When you are little, the whole world feels like a big playground. I was living in Conyers, Georgia the summer it all happened. I was a second grader, but my best friend Stephanie was only in the first grade. Both of our parents were at work and most of the time they let us go our own way.
It was a hot afternoon and we decided to have an adventure in Stephanie’s basement. As I opened the basement door, before us lay the biggest room, full of amazing things like guns, dolls, and old clothes. I ran downstairs, and spotted red steel can. It was paint. I looked beyond it and there lay even more paint in bright colors like purple, orange, blue and green.
“Stephanie, I just found us a project for the day. Get some paintbrushes. We are fixing to paint.” She screamed with excitement as I told her of my secret plans and immediately we got to work. We gathered all the brushes we could find and moved all of our materials to my yard. There on the road in front of my house, we painted bit stripes (条纹) of colors across the pavement (人行道). Stripe by stripe, our colors turned into a beautiful rainbow. It was fantastic!
The sun was starting to sink. I saw a car in the distance and jumped up as I recognized the car. It was my mother. I couldn’t wait to show her my 
masterpiece. The car pulled slowly into the driveway and from the look on my mother’s face, I could tell that I was in deep trouble.
My mother shut the car door and walked towards me. Her eyes glaring, she shouted, “What in the world were you thinking? I understood when you made castles out of leaves, and climbed the neighbors’ trees, but this! Come inside right now!” I stood there glaring hack at her for a minute, angry because she had insulted (侮辱) my art.
“Now go clean it up!” Mother and I began cleaning the road. Tears ran down my cheeks as I saw my beautiful rainbow turn into black cement.
Though years have now passed, I still wonder where my rainbow has gone. I wonder if, maybe when I get older, I can find my rainbow and never have to brush it away. I guess we all need sort of rainbow to brighten our lives from time to time and to keep our hopes and dreams colorful. What did the writer want to do when his mother came home?
| A．To introduce Stephanie to her. | B．To prevent her from seeing his painting. |
| C．To put the materials back in the yard. | D．To show his artwork to her. |
In his mother’s eyes, the writer_______.
| A．was a born artist | B．always caused trouble |
| C．was a problem solver | D．worked very hard |
The underlined word “rainbow” in the last paragraph refers to ______.
| A．the rainbow in the sky | B．the stripes on the pavement |
| C．something imaginative and fun | D．important lessons learned in childhood |
It can be learned from the passage that parents should ________.
| A．encourage children to paint | B．value friendship among children |
| C．discover the hidden talent in children | D．protect rather than destroy children’s dreams |
第三部分阅读理解（共15小题，每小题2分，共30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。
Once there was an old man in a town.He always forgot a lot of things.So his wife always had to say to him, “Don’t forget this!”
One day he went on a long trip alone.Before he left home,his wife said, “Now you have all these things.They are what you need for your trip.Take care of your things during the trip.”He went to the station,bought a ticket and got on the train with it.
About half an hour later,the conductor began to check the tickets.He came to the old man and said, “Will you please show me your ticket?”The old man looked for his ticket in all his pockets,but he could not find it.He was very worried. “I can’t find my ticket.Ireally bought a ticket before I got on the train.”said the old man.
“I believe you bought a ticket.All right,you don’t have to buy another one.”said the conductor kindly. “But how can I know where I’m going?----I can’t remember my station!”the old man said sadly.
51.The old man in the story was very__________.
A. kind B.poor C.forgetful D.sad
52.Where is the ticket?
A.The old man forgot to buy it.
B.The old man could not remember where it was.
C.The old man showed it to the conductor.
D.The old man’s wife took the ticket away.
53.The old man bought the ticke__________he got on the train.
A.before B.after C.as D. when
54.The conductor__________the old man.
A.didn’t believe B.laughed at C.believed D.felt soory for
55.The old man was sad because_____________.
A.he sad to buy another ticket B.he lost all the things his wife gave him
C.he did not know where he was D.he did not know where he should get off
Walking down any of Shanghai’s main shopping streets this week, newcomers might think the locals have been celebrating Christmas for centuries. Christmas may not be a customary holiday in China, but businessmen in Shanghai know it will bring something more valuable than tradition: people are willing to spend money. Most Chinese may feel little connection with the Christmas celebration, but with most shops offering discount (折扣), the message couldn’t be clearer-- it is the season to part with one’s hard-earned cash.
