第三部分阅读技能 (共三节，满分35分)
阅读理解（共12小题；每小题2分，满分24分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
For most people, the word “fashion” means “clothes”. But people may ask the question, “What clothes are in fashion?” And they use the adjective (形容词) “fashionable” in the same way: “She was wearing a fashionable color.”
But of course there are fashions in many things, not only in clothes. There are fashions in holidays, in restaurants, in films and books. There are even fashions in school subjects, jobs…and in languages.
Fashions change as time goes. If you look at pictures of people or things from the past, you will see that fashions have always changed. An English house of 1750 was different from his grandson in 1860.
Today fashions change very quickly. Some of this is natural. We hear about things much more quickly than in the past. Newspapers, radios, telephones and television send information from one country to another in a few hours.
New fashions mean that people will buy new things, so you see there is money in fashion.
41 From this passage we know that “fashion” means _________.
A clothes B many things C most of the popular things D everything
42 Which of the following things is fashionable today?
A Surfing on the Internet
B Having a family dinner on New Year’s Day
C Learning to sing songs on the radio
D Doing morning exercises at school.
43 Today fashions change very quickly because _______.
A People read newspapers every day
B radios send information from one country to another
C new things that people like are often shown on TV
D people quickly learn what is happening in the world
44 “There is money in fashion.” means ________.
A clothes are expensive B money comes from fashion
C people like new things D there are no fashions without money
The home computer industry has been growing rapidly in the United States in the last ten years. Computers used to be large, expensive machines that were very difficult to use. But scientists and technicians have been making them smaller and cheaper while at the same time they have been made easier to use. As a result, their popularity has been increasing as more people have been buying computers for their homes and businesses.
Computers have been designed to store information and compute problems that are difficult for human beings to work out. Some have voices that speak to their operators. Stores use computers to keep records of their inventories and to send bills to their customers. Offices use computers to copy letters, record business and keep in touch with other offices. People also use computers in their homes to keep track of the money they spend.
One important new use of computers is for entertainment. Many new games have been designed to be played on computers. People of all ages play these games. People also buy home computers to watch movies and listen to concerts at home. They have become very popular indeed.Compared with those of today, computers used to ______.
| A．work rapidly | B．be used for fun |
| C．be large and expensive | D．be easy to use |
In recent years, computers have become ______.
| A．more and more difficult to use | B．slower and slower |
| C．more and more expensive | D．smaller and smaller |
Home computers can be used for ______.
| A．doing business | B．writing letters |
| C．playing games | D．all of the above |
Salesmen use computers mainly to ______.
| A．talk with their friends |
| B．write letters |
| C．check the list of goods and send bills |
| D．play games for pleasure |
“When I grow up, I want to be...”
Almost all of us have thought about, or been asked to think about, our future careers. Our answers may differ greatly. Even now your aspirations may have changed from when you were in primary school.
However, it seems career options aren’t only based on personal taste. In a survey carried out by Teens, doctors, lawyers, and bankers were some of most popular careers that people said they hoped to follow. This is in line with a similar survey carried out in the UK in May 2011 by job website monster. Co.uk, in which medicine was the top choice among UK teenagers aged between 13 and 17.
Medicine and law are two of the oldest and best known professions. Their prestige (威望) may come from the fact that doctors and lawyers are some of the most esteemed members of society, and they make good money. Joining these high-profile professions is often seen as a sign of upward social mobility.
It is equally unsurprising that banking is now one of the most common career choices. Youngsters worldwide think of banking and see the money rolling in. Wealth is increasingly becoming one of the most important indicators of a successful career. British young men list the UK tycoon Alan Sugar, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg as their top role models “for their wealth”. Just as Chinese teenagers see being a banker as a good and fun pathway to “wealth”.
However, not every child has the makings of doctor, lawyer, or banker. They are those who see fulfillment and happiness in other areas, and many teenagers dare to ink more individuality into their career options. As the Teens’ survey discovered, a variety of unconventional jobs---coffee shop owner, gourmet(美食家)，waiter at a fast food restaurant---are among teenagers’ career choices. They can be equally interesting and rewarding jobs.
With every choice comes responsibility and challenge, and all career paths require specific education and training, you have to learn to balance optimism and confidence with being realistic about your particular talents and skills.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Careers in teenagers’ mind. |
| B．Choosing a good job is very important. |
| C．Teenagers in the UK like doctors. |
| D．The choice of career needs challenge. |
What is the top career choice among UK teenagers aged between 13 and 17 according to the article?
| A．Medicine | B．Law | C．Bank | D．Education |
According to the article, all of the following are the benefits of being a doctor except_______.
| A．respect from others | B．the oldest profession |
| C．high pay | D．upward social mobility. |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．According to your particular talents and skills, you can choose your favorite career. |
| B．Specific education and training can help get a good job. |
| C．Whatever career you choose, you should balance optimism and confidence with being realistic about your particular talents and skills. |
| D．Responsibility is the most important when you choose a good job. |
For centuries, the body’s blood has been linked closely with the emotions．People who show no human emotions or feelings, are said to be cold-blooded killer．For example, the police are searching for a cold-blooded killer．He seems to kill for no reason, and no emotion, as if taking someone’s life as nothing．
Cold can affect other parts of the body．The expression “get cold feet” has nothing to do with cold or your feet．The expression means being afraid to do something you have decided to do．For example, you agree to be president of an organization．But then you learn that all the other officers have resigned, and all the work of the organization will be your responsibility．You are likely to get cold feet about being president when you understand the situation.
