Breathe, wave and smile. Along with more than 300 other seniors, I marched into the stadium on the afternoon of May 10. The audience burst into deafening cheers. The huge stadium shook with all the whistling and clapping.
It was as if a Hollywood superstar had walked on stage. And indeed, every single senior that day was a star of the moment. Each deserved it. The seniors had been preparing for four years for this once-in-a-lifetime moment—the commencement (graduation ceremony).
Seated, I waited anxiously for the opening address. As a foreign exchange student, I was not able to receive a diploma. However, I still had the wonderful feeling of being part of things. Like the other graduates, I was dressed in marron cap and gown.
Our principal, Mr. Glover, delivered a short, warm greeting. The US national anthem followed and then, hands on chests, a solemn Pledge of Allegiance(美国的爱国誓言).
Students who had excelled academically gave farewell speeches. The tears in some eyes convinced me that many had deep feelings about the occasion. It was as the class motto says, “Life brings us tears, smiles and memories. The tears dry; the smiles fade; but the memories last forever.”
Then came the core (the most important part) of the commencement. Hundreds of names were announced. Each graduate walked across the stage to receive his or her diploma from the principal. From the different cheers each graduate got, we had the funny sense that it was a kind of competition of who could cheer the loudest.
To be honest, the presentation of diplomas got boring. A girl sitting next to me even started yawning. But it wasn’t boring for those receiving the diploma: they would treasure the moment the principal placed the sacred brown document in their hands for the rest of their lives.
A new page in the book of that person’s life had turned. They were glimpsing their futures: futures of challenge, hardship, perhaps loneliness too, which would take all of their courage.
What’s the article mainly about?
| A．An American high school’s graduation ceremony. |
| B．The opening ceremony of a sports meeting. |
| C．A presentation of college diplomas. |
| D．A US college’s farewell party. |
Which of the following statements about the author is FALSE?
| A．She was one of the graduates. | B．She was a foreign exchange student. |
| C．She was excited to receive her diploma. | D．She felt it great to be at the ceremony. |
The right order of the following events is______.
a. Diplomas were presented to graduates. b. Students gave farewell speeches.
c. The US national anthem was played. d. The principal gave a short, warm speech.
e. Seniors went into the stadium.
| A．b,c,a,d,e | B．c,d,b,e,a | C．d,b,e,a,c | D．e,d,c,b,a |
From the text, we can conclude that_______.
| A．a diploma ensures a good job |
| B．a diploma guarantees a bright future |
| C．the commencement symbolizes the beginning of a new stage in life |
| D．everyone felt excited at the presentation of the diploma |
According to the passage, which of the following statement is true?
| A．Hollywood superstars went to attend the commencement. |
| B．Every single senior became a superstar on the commencement day. |
| C．All graduates would treasure the diploma for the rest of their lives. |
| D．When each graduate got his or her diploma, there were loud cheers. |
三、阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）
第一节（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）
Grandma Moses is among the most famous twentieth-century painters of the United States, yet she did not start painting until she was in her late seventies. As she once said of herself: “I would never sit back in a rocking chair, waiting for someone to help me.” No one could have had a more productive old age.
She was born Anna Mary Robertson on a farm in New York State, one of five boys and five girls. At twelve she left home and was in domestic(家庭的) service until, at twenty-seven, she married Thomas Moses, the hired hand of one of her employers. They farmed most of their lives, first in Virginia and then in New York State, at Eagle Bridge. She had ten children, of whom five survived; her husband died in 1927.
Grandma Moses painted a little as a child and made embroidery(刺绣) pictures as a hobby, but only changed to oils in old age because her hands had become too stiff(硬的) to sew and she wanted to keep busy and pass the time.
Her pictures were first sold at a local market and were soon noticed by a businessman who bought everything she painted. Three of
the pictures exhibited
in the Museum of Modern Art, and in 1940 she had her first exhibition in New York. Between the 1930s and her death she produced some 2,000 pictures: detailed and lively portrayals(描绘) of the country life she had known for so long, with a wonderful sense of colour and form. “I think really hard till I think of something really pretty, and then I paint it.” she said.