Much of that marketing drive is directed towards thousands of foreigners and foreign companies that call Shanghai home. But for Shanghai’s 13 million locals, regardless of personal interest, there seems no avoiding the season’s commercial greetings. Along some major roads, nearly every shop window displays some symbols to the holiday: a man-made fir tree(杉树) with lights, or a snowman.
With an increasing number of westerners arriving in the city for work, young Shanghainese, eager to keep pace with the latest western fashions, have begun to show their interest in Christmas. But some people still don’t think Christmas is an important festival in China. At least it is less important than the New Year and China’s Spring Festival.
72．. Why are people willing to spend money during Christmas?
A. They have earned a lot of money.
B. Goods are much cheaper during this period of time.
C. It is time for shops to sell goods.
D. Businessmen like Christmas.
73．Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Christmas is the season people will hold their hard-earned money tightly.
B. Most Chinese people think they have something to do with Christmas.
C. Christmas is the season for common people to earn money.
D. Few Chinese people feel they are connected with Christmas celebrations.
74． Why do some young Shanghainese show great interest in Christmas?
A. They think themselves connected with Christmas celebrations.
B. They think Christmas is more important than New Year’s Day.
C. They want to follow the up-to-date western fashions.
D. They want to part with their hard-earned cash during Christmas.
75．From the first paragraph we know that _______.
A. It is difficult for most people to earn money.
B. It is easy for most people to earn money.
C. Only foreigners in Shanghai celebrate Christmas.
D. Christmas will be as important as China’s Spring Festival.
Even as Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda wrapped up a tired appearance before Congress，the head of the world’s largest automaker wasn’t leaving his problems behind．
Toyota faces a criminal investigation by federal lawyers in New York．The company is now being investigated．Its US dealerships in difficulty now are facing repairs to potentially millions of customer cars that have been recalled．The company is offering customers money back for rental cars and other expenses．
Its lawyers are busy preparing to cope with lawsuits．A new hearing will be conducted. And the cost to Toyota’s reputation is only now starting．
Despite back-to-back hearings this week，left to be said were a better explanation for slow actions to deal with the faults and believable promises that the problems that led to sudden，unintended accelerations will be fixed．
Toyoda said those changes were being made nearly around the clock，but during three hours of often tense questions and answers he repeated that there was no link to the vehicle’s electronic systems．
Many drivers making complaints against Toyota and the government say their acceleration problems had nothing to do with floor mat interference(油门踏板故障)or sticky gas pedals(刹车)．Outside experts have suggested electronic problems.
House lawmakers expressed serious criticism on Toyoda，the grandson of the company’s founder．
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA)is seeking records on Toyota’s recalls and is conducting its own review on whether electronics were behind the car faults．NHTSA also continues to look into steering complaints from drivers of the popular Corolla model．
Toyota has recalled 8．5 million cars，more than 6 million of them in the United States．
It may be a while before car buyers believe that Toyota really makes safe cars．
Toyota’s January sales already fell 16 percent even as most other automakers jumped back from last year’s bad results．Analyst Koji Endo of Advanced Research Japan in Tokyo said he expects February sales，due out next week，to be down 30 percent to 40．Toyota’s sales problem could continue beyond that．
It will take some time to feel the full effect of this，he said．
68．The best title for this passage is_________．
A．Toyota is in trouble B．Toyota is under hearing
C．Toyota is finished D．Toyota is still running
69．What is the purpose of the hearing?
A．America hopes that Toyota apologizes to the US customers．
B．America wants to get Toyota out of the US market．
C．America wants to help Toyota out of difficulty．
D．America hopes that Toyota admits their cars have electronic system problem．
70．What can we infer from the passage?
