第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
Gloria is a famous hostess of a TV station. When she was 15, she happened to walk into a bookstore in her hometown and began looking at the books on the shelves. The man behind the counter, John Smith, asked if she'd like a job. She needed to start saving for college, so she said yes.
Gloria worked after school and during summer vacations, and the job helped pay for her first year of college. During college she would do many other jobs: she served coffee in the student union, was a hotel cleaner and even made maps for the Forest Service. But selling books was one of the most satisfying jobs.
One day a woman came into the bookstore and asked Gloria for books on cancer. The woman seemed anxious. Gloria showed her practically everything they had and found other books they could order. The woman left the store less worried, and Gloria has always remembered the pride she felt in having helped her customer.
Years later, as a television hostess, Gloria heard about a child who was born with problems with his fingers and hand. His family could not afford an operation, and the boy lived in shame, hiding his hand in his pocket all the time.
Gloria persuaded her boss to agree to let her do the story. After the story was broadcast, some doctors called, offering to perform the operation for free.
Gloria visited the boy in the hospital after the operation. The first thing he did was to hold up his repaired hand and say, "Thank you. " What a sweet sense of satisfaction Gloria felt!
At Smith's bookstore, Gloria always realized she was working for the customers, not the store. Today it's the same. The TV station pays her, but she feels that she should work for the people who watch the programmes, helping them understand the world better.
56. When did Gloria get her first job?
A. A few years before college. B. Several years after college.
C When she was studying at college. D. When she was working in the TV station.
57. In which part-time job did Gloria feel the happiest?
A. Cleaning in the hotel. B. Selling books in the bookstore.
C. Serving coffee in the student union. D. Making maps for the Forest Service.
58. How did Gloria help the child get the operation he needed?
A. Her boss agreed to raise money. B. She paid for the operation herself.
C She allowed the boy to show on TV. D. Her news report affected some doctors.
59. What particularly gives her the feeling of pride?
A. Helping people through her work. B. Reporting interesting stories.
C Being able to do different jobs well. D. Paying for her college education herself.
Alia Sabur, from Northport, N. Y., US, went to college at age 10. And four years later, Sabur became a bachelor of science in. Applied Mathematics summa cum laude（以最优等成绩）from Stony Brook University -- the youngest female in US history to do so. Her education continued at Drexel University, where she earned a Master of Science and a Doctor of Philosophy (哲学博士) in Materials Science and Engineering.
With an unlimited future ahead of her, Sabur directed her first career choice to teaching. "I really enjoy teaching," she said. She was three days short of her 19th birthday in February, 2008, when she was hired to become a professor at Konkuk University in Seoul, Korea. This distinction made her the youngest college professor in history, according to the Guinness' Book of Worm Records, beating the previous record held by Colin Maclaurin, a student of Isaac Newton, in 1717.
Although she doesn't start until next month, Sabur has taken up teaching math and physics courses at Southern University in New Orleans. Sabur is old enough to teach in the city, but not to join her fellow professors in a bar after work. In Korea, where the drinking age is 20, she might have more luck. In traditional Korean culture, children are considered to be 1 year old-when they are born, and add a year to their age every New Year instead of their actual birthday, so in Korea Sabur is considered 20.
On top of her unprecedented (空前的) academic achievements, Sabur has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do (跆拳道黑带). She is also a talented clarinet (竖笛) player who has performed with musicians like Lang Lang and Smash Mouth. So is there anything Sabur can't do? We can learn from the passage that Sabur is ________.
| A．America's youngest bachelor of science |
| B．Drexel University's youngest student |
| C．the world'syoungest college professor |
| D．the world's youngest female teacher |
When Sabur was hired as a professor, her actual age is ________.
| A．fourteen | B．eighteen | C．nineteen | D．twenty |
What does the author mean by saying "she might have more luck" (in Paragraph 3)?
| A．Sabur might be permitted to drink in a Korean bar. |
| B．Sabur would be allowed to attend parties in Korea. |
| C．Sabur is old enough to teach at Konkuk University. |
| D．Sabur is lucky to be hired by Konkuk University. |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Alia Sabur is the youngest female doctor from Stony Brook University. |
| B．Colin Maclaurin has once been the youngest college professor in the world. |
| C．In Korea, Alia Sabur is not allowed to drink for she is still underage. |
| D．Alia Sabur knows anything but Tae Kwon Do. |
A group of travelers were having dinner in a restaurant .While they were eating fish, they began to tell stories about finding valuable stones inside fish .
