第三部分：阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40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。
“Dad! He took a book without paying!” I yelled .
My father looked surprised. Before the boy could say anything, his mother grabbed his arm and shook it. “Is it true? You stole? Tell me!”
Everyone was quiet. The boy began to cry, and he nodded his head. He pulled out the comic book (漫画书) from under his shirt.
“Oh, Mr. Kim. I am sorry! My Ted made a big mistake!” Mrs. Diaz told my father. She tried to take the comic book, but Ted wouldn’t let go.
“It’s OK. He can keep it,” my father said with a smile.
“Oh no,” Mrs. Diaz said. “Let me pay right now ...” She dug in her purse. “How much?”
“Three seventy-five.”
Mrs. Diaz’s eyes widened, and she dug deeper. I saw her mouth make a small line. “Three seventy-five?” she asked.
“It’s OK. You can pay later,” my father said.
“No,” Mrs. Diaz said. She kept looking in her purse. “I have money here.”
I felt bad for yelling, for I realized that Ted had tried to steal the comic book because he didn’t have the money. Maybe the boy could have a job, I thought.
I had an idea.
“What if he worked with me?” I asked. They turned to me.
I said, “He can work with me to pay for the comic book.”
“Good,” my father said smiling at me. Mrs. Diaz nodded. She turned to her son, “You hear? You will work and buy the comic book!”
“Yes, Mama,” Ted said, hanging his head.
As they left, Ted looked back, and though he still seemed sad, he stuck out (伸出) his tongue at me.
Ted has been working here for two weeks. He has paid for the comic book, but my father says he is such a good worker that he can work with me as long as he wants. We are friends now.
56. Where did the story most probably take place?
A. In a classroom. B. In a supermarket.
C. At a bookstore. D. At a library.
57. By saying “but Ted wouldn’t let go” in Paragraph 4, the author means Ted ______.
A. took the book by mistake B. wanted to keep the book
C. didn’t want to go home D. didn’t think he was wrong
58. From the underlined sentences in the eighth paragraph, we may infer that Mrs. Diaz ______.
A. didn’t think her son stole the book
B. had been out of work for a long time
C. forgot to take money with her that day
D. couldn’t afford to pay for the book
59. In the last paragraph, what does the author mainly tell?
A. His idea was successful. B. Ted didn’t like the job.
C. He liked Ted very much. D. Ted was a naughty boy.
When I was 9, we packed up our home in Los Angeles and arrived at Heathrow, London on a gray January morning. Everyone in the family settled quickly into the city except me. Without my beloved beaches and endless blue-sky days, I felt at a loss and out of place. Until I made a discovery.
Southbank, at an eastern bend in the Thames, is the center of British skateboarding, where the continuous crashing of skateboards left your head ringing .I loved it. I soon made friends with the local skaters. We spoke our own language. And my favorite: Safe. Safe meant cool. It meant hello. It meant don't worry about it. Once, when trying a certain trick on the beam（横杆）, I fell onto the stones, damaging a nerve in my hand, and Toby came over, helping me up: Safe, man. Safe. A few minutes later, when I landed the trick, my friends beat their boards loud, shouting: " Safe! Safe! Safe!" And that's what mattered-landing tricks, being a good skater.
When I was 15, my family moved to Washington. I tried skateboarding there, but the locals were far less welcoming. Within a couple of years, I'd given it up.
When I returned to London in 2004, I found myself wandering down to Southbank, spending hours there. I've traveled back several times since, most recently this past spring. The day was cold but clear: tourists and Londoners stopped to watch the skaters. Weaving（穿梭）among the kids who rushed by on their boards, I found my way to the beam. Then a rail-thin teenager, in a baggy white T-shirt, skidded（滑）up to the beam. He sat next to me. He seemed not to notice the man next to him. But soon I caught a few of his glances. "I was a local here 20 years ago," I told him. Then, slowly, he began to nod his head. "Safe, man. Safe."
"Yeah," I said. "Safe."
