to complete them.
D.The Sears Tower is 110 stories high.
C
Snoopy and Lou were robbers. Half a year ago, they decided to plan another bank robbery. It was to be their last one. Then they would give up this business and live a comfortable life. The job was so well done that the judge who sent them to prison for fifteen years each said it was the cleverest robbery of the century, and what a pity it was that their car had used up its petrol not far from the bank.
After they were in prison for a few weeks, Snoopy and Lou decided to escape. Soon they worked out a plan as good as any they had ever made. Even the smallest points were considered carefully. They planned as a team because they lived in the same room, and because the guards, who had a great deal of respect for the famous robbers, left them very much alone. They decided the quickest and safest way to escape was to squeeze themselves along a drain form their present workplace in the prison to a quiet country road on the other s
ide of the prison wall.
The great day arrived, and the pair started along the drain. With great difficulty, they squeezed themselves along for what seemed ages. In half an hour , they could see daylight. When they got out, the men were so pleased with themselves at their success that they sloped each other on the back. It was only then that they realized they were not alone. They looked around, they found themselves facing thirty astonished policemen, who were carrying musical instruments of various sorts. The next morning, the same judge seemed very sorry as he told Snoopy and Lou that the plan of the prison drain system, which they had studied so carefully, was more than twenty years old, and that the quiet country road was no longer there. The drain now led directly to the parade ground where the police band had just finished practicing when the two robbers appeared before them.
64.What was Snoopy and Lou’s plan to escape from the prison?
A.They planned to run away while working
in the prison workplace.
B.They planned to climb over the prison wall, on the other side of which was a quiet country road.
C.They planned to crawl along the drain which led to a country road
D.They planned to get to the parade ground through the drain which was empty when the police band was not practicing.
65.Snoopy and Lou failed in their plan to escape because_________.
A.they did not play well before hand
B.they were not quick enough in their action
C.the policemen had been keeping a watchful eye on them
D.the map of the prison drain system they used was out of date
66.According to this article, which of the following statements is true?
A.When Snoopy and Lou went out of the drain, thirty policemen were waiting for them.
B.When Snoopy and Lou found themselves facing thirty policemen, they turned round and ran in the direction of the country road.
C.The policemen caught Snoopy and Lou by chance
D.The policemen were frightened more than surprised when the two robbers suddenly appeared before them
67.It seemed the judge________.
A.admired Snoopy and Lou for their cleverness
B.felt very proud to try the two famous robbers for their crime
C.was very angry at Snoopy and Lou’s breaking the law again and again
D.was sad at Snoopy and Lou’s breaking the law again
B
America has long been considered the land of opportunity(机遇)by those from other countries. Amer
icans, too, believe that the United States gives almost limitless opportunities for those who want to open business on their own.
Today, Americans are still fond of trying their hand at becoming small business people, even though only one out of two survives in the first two years. Many of these people start their business for the wrong reason; to get away from the paper work of their present jobs or to exchange the responsibility(责任) of their present jobs for freer life styles. But more, not less paper work and responsibility come with the ownership of a small business.
Not all small businesses succeed. Fifty percent of the 4 550 000 that start in the United States ever fail. Still ninety-five percent of businesses in the U.S. can be regarded as small, and these businesses altogether produce forty percent of America’s total national products.
60.According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
A.People from other countries and Americans think there are a lot of opportunities in the U.S.
B.On
ly the Americans think the U.S. can give them many opportunities.
C.Both people from other countries and Americans believe they have many opportunities in the U.S so that they can do whatever they like.
D.People from other countries and Americans all think the U.S. the place where they can realize their dreams.
61.From this passage, we know that________.
A.many people from other countries think that in the past there were many opportunities in the U.S. but not now
B.now Americans don’t believe the U.S. can give them a lot of opportunities
C.people from other countries still think they have more opportunities in the U.S. than in their own countries
D.Americans think they have more opportunities to start their own business than those from other countries
62.According to this passage, many American people like to start their own business because___.
A.they want to become rich soon
B.they not only dislike their present jobs but also want a freer life style
C.they don’t want to do paper work
D.they want to have more chances
63.From this passage, we can get the idea that________.
A.it is easy to do business successfully in the U.S
B.it is easy to start a business but hard to make it successful
C.there are more big business t
han small business in the U.S
D.only big business can succeed in the U.S