An old man ,who had listened to their conversation quietly ,said at last ,”Now I’m going to tell you a true story of my own .When I was young ,I worked in a large company in London .As is usual with other young people ,I fell in love with a pretty girl .Soon we were engaged .Two months before our marriage ,I was suddenly sent to Edinburgh on business .My stay was a bit longer than I had expected .At last my work was done and I left for home .Before I left Edinburgh , I bought a nice diamond ring for my sweet-heart .On my way to London ,I was looking through a newspaper .It was then that I learned of my sweet-heart’s getting married to another man. I was so sad that I threw the diamond ring into the water. A few days later, when I was eating fish ,I bit on something very hard .What do you think it was?
“The diamond ring ,” shouted his friends . “No,” said the old man sadly ,It was a fish bone.The young man bought a diamond ring ______
| A．soon after he started working in Edinburgh . |
| B．when he got engaged to his sweet-heart . |
| C．after her marriage. |
| D．when he was going to return. |
The man was very angry because _______
| A．he threw away his diamond ring. |
| B．his sweet-heart had married someone else |
| C．he had been away longer than expected |
| D．a hard stone gave him a terrible pain |
The other travelers expected the old man to ____
| A．get back the diamond ring |
| B．bite on a stone |
| C．find a fish bone |
| D．tell an interesting but untrue story. |
One year, my school report made my parents angry. On Christmas Eve, all the presents were stolen, along with our TV. My parents told me that there were no presents because Santa was very angry with my behavior over the past year. The next year on Christmas Eve I slept downstairs with a plastic sword waiting for Santa to make sure that he didn't steal the new TV. The next morning, when I woke up, I saw Santa standing there. As soon as I saw that there were no presents, I grabbed my plastic sword and ran at him, shouting angrily: "THIEF! THIEF!"
Jack
When I was young, we always had a specific room for the Christmas tree. My mom never really liked the location, so one year she moved the tree into another room. I was convinced that Santa would not know where the tree was and would get lost in our house. I was worried that he would be mad and put me on the "bad" list and would not give me any gifts because he couldn't find the tree. I came up with the idea to make signs leading from the fireplace to the tree. They said things like: "Tree this way" or "Santa, put the gifts over here." When my big brother saw them he began to laugh his head off.
Lucy
Does everyone remember going to the mall and sitting on Santa’s lap to have his picture taken at Christmas time?
Well, I used to think that if I did that, Santa would get mad bcause he would have to go all around the world and give every kid the chance to have his picture taken with him. Of course his lap would hurt and he would be very fired. I thought he might keep a copy of the picture and that would be how he decided who would be on his naughty list.
My mom couldn't get me onto Santa's lap until she made him promise I wouldn't end up on his naughty list.
LydiaThe real reason why Jack's TV was taken away is that ______________.
| A．his parents were too careless |
| B．his parents thought he had watched too much TV |
| C．Santa Claus was not satisfied with Jack’s behavior |
| D．Santa gave the TV to another child as a present |
Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons why Lucy didn't want the tree to be moved?
| A．Santa would not know where the tree was. |
| B．Santa would be angry and would not give her any gifts. |
| C．Her big brother might laugh at her. |
| D．Santa might think she was a "bad" child. |
We can learn from the third story that _______________.
| A．Lydia’s mother was very Strict with her |
| B．Lydia believed in Santa when she was young |
| C．Lydia was naughty when she was young |
| D．Lydia liked taking pictures with Santa |
Why didn't Lydia want to take pictures with Santa?
| A．She was afraid that Santa would get mad with her. |
| B．She was afraid that Santa would get too tired and hurt himself. |
| C．She disliked the idea that Santa would keep a copy of her picture. |
| D．She feared that she would appear in the Santa's naughty list. |
I had the meanest mother in the world. While other kids ate candy for breakfast, I had to have eggs and toast. Others had cokes and candy for lunch while I had to eat a sandwich. As you can guess, my supper was different from the other kids’. But at least I was not alone in my suffering. My sister and two brothers had the same mean mother as I did.
My mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. She had to know who our friends were and what we were doing. We had to wear clean clothes every day. Other kids always wore their clothes for days. We reached the height of disgrace(丢脸) because she made our clothes herself, just to save money.