8. What can we learn about the author soon after he moved to London?
| A． |
He felt disappointed. |
B． |
He gave up his hobby. |
| C． |
He liked the weather there. |
D． |
He had disagreements with his family. |
9. What do the underlined words "Safe! Safe! Safe!" probably mean?
| A． |
Be careful! |
B． |
Well done! |
C． |
No way! |
D． |
Don't worry! |
10. Why did the author like to spend time in Southbank when he returned to London?
| A． |
To join the skateboarding. |
B． |
To make new friends. |
| C． |
To learn more tricks. |
D． |
To relive his childhood days |
11. What message does the author seem to convey in the text?
| A． |
Children should learn a second language. |
| B． |
Sport is necessary for children's health. |
| C． |
Children need a sense of belonging |
| D． |
Seeing the world is a must for children. |
Port Lympne Reserve, which runs a breeding（繁育）programme, has welcomed the arrival of a rare black rhino calf（犀牛幼息）.When the tiny creature arrived on January 31. she became the 40th black rhino to be born at the reserve. And officials at Port Lympne were delighted with the new arrival, especially as black rhinos are known for being difficult to breed in captivity（圈养）.
Paul Beer, head of rhino section at Port Lympne, said: "Obviously we're all absolutely delighted to welcome another calf to our black rhino family. She's healthy, strong and already eager to play and explore. Her mother, Solio, is a first-time mum and she is doing a fantastic job. It's still a little too cold for them to go out into the open, but as soon as the weather warms up. I have no doubt that the little one will be out and about exploring and playing every day."
The adorable female calf is the second black rhino born this year at the reserve, but it is too early to tell if the calves will make good candidates to be returned to protected areas of the wild. The first rhino to be born at Port Lympne arrived on January 5 to first-time mother Kisima and weighed about 32 kg. His mother, grandmother and great grandmother were all born at the reserve and still live there.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, the global black rhino population has dropped as low as 5500, giving the rhinos a "critically endangered" status.
4. Which of the following best describes the breeding programme?
| A． |
Costly. |
B． |
Controversial. |
C． |
Ambitious. |
D． |
Successful. |
5. What does Paul Beer say about the new-born rhino?
| A． |
She loves staying with her mother. |
B． |
She dislikes outdoor activities. |
| C． |
She is in good condition |
D． |
She is sensitive to heat. |
6. What similar experience do Solio and Kisima have?
| A． |
They had their first born in January. B .They enjoyed exploring new places |
B． | |
| C． |
They lived with their grandmothers. |
D． |
They were brought to the reserve young |
7. What can be inferred about Porn-Lympne Reserve?
| A． |
The rhino section will be open to the public. |
| B． |
It aims to control the number of the animals. |
| C． |
It will continue to work with the World Wildlife Fund. |
| D． |
Some of its rhinos may be sent to the protected wild areas. |
A Take a view, the Landscape（风景）Photographer of the Year Award, was the idea of Charlie Waite, one of today's most respected landscape photographers.Each year, the high standard of entries has shown that the Awards are the perfect platform to showcase the very best photography of the British landscape.Take a view is a desirable annual competition for photographers from all comers of the UK and beyond.
|
Mike Shepherd (2011) Skiddaw in Winter Cumbria, England |
It was an extremely cold winter's evening and freezing fog hung in the air. I climbed to the top of a small rise and realised that the mist was little more than a few feet deep, and though it was only a short climb, I found myself completely above it and looking at a wonderfully clear view of Skiddaw with the sum setting in the west. I used classical techniques, translated from my college days spent in the darkroom into Photoshop, to achieve the black-and-white image（图像）. |
|
Timothy Smith (2014) Macclesfield Forest Cheshire, England |
I was back in my home town of Macclesfield to take some winter images. Walking up a path through the forest towards Shutlingsloe. a local high point, I came across a small clearing and immediately noticed the dead yellow grasses set against the fresh snow. The small pine added to the interest and I placed it centrally to take the view from the foreground right through into the forest. |