36. Accordi
ng to the passage, Grandma Moses began to paint because she wanted to___________
A. make herself beautiful B. keep active
C. earn more money D. become famous
37. The underlined word “survived” means___________.
A. graduated from college B. examined the condition of the house
C. lived longer than the other children D. gave up themselves to the police
38. From Grandma Moses’ description of herself in the first paragraph, it can be inferred that she was______________.
A. independent B. pretty C. rich D. nervous
39. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. Grandma Moses: Her Life and Pictures. B. T
he Children of Grandma Moses.
C. Grandma Moses: Her Best Exhibition. D. Grandma Moses and Other Older Artists.
In Egypt, smoke-filled offices are common along with taxi drivers who light one cigarette after another while stuck in Cairo’s heavy traffic. Non-smoking sections in restaurants are unheard of and water pipes which fill cafes often overflow onto sidewalks, leaving the sweet smell of fruit-flavored tobacco lingeringon the streets.
But some doctors and lawmakers here want to change this culture of Egypt’s. The country’s parliament recently passed laws banning smoking in some public places including government buildings, schools and hospitals. It also calls for health warnings to be put on cigarette packs and allows the government to increase the price of tobacco, according to parliament member Hamdiel-Sayyed, who proposed the new laws. If individuals break the law, they could be fined up to $17. Tobacco factories can be forced to pay about $3
,500, if they don’t follow the law and advertise their products.
Egypt’s laws are modest compared to other countries including Britain and some American cities where smoking in all indoor public places is banned. But they are a start, especially for a country where 80 billion cigarettes are smoked a year. “Part of the objective is to keep children and young people from becoming smoking addicts,” said el-Sayyed.
But in a country burdened by poverty and high unemployment, will the laws be able to force people not to smoke?
Mustafa Ahmed, 25, said laws to ban smoking are a good idea in principle but are not realistic. “Smoking is popular in Egypt. There is a lot of pressure on people here, especially because the economy is bad. People smoke because they think it will relax them.”
Sherif Omar, a parliament member, also has his doubts about the new laws. “Laws by themselves don’t work well unless you have education in schools and in the media,” he said.
59. What does the underlined part “this culture” in the second paragraph refer to?
A. Heavy traffic — a big headache for drivers. B. No non-smoking areas in buildings.
C. The wide-spread smoking habit in Egypt.
D. No effective measures taken to stop smoking.
60. Which of the following is NOT a part of the new laws passed by the parliament?
A. Not allowing tobacco advertising. B. Warning people of the danger of smoking.
C. Allowing the government to increase the price of tobacco.
D. People who break the law will be fined up to $3,500.
61. Compared with Britain, Egypt’s laws _______.
A. will be more effective in reducing smoking B. set stricter limits on smoking
C. do not set very strict limits on smoking D. will not be effective
62. According to Sherif Omar, the new laws are hard to carry out because _______.
A. Egyptians face high work pressure B. Egyptians are addicted to smoking
C. many people are strongly against these laws
D. people don’t receive anti-smoking education
63. What would be the best title of the passage?
A. Egypt starts to ban smoking everywhere.
B. Egypt attempts to control smoking in public places.
C. Egypt’s laws increase people’s sense of health.
D. Egypt’s laws aren’t supported by the common people.
A volcanic eruption in Iceland has sent ash across northern Europe. Airlines have stopped or changed the flights across the Atlantic Ocean, leaving hundreds of passengers stuck in airports.
Grimsvotn is one of the largest and most active volcanoes in Europe. What makes Grimsvotn different is that it lies under a huge glacier of ice up to12 meters thick. The hot volcano heats up the ice above it, which then forms a layer of water between the glacier and the volcano. This layer of water puts pressure on the volcano, keeping it stable. As the water flows out from the volcano then comes up to the surface. This is exactly what happened today.
Now, airlines have to make changes to their flights so as not to fly through the clouds of volcanic ash. According to KLM, one of Europe’s biggest airlines, airplanes cannot go under the cloud or over it. Going through the cloud can result in the ash getting stuck in the airplane’s engines, causing damage to the plane.
The eruption has also caused problems for animals in Iceland. The volcano left ash and sharp, glass-like rocks all over the country side. Farmers are keeping their animals inside to stop them from eating ash-covered grass or the sharp objects.
55.What makes Grimsvoth different from other volcanoes?
A. It is below ice. B. It lies under the sea.
C. It is the largest volcano. D. Its lava affects airlines.
56.What keeps Grimsvotn still?
A. The slow flow of water. B. The low water temperature
C. The thick glacier. D. The water pressure.
57.Which of the following is the result of the volcanic eruption?