The worst is yet to come. We had to be in bed by 9:00 each night and up at 7:45 the next morning. So while my friends slept, my mother actually had the courage to break Child Labor Law. She made us work. I believed she lay awake all night thinking up mean things to do to us. Through the years, our friends’ report cards had beautiful colors on them, black for passing, red for failing. My mother, however, would merely be content with black marks. None of us was allowed the pleasure of being a dropout.
She forced us to grow up into educated and honest adults. Using this as a background, I’m now trying to bring up my three children. I’m filled with pride when my children think I am mean because now I thank God every day for giving me the meanest mother in the world.From the passage we can learn that the writer’s mother was .
| A．not generous at all |
| B．very strict with her children |
| C．very mean with money matters |
| D．very cruel to her children |
Which of the following things did the writer hate to do most?
| A．Eating differently from other kids. |
| B．Wearing clean clothes made by mother |
| C．Going to bed early and getting up early |
| D．Letting mother know where they were |
It can be inferred from the passage that .
| A．the writer worked hard and usually got good grades in studies |
| B．mother was punished for breaking Child Labor Law |
| C．all the other kids studied better than the writer |
| D．the writer’s family lived a miserable life |
The passage was written in a tone.
| A．humorous | B．hateful | C．unfriendly | D．angry |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Mother tried to save every penny to run her home |
| B．The writer is very grateful to her mother |
| C．The writer is severe with her children when bringing them up |
| D．The wrier hates her mother very much |
One morning, Charley, a little green frog, was sitting in a pond(池塘) by the side of the road.
Wanda, the neighborhood witch(女巫), was walking along the road. She was a good witch and dreamt to become a fairy godmother who can save people from trouble with magic powers. Wanda had been learning fairy godmother magic for 103 years. That morning, she decided to try the magic she had learned and bring happiness to others.
Seeing Wanda, Charley cried, “Hi, Wanda.”
“Hi, Charley,” replied Wanda, “I have a surprise for you.”
Then, Wanda waved her wand(魔杖), said a magic word, and Charley turned into a prince!
When Charley-turned-prince looked at himself in the water, he cried, “Hey! You turned me into a prince! It’s a surprise all right, but I don’t want to be a prince! Change me back right now!”
“Oh, dear,” Wanda said. “you shouted so loud that I forgot the way to change you back. But who wouldn’t rather be a prince?”
“I wouldn’t!” cried Charley. “I want to be a frog!” He stuck out his tongue, missing a bug (虫子) flying by the end of his nose. “Look at that, Wanda! I was a good fly catcher. But now, this tongue is too short! Please change me back!”
“I can’t, Charley. But you’ll learn to be happy as a prince.” She waved her wand, and suddenly a castle appeared. Out of the castle dozens of musicians were playing various instruments. “Charley! You’ll have servants, eat delicious foods, and you can sing and dance and snap fingers(弹响指).”
“No!” Charley interrupted.(打断) “I don’t want all these! I want bugs!” Charley cried. “I don’t want to sing and dance! And why would I do something as silly as snapping my fingers?”
“Snapping fingers!” cried out Wanda. “That’s what I forgot!” She snapped her fingers, cried “Upsi-doodle!” and the castle and musicians disappeared and the prince became a little green frog.”
Charley looked at himself in the water. “ You did it, Wanda. Oh, happy day! I’m a frog.”
“I must apologize, Charley,” Wanda said, “you are a happy frog. I should know this a moment ago.”Wanda turned Charley from a frog into a prince
| A．of her own will |
| B．to play a joke on him |
| C．at the request of charley |
| D．to teach Charley a lesson |
After the little green frog became a prince, he .
| A．was grateful to Wanda | B．Wanted a great palace |
| C．couldn’t recognize Wanda | D．became angry with Wanda |
The underlined part “You did it” in the passage means ““.
| A．You gave me a surprise |
| B．You turned me back into a frog |
| C．You turned me into a prince |
| D．You understood what I meant |
At the end of the story, Wanda probably felt .
| A．satisfied | B．ashamed | C．worried | D．excited |
According to the passage, which of the following conclusions can we get?
| A．Just be yourself |
| B．Do nothing by halves |
| C．Helping others is a virtue |
| D．Where there is a will, there is a way |