A．Toyota provides very good post sale service．
B．Toyota’s biggest market is in the United States．
C．Toyota will be closed soon．
D．Toyota’s dealership in the US will all be closed．
71．The last sentence of this passage indicates______
A．Analyst Koji Endo is fully confident about Toyota
B．Toyota could meet a worse situation
C．Toyota would get out of trouble sooner or later
D．Toyota would build up a better reputation among its customers
Eight days for just￥12，000
Departs：May—October 2007
Includes：
● Return flights from 6 China’s airports to Naples
● Return airport to hotel transport
● Seven nights’accommodation at the 3-star Hotel Nice
● Breakfast
● The service of guides
● Government taxes
Join us for a wonderful holiday in one of the Europe’s most wonderful-Naples in Italy if you want to have a nice time in a beautiful small quiet place．The ancient Romans called the city“happy land”with attractive coastline，colorful towns，splendid views and the warm Mediterranean Sea．Your best choice for a truly memorable holiday!
Choose between the peaceful traditional villages of Sant’ Agata，set on a hillside six miles away from Sorrento，or the more lively and well-known international resort town of Sorrento，with wonderful views over the Bay of Naples．
Breathtaking scenery，famous sights and European restaurants everywhere．From the mysterious Isle of Capri to the hunting ruins of Pompeii，and from the unforgettable“Amalfi Drive”to the delightful resorts of Positano，Sorrento and Ravello，the area is a feast for the eyes! Join us，and you won’t be disappointed!
Price based on two tourists sharing a double room at the Hotel Nice．A single room，another￥2，000．A group of ten college students，￥10，000 for each．
Like to know more ? Telephone Newmarket Air Holidays Ltd on：0845-226-7788（All calls charged at local rates）．
64．All the following are included in the price of ￥12，000 EXCEPT_______．
A．transport between the airport and the hotel
B．telephone calls made by tourists
C．the service of guides to tourists
D．double rooms for every two tourists
65．If you don’t like sharing a room with others，you have to pay__．
A．￥12，000 B．￥10，000 C．￥2，000 D．￥14，000
66．If you like to visit historical sites，which of the following is your best choice?
A．Amalfi． B．Sant’ Agata． C．Pompeii． D．Sorrento．
67．Who is the advertisement intended for?
A．Potential tourists． B．College students．C．Quiet people． D．Old people．
Pushing children too hard is a really big social problem that seems to be getting worse．Now we have 6-month-olds in music classes and swimming classes．Parents fear that if other children are attending these classes，they will be holding their own children back if they do not enroll，too．
The other extreme，simply taking a laissez-faire approach and letting children do—or refuse to do—whatever they want，is not the answer either，of course．
Dr Taylor emphasizes that parents need to push their children based on what is best for the children，not what is best for themselves．If children understand that an activity is in their best interests，then they will accept it, he finds．
Dr Taylor and other family experts remain pessimistic about the possibilities for widespread social change．“The force of our popular culture，driven by money and superficial（表面上的） values，cannot be resisted，” he says．But change can take place at a“micro-level,” in families and schools．
When changes do occur，the rewards can benefit everyone in the family．One mother supporting this new approach toward parenting mentions the advantages her family experienced after her children cut back on activities．“The biggest thing is that since we have done this，we are rested,” she says．“Not only are our kids rested，because they're not in a ton of stuff, but my husband and I are rested，because we're not driving them everywhere．We weren’t living in the moment when we were always busy．We were living by the schedule．The return on our investment of spending time together has been enormous．”
60. One of the reasons why parents push children so hard is that they______.
A. believe in early development in children
B. are too busy to take care of their children
C. don't want their children to lag behindw
D. want to repeat what their parents did to them
61. The phrase“a laissez-faire approach”(in Line 1，Paragraph 2)most probably refers to________.
A. denying them what they need
B. controlling children in a flexible way
C. developing a keen interest in children
D. letting children do whatever they want
62. The best way to encourage children to work hard is_________
A. to make them believe it’s in their best interests
B. to consider the matter from parents' standpointw
C. to emphasize the importance of hard work from time to time
D. to make it interesting and enjoyable to them
63.What the author doesn’t approve of in the essay is _______.
A. achieving a balance between pushing the children too hard and leaving them alone
B. going from one extreme of pushing children too hard to the other of leaving them alone
C. involving children in activity that will probably contribute to their development
D. enrolling them in music and swimming classes at the very early age