Parents whose children show a special interest in a sport feel very difficult to make a decision about their children’s careers．Should they allow their children to train to become top sportsmen and sportswomen? For many children it means starting schoolwork very young．And going out with friends and other interests have to take a second place．It’s very difficult to explain to a young child why he or she has to train five hours a day, even at the weekend, when most of his or her friends are playing．
Another problem is of course money, In many countries money for training is available from government for the very best young sportsmen and sportswomen．If this help can not be given, it means that it is the parents who have to find the time and the money to support their child’s development and sports clothes, transport to competitions, special equipment, etc．All can be expensive．
Many parents are worried that it is dangerous to start serious training in a sport at an early age．Some doctors agree that young muscles may be damaged by training before they are properly developed．Professional trainers, however, believe that it is only by training when young that you can reach the top as successful sports person．It is clear that very few people do reach the top, and both parents and children should be prepared for failure even after many years of training．Where can we most probably find this passage?
| A．An advertisement． | B．A diary． |
| C．A newspaper． | D．A notice board． |
What does the underlined phrase “to take a second place ”in the first paragraph mean?
| A．to become less important |
| B．To put it at another place |
| C．To happen again |
| D．They are the most important of all the things |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．It’s easy to make a decision when your children want to take up sports． |
| B．Most of the students may become top sports men after a long period of training． |
| C．Early training may damage young muscles． |
| D．It’s not very expensive for parents to support their children’s development in sports． |
三、阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下面短文，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的标号涂黑。
A
I remember a day when I was a little kid. I was making a sandwich in the kitchen when I noticed the date on one of the wine bottles.
"Dad, dad!" I cried. "This wine is too old to drink."
"Son, hold on," he said.
"No, you can't drink this tonight! This bottle of wine was made 10 years ago."
"Wait, let me tell you..."
"Would you like me to throw it away for you?" I asked.
"Son, wait a second," he said. "Son, some wines get better over time. The longer you wait to drink it, the better it will be. Although this may seem strange, it is true."
When I was young, I didn't have any understanding of what this meant, but now, this would have been very helpful to remember as I went through my teenage years.
In our society, we forget this simple role: The longer you wait for certain things, the better they will be. But we want the best job as quickly as possible; we want to graduate from college in as few years as possible; we even speed through our homework just to chat with friends. When we do this, we lose something of great importance.
We all want to get to the next step so quickly that perhaps we don't get ready enough to get there. This has a negative effect on our society. When trying to go to the right college, we will do anything to get in and when we rush through our class－work, we may not study enough for the test, and end up failing. We need to be ready for whatever comes, ready for the unexpected. Wine gets better over time, so do the things in our paths of life.
56．Why did the author tell his father not to drink the bottle of wine?
A．Because it smelt terrible.
B．Because it was mixed with something else.
C．Because his father drank too much that night.
D．Because it had been kept for years.
57．What the author's father said______.
A．made the author puzzled when he was a little child
B．was too simple a rule to be meaningful to the author
C．threw the author into deep thought then
D．was an excuse to drink the wine
58．In the author's opinion, if we do things too quickly we will______.
A．do it better B．save much time
C．graduate from college more quickly D．miss something useful to us in life
59．Which of the following best reflects the main idea of the passage?
A．Well begun is half done. B．More haste, less speed.
C．Failure is the mother of success. D．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.
E
The Diet Zone: A Dangerous Place
Diet Coke, diet Pepsi, diet pills, no-fat diet, vegetable diet… We are surrounded by the word "diet" everywhere we look and listen. We have so easily been attracted by the promise and potential of diet products that we have stopped thinking about what diet products are doing to us. We are paying for products that harm us psychologically and physically(身体上).
Diet products significantly weaken us psychologically. On one level, we are not allowing our brain to admit that our weight problems lie not in actually losing the weight, but in controlling the consumption of fatty, high-calorie, unhealthy foods. Diet products allow us to jump over the thinking stage and go straight for the scale (秤) instead. All we have to do is to swallow or recognize the word "diet" in food labels.
On another level, diet products have greater psychological effects. Every time we have a zero-calorie drink, we are telling ourselves without our awareness that we don't have to work to get results. Diet products make people believe that gain comes without pain, and that life can be without resistance and struggle.
The danger of diet products lies not only in the psychological effects they have on us, but also in the physical harm that they cause. Diet foods can indirectly harm our bodies because consuming them instead of healthy foods means we are preventing our bodies from having basic nutrients(营养成分). Diet foods and diet pills contain zero calorie only because the diet industry has created chemicals to produce these wonder products. Diet products may not be nutritional, and the chemical that go into diet products are potentially dangerous.
Now that we are aware of the effects that diet products have on us, it is time to seriously think about buying them. Losing weight lies in the power of minds, not in the power of chemicals. Once we realize this, we will be much better able to resist diet products, and therefore prevent the psychological harm that comes from using them.
56．From Paragraph 1, we learn that______.
A．diet products fail to bring out people's potential
B．people have difficulty in choosing diet products
C．diet products are misleading people
D．people are fed up with diet products
57．One psychological effect of diet products is that people tend to______.
A．try out a variety of diet foods
B．hesitate before they enjoy diet foods
C．pay attention to their own eating habits
D．watch their weight rather than their diet
58．In Paragraph 3, "gain comes without pain" probably means______.
A．losing weight is effortless
B．it costs a lot to lose weight
C．diet products bring no pain
D．diet products are free from calories
59．Diet products indirectly harm people physically because such products______.
A．are over-consumed B．lack basic nutrients
C．are short of chemicals D．provide too much energy
60．Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
D
When American students graduate from college, they must find jobs for themselves. But often they get help from their college and university. Every college has a career counseling office. The people who work there help students learn about different kinds of jobs and the chances for employment. Students can discuss their first year of college. Some use the information a counselor gives them when deciding what subjects to study.