A. People stop traveling in Europe. B. Airlines suffer from the loss of planes.
C. It becomes dangerous for animals to eat outside.
D. Farmers have lost many of their animals.
58. This text is most probably taken from ______
A. a research paper B. a newspaper report
C. a textbook D. a geography textbook
You Mi, a lovely and confident 17-year-old student, is the first Chinese high school student to appear on the cover of the popular young adults’ fashion magazine Seventeen.
“You is IN,” said Wang Lihua, Editor-in-Chief of Seventeen. “She is active and mature because of her knowledge on everything from academic studies, to books on art, to movies. We found she’s the very style we’re looking for to represent young people’s attitudes.”
You also impressed Wang with her fluent English when they first met last year. As the hostess of an English broadcasting programme at the High School Affiliated to Renmin University, You is always praised for speaking English almost like a native speaker. “I’ve built up my English by watching thousands of English DVDs since I was 10,” she explained.
But for You, watching isn’t enough. Last year, while in Senior 1, she met a talented boy who showed self-made DV movies at the English Corner in her school.
“I thought it was so cool and I knew that I should start making my own films,” she said. So she wrote a campus story, persuaded schoolmates to star in it and then began shooting a 30-minute DV movie, all in English. “I played one of the leading roles, actually I was everything in my film. I worked on it every single day during the SARS holidays,” she recalled. The movie finally became a big hit on campus, earning You a strong reputation as a DV movie director.
But this is not the only field she wants to master. Despite being a science student, You likes art, literature and fashion design very much.
“There are people who can be artists, there are people who edit books, and there are people who become film producers. But I just hope to mix all the things up!” she said. “There is an old saying I believe: Chance favours only the prepared mind.”
51. You Mi was chosen to be a cover of Seventeen, mainly bec
ause she _____.
A. is beautiful B. she is lovely and full of confidence
C. is active and ma
ture D. has rich knowledge
52. The author mentioned a talented boy to show _____.
A. the great influence he had on You Mi
B. he was admired by his schoolmates
C. the young can 
do things as well as the adults do
D. self-made DV movies are popular at school
53.In the 30-minute DV movie, You Mi didn’t act as a(n) _____.
A. director B. musician C. actress D. producer
54. We can learn from the passage that _____.
A. You Mi hopes to be a mixed talent
B. the success of a 30-minute DV movie shocked You Mi
C. You Mi dreams of becoming a scientist
D. the outbreak of SARS delayed You Mi’s studies
四、阅读理解（共16小题；每小题2分，满
分32分）
| LOST AND FOUND |
ROOMATES |
| FOUND: Cat, 6 months old, black and white marking. Found near Linden and South U.Steve, 800---4661 |
FEMAL ROOMATE WANTED Own room near campus. Available December 1st. Rent $80 per month until March 1st.$129 there after. Call Jill for details,800—7839. |
| LOST: Gold wire rim glasses in brown case. Campus area. Reward. Call Gregg 800---2896 |
NEED PERSON to assume lease for own bedroom in apt. near campus, $92/mo. Starting Jan. 1st. Call 800---6157 after 5:00 |
| FOR SAIL |
HELP WANTED |
| MOVING: Must sell. TV b/w2 seconds, $50; AM/FM transistor radio A/c or battery, $15;cassette tape recorder,$10; music records.Call John or Pat, 800—0739 after 5 or weekends. |
BABYSITTER-MY HOME If you are available a few hours during the day, some evenings and occasional weekends to care for 2 school-age children, please call Gayle Moore days 800—1111, evenings and weekends 800—4964. |
| USED FUR COATS and JACKETS GOOD CONDITION. $50---¥125. Call 800---0436 after 12 noon. |
WAITRESS WANTED: 10 a.m.—2 p.m. or 10:30 a.m.---5 p.m. Apply in person, 207 s. Mai.Curtis Restaurant. |
48. If you want a job of taking care of children, which ad will you answer?
A.LOST AND FOUND B. ROOMMATES C. FOR SAIL D.HELP WANTED
49. You will call____ if you want to buy a radio.
A. 800---0436 B. 800—0739 C.800—4661 D.800—4964
50. If your aunt wants to rent a room from Feb.1st to Apri.1st, how much money should she pay?
A. $160 B. $ 129 C. $ 209 D. $418