The expression “give someone the cold shoulder” probably comes from the physical act of turning your back toward someone, instead of speaking to him face to face．You may give a cold shoulder to a friend who has not kept a promise he made to you．Or, to someone who has lied about you to others．
A cold fish is not a fish．It is a person．But it is a person who is unfriendly, unemotional and shows no love or warmth．A cold fish does not offer much of himself to anyone．Someone who is a cold fish could be cold-hearted．Now a cold-hearted person is someone who has no sympathy．Several popular songs in recent years were about cold-hearted men or cold-hearted women who, without feelings, broke the hearts of their lovers．
Out in the cold means not getting something that everybody else got．A person might say that everybody but him got a pay raise---he was left out in the cold．And it is not a pleasant place to be．When you refuse to speak to a man and treat him in a distant way, you may express by “_________”．
| A．I give him the cold shoulder |
| B．I think he is a cold-blooded man |
| C．I think he is a cold fish |
| D．I’m likely to get cold feet |
If Sue shows absolutely no reaction to those awful pictures of starving children in Africa, you will say _________．
| A．she is a cold-blooded killer | B．she gets cold feet |
| C．she is a cold fish | D．she is out in the cold |
We can use the expression “__________” to describe a man who abandons or hurts his lover without mercy．
| A．cold-blooded | B．cold shoulder |
| C．cold feet | D．cold-hearted |
The topic of this passage is about _________．
| A．the relationship between cold and our body |
| B．some expressions about friendship |
| C．some expressions connected with cold |
| D．how cold weather comes into being |
Why would an animal kill itself? It seems a strange question, and yet it is one that has made some scientists curious for a long time. For there is a kind of animal called lemming（旅鼠）, that periodically killed themselves together, and no one knows just why!
The small creatures which live in the Scandinavian mountains, feed on a diet of roots and special insects and live in nests they dig underground. When their food supply is large, the lemmings live a normal and undisturbed life.
However, when the lemmings’ food supply becomes too low to support the population, a singular migration（迁徙）begins. The lemmings leave their nests in groups. Great numbers of them begin to travel across the Scandinavian plains, a journey that may last weeks. The lemmings eat everything in their path, continuing their long march until they reach the sea.
The reason for what follows remains unbelievable to naturalists. Upon reaching the coast, the lemmings do not stop but swim by the thousands into the sea. Most stay afloat only a short time before they tire, sink and drown.
A common theory for this mass self-killing is that the lemmings do not realize that the ocean is such a huge body of water in their cross-country journey, the animals must cross many smaller bodies of water, such as rivers and small lakes. They may think that the sea is just another such swimmable path to go through. But no final answer has been found to the strange happening.The passage is mainly about______.
| A．how lemmings find food |
| B．why animals kill themselves |
| C．the lemmings’ self-killing |
| D．the food supply in the Scandinavian mountains |
A reason for the lemmings’ self-killing might be that they______.
| A．go mad from a lack of food |
| B．hope to find fish for food |
| C．decide to reduce the population |
| D．think they can cross the sea |
Why are scientists curious about the lemmings’ behavior?
| A．Because they are the only animals that live in Scandinavia. |
| B．Because it is very unusual for animals to kill themselves. |
| C．Because of the amount of food they can eat on their march to the sea. |
| D．Because they can gather together in such huge numbers. |
The underlined word “singular” means______.
| A．unusual | B．single | C．wonderful | D．common |
Societies all over the world name places in similar ways. Quite often there is no official naming ceremony but places tend to be called names as points of reference by people. Then an organized body steps in and gives the place a name. Often it happens that a place has two names: One is named by the people and the other by the government. As in many areas, old habits died hard, and the place continues to be called by its unofficial name long after the meaning is lost.
Many roads and places in Singapore are named in order that the pioneers will be remembered by future generations. Thus we have names such as Stamford Road and Raffles Place. This is in keeping with traditions in many countries ---- in both the West and the East.
Another way of naming places is naming them after other places. Perhaps they were named to promote friendships between the two places or it could be that the people who used to live there were originally from the places that the roads were named after. The mystery is clearer when we see some of the roads named in former British bases. If you step into Selector Airbase you will see Piccadilly Circus ---- obviously named by some homesick Royal Air Force personnel.
Some places were named after the activities that used to go on at those places. Bras Basah Road is an interesting example, “Base Basah” means “wet rice” in Malay. Now why would anyone want to name a road “Wet Rice Road”? The reason is simple. During the pioneering days, wet rice was laid out to dry along this road.
A few roads in Singapore are named by their shapes. There is “Circular Road” for one. Other roads may have parts of their names to describe their shapes, like “ Paya Lebar Crescent”. This road is called a crescent (月牙) because it begins on the main road, makes a crescent and comes back to join the main road again. We learn from Paragraph 1 that _____.
| A．the government is usually the first to name a place |
| B．a ceremony will be held when a place is named |
| C．people prefer the place names given by the government |
| D．many places tend to have more than one name |
Which of the following places is named after a person?
| A．Selector Airbase. | B．Raffles Place. |
| C．Piccadilly Circus. | D．Paya Lebar Crescent. |
What does the underlined phrase “die hard” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
| A．Change suddenly. | B．Change greatly. |
| C．Disappear very slowly. | D．Disappear quickly. |
Bras Basah Road is named _______.
| A．after a place | B．after an activity |
| C．after a person | D．by its shape |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．The way Singaporeans name their places is unique. |
| B．Some places in Singapore are named for military（军事） purposes. |
| C．Young Singaporeans have forgotten the pioneers. |
| D．Some place names in Singapore are the same as in Britain. |