For example, a girl student wants to be an engineer, but she does not know what kind. The counselor can tell the girl that, when she graduates in four years, there will be more jobs for structural engineers than for chemical engineers. Therefore, the student may study structural engineering.
The career counseling office also communicates with local and national companies. Company officials often visit the university to talk to students who want to work for them. The career counseling offices arrange these meetings for the company and the students. They also have classes for students. They teach the students how to find a job such as what to say to company officials and how to write letters telling about themselves.
Experts say that American students who are employed when they finish college usually find jobs in their own field of study. Those who must search for months after graduation usually take lower paid jobs, and their jobs are not connected to what they studied in college. The experts foretell that in coming years there will be more jobs for healthy workers, financial experts, teachers and computer scientists.
52．According to the passage, a career counselor______.
A．helps students pass the examinations successfully
B．helps student find well-paid jobs
C．provides students with information about various opportunities
D．helps students find full-time jobs
53．A career counseling office does all the following jobs except______.
A．providing jobs information for college graduates
B．communicating with local and national companies
C．arranging meetings between companies and universities
D．teaching students special skills
54．Those who spend months hunting jobs after graduation usually______.
A．can find well-paid jobs
B．have to take part-time jobs
C．find lower-paid jobs in the fields not connected to his own
D．can find jobs in their own fields of study
55．What's the best title for this passage?
A．American University Graduates.
B．Finding Jobs after Graduation.
C．Well-paid Jobs for University Graduates.
D．Future Jobs.
C
Driving in a foreign country is always different in at least some ways from driving in your own country. Here are some general points regarding driving in New Zealand.
● Visitors wishing to drive in New Zealand do not require an international driver's licenses but are required to carry their local driver's license whenever driving.
● Vehicles drive on the left-hand side of the road as they do in Britain, Australia, and Japan. Most rental vehicles will have a sticker reminding you of this important fact.
● When the traffic light is red, you must stop. There is no left turn rule as in North America.
● New Zealand road rules follow international standards but please note that in New Zealand vehicles turning left must give way to traffic turning right.
● In general, if you are turning left (where there are give-way signs or no signs), give way to vehicles that not turning. In all other situations, give way to vehicles crossing or coming from your right.
● Scat belts must be worn at all times while driving in New Zealand. This stands for the driver and passengers. The driver is responsible for ensuring all passengers are wearing their seatbelts.
● Do not drink alcohol before driving in New Zealand－drinking and driving laws are strictly enforced.
● Speed limits are in kilometers per hour (kph), not miles per hour (mph).
Speed conversion: 1 kph equals 0.621mph; 1 mph equals 1.61 kph.
● The speed limit on the open road is 100km/h. In towns and cities the speed limit is 50km/h. Be sure to obey all school crossing speed reductions as speed cameras operate regularly throughout New Zealand.
For further information and up to date road conditions visit: http://www. transit. govt. nz
49．What can be learned from the passage?
A．A passenger's not wearing the seat belt has little to do with the driver.
B．There will be a reminder for driver to remember to drive on the left side.
C．Cars passing a school in towns should drive at a speed of less than 31 mph.
D．A foreign driver is expected to have a driving license issued by New Zealand.
50．Which of the following statements correctly explains road rules in New Zealand?
A．In Figure 1, Car B must give way to Car A.
B．In Figure 2, Car B must give way to Car A.
C．In Figure 3, Car B must give way to Car A.
D．In Figure 4, Car B must give way to Car A.
51．This passage is most likely______.
A．a travel brochure for locals
B．a website travel introduction
C．an advertisement of travel
D．a travel column in a geographical magazine
B
London: It's well known that Charles Darwin's famous theory of evolution (进化) annoyed many people because it was against the Biblical view of creation. But few know that it also created problems for Darwin at home with his deeply religious wife, Emma.
"Darwin held back the publication of On the Origin of Species to avoid offending (触怒) his wife," says Ruth Padel, the naturalist's great－great－granddaughter. "Emma told him that he seemed to be putting God further and further off", Padel says in her north London home. "But they talked it through, and Emma once said, ‘Don’t change any of your ideas for fear of hurting, me.’ ”
As the world celebrates the 200th birthday of the man who changed scientific thought forever and the 150th anniversary of his book today, even his opponents admitted he was a giant figure.
Though opposition to his theory, continues, it is the elegant explanation of how species evolutes through natural selection that makes his 200th birthday such a major event.
More than 300 celebrations have been planned in Britain alone, where Darwin's face graces (使增光) the 10－pound bill along with that of Queen Elizabeth II.
Shrewsbury, the central England town where Darwin was born and raised, is holding a month-long festival for its most famous son. Down House, his former home near London, will hold a permanent exhibition recreating some of his most famous experiments.
Many more events have been planned all over the world.
What would he be doing if he were alive today? Padel thinks he would properly be studying DNA and the immune system.
45．The main purpose of the author is______.
A．to say something about Darwin and his wife
B．to introduce Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution
C．to sing high praise for the book On the Origin of Species
D．to report some celebrations of Darwin's 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of his books
46．Which of the statements is NOT true based on the passage?
A．Everyone agrees with Darwin now.
B．Darwin was brought up in Shrewsbury.
C．Emma was not really fond of his theory.
D．Darwin was very interested in living things.
47．The underlined phrase "held back" in the second paragraph probably means______.
A．prevented from B．kept a secret
C．cared about D．put off
48．It can be inferred that the passage is most probably______.
A．a scientific report B．a news report
C．an English composition D．a text