1. Who would most probably enter for Take a view?
| A． |
Writers. |
B． |
Photographers. |
C． |
Painters. |
D． |
Tourists. |
2. What do the works by Shepherd and Smith have in common?
| A． |
They are winter images. |
| B． |
They are in black and white. |
| C． |
They show mountainous scenes. |
| D． |
They focus on snow-covered forests. |
3. Where can the text be found?
| A． |
In a history book. |
B． |
In a novel. |
C． |
In an art magazine. |
D． |
In a biography. |
Challenging work that requires lots of analytical thinking，planning and other managerial skills might help your brain stay sharp as you age，a study published Wednesday in the journal Neurology suggests．
Researchers from the University of Leipzig in Germany gathered more than 1，000 retired workers who were over age 75 and assessed the volunteers' memory and thinking skills through a battery of tests．Then，for eight years，the scientists asked the same group to come back to the lab every 18 months to take the same sorts of tests．
Those who had held mentally stimulating（刺激），demanding jobs before retirement tended to do the best on the tests．And they tended to lose cognitive（认知）function at a much slower rate than those with the least mentally challenging jobs．The results held true even after the scientists accounted for the participants' overall health status．
"This works just like physical exercise，" says Francisca Then，who led the study．"After a long run，you may feel like you're in pain，you may feel tired．But it makes you fit．After a long day at work﹣sure，you will feel tired，but it can help your brain stay healthy．"
It's not just corporate jobs，or even paid work that can help keep your brain fit．Then points out．A waiter's job，for example，that requires multitasking，teamwork and decision﹣making could be just as stimulating as any high﹣level office work．And "running a family household requires high﹣level planning and coordinating（协调），" she says．"You have to organize the activities of the children and take care of the bills and groceries．"
Of course，our brains can decline as we grow older for lots of reasons﹣including other environmental influences or genetic factors．Still，continuing to challenge yourself mentally and keeping your mind busy can only help．
（1）Why did the scientists ask the volunteers to take the tests？
| A． |
To assess their health status． |
| B． |
To evaluate their work habits． |
| C． |
To analyze their personality． |
| D． |
To measure their mental ability． |
（2）How does Francisca Then explain her findings in paragraph 4？
| A． |
By using an expert's words． |
| B． |
By making a comparison． |
| C． |
By referring to another study． |
| D． |
By introducing a concept． |
（3）Which of the following is the best title for the text？
| A． |
Retired Workers Can Pick Up New Skills |
| B． |
Old People Should Take Challenging Jobs |
| C． |
Your Tough Job Might Help Keep You Sharp |
| D． |
Cognitive Function May Decline As You Age |
The traffic signals along Factoria Boulevard in Bellevue，Washington，generally don't flash the same length of green twice in a row，especially at rush hour．At 9：30am，the full red/yellow/green signal cycle might be 140 seconds．By 9：33am，a burst of additional traffic might push it to 145 seconds．Less traffic at 9：37am could push it down to 135．Just like the traffic itself，the timing of the signals changes．
Thatis by design．Bellevue，a fast﹣growing city just east of Seattle，uses a system that is gaining popularity around the US：intersection（十字路口）signals that can adjust in real time to traffic conditions．These lights，known as adaptive signals，have led to significant declines in both the trouble and cost of travels between work and home．
"Adaptive signals can make sure that the traffic demand that is there is being addressed，" says Alex Stevanovic，a researcher at Florida Atlantic University．
For all of Bellevue's success，adaptive signals are not a cure﹣all for jammed roadways．Kevin Balke，a research engineer at the Texas A&M University Transportation Institute，says that while smart lights can be particularly beneficial for some cities，others are so jammed that only a sharp reduction in the number of cars on the road will make a meaningful difference．"It's not going to fix everything，but adaptive signals have some benefits for smaller cities，" he says．
In Bellevue，the switch to adaptive signals has been a lesson in the value of welcoming new approaches．In the past，there was often an automatic reaction to increased traffic：just widen the roads，says Mark Poch，the Bellevue Transportation Department's traffic engineering manager．Now he hopes that other cities will consider making their streets run smarter instead of just making them bigger．
（1）What does the underlined word "that" in paragraph 2 refer to？
| A． |
Increased length of green lights． |
| B． |
Shortened traffic signal cycle． |
| C． |
Flexible timing of traffic signals． |
| D． |
Smooth traffic flow on the road． |
（2）What does Kevin Balke say about adaptive signals？
| A． |
They work better on broad roads． |
| B． |
They should be used in other cities． |
| C． |
They have greatly reduced traffic on the road． |
| D． |
They are less helpful in cities seriously jammed． |
（3）What can we learn from Bellevue's success？
| A． |
It is rewarding to try new things． |
| B． |
The old methods still work today． |
| C． |
It pays to put theory into practice． |
| D． |
The simplest way is the best way． |