The saying that children don’t like reading any more has been proved untrue. A new study finds that 75 percent of kids between five and 17 say that although they love technology, they still want to read books．
The Kids & Family Reading Report also says that 62 percent of kids prefer reading printed books rather than those on a computer．At the same time, those who search an author’s website or use the Internet to find books by a particular author, are more likely to read books for fun every day．
The study also once again proves that the time kids spend reading books for fun decreases after the age of eight and continues to drop through the teen years．The report is a follow-up to a 2006 study．But this time the focus is on the role of technology and when kids’ interest in reading starts to drop．
“Despite the fact that after the age of eight more children go online daily than read for fun daily, high frequency Internet users are more likely to read books for fun every day,” says Heather Carter, a writer of the report．
One in four kids between five and 17 say they read books for fun every day and more than half of kids say they read books for fun at least two to three times a week．One of the key reasons kids say they don’t read more often is that they have trouble finding books they like - a requirement that parents underestimate(低估)．
The study also finds that parents have a strong influence on kids’ reading, but only about half of all parents begin reading to their kids before their first birthday．The percent of children who are read to every day drops from 38 percent among five-to eight-year-olds to 23 percent among nine-to 11-year-olds - exactly the same time that kids’ daily reading for fun starts to drop．
“Parents’ engagement in their child’s reading from birth all the way through the teen years can have a great influence on how often their children read and how much they enjoy reading,” adds Carter．What can we learn from the text?
| A．Children don’t like reading any more after the age of 8. |
| B．Most children like reading as well as going online. |
| C．All kids like reading e – books instead of printed ones. |
| D．Most children like going online instead of reading. |
It can be inferred from the passage that .
| A．the study of kids’ reading has been made before |
| B．most parents begin reading to their kids from their birth |
| C．all kids like to get information using the Internet |
| D．nowadays all children still like to read books |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．The kids who often go online don’t like reading books. |
| B．Parents should teach their kids reading from an early age. |
| C．Sometimes it is difficult for kids to get the books they like. |
| D．When kids get older, parents spend more time with them. |
According to the text, contributes a lot to children’s interest in reading.
| A．the Internet | B．parents’ engagement |
| C．short supply of books | D．new technology |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Do kids still like reading? | B．Kids’ interest in reading drops |
| C．New technology on kids’ reading | D．Parents’ influence on kids’ reading |
Excused from recycling（回收利用） because you live in a high rise with a rubbish chute（垃圾道）? You won't be for long. Miami's Mark Shantzis has made it simple for those living in tall buildings to use the chute and recycle too .
In Shantzis' Hi-Rise Recycling System, a chute leads to a pie-shaped container with six boxes that can turn around when operated. The system, which fits in the same space as the chute and container now in use, enables glass, plastic, paper, metal, and other rubbish to go into separate boxes.
The system is controlled from a board next to the chute door. The board has a button for each class of recycling materials （as well as for unrecyclables）. At the press of a button, a microcomputer locks all other floors' chute door and sets the recycling container turning until the right box comes under the chute. The computer also counts the loads and gives a signal by phone when the box is full. And a particular piece of equipment breaks up the nonrecyclables
Sorting（分类） recyclables before they are collected saves the use of expensive materials recovery equipment which otherwise has to do the sorting. Such equipment often makes recycled materials very expensive, so expensive that tons of recyclables remain wasted. Shantzis believes his system could help recycled materials become more cost-effective.
57．The purpose in writing this text is _________.
A．to encourage people to recycle their rubbish
B．to introduce a recycling system for high rises
C．to describe the use of computer technology in recycling
D．to explain the need for rubbish collection in high rises
58．When he says "You won't be for long" the writer means that _______.
A．you'll soon be living in a cleaner building
B．rubbish chutes will become out of date before long
C．you won't wait long for your turn to recycle rubbish
D．it won't be long before you'll have to recycle your rubbish
59．Before dropping rubbish into the chute you have to ___________
A．lock the other floors' chute doors
B．check if the container is full
C．press the correct button
D．break up the rubbish
60．The biggest advantage of this new system is that _________
A．it readuces the cost of recycling
B．it saves time and space
C．it saves money for people living in high rises
D．it makes better use of the existing recovery equipment
The easy way out isn't always easiest. I learned that lesson when I decided to treat Doug, my husband of one month, to a special meal. I glanced through my cookbook and chose a menu which included homemade bread. Knowing the bread would take time, I started on it as soon as Doug left for work. As I was not experienced in cooking, I thought if a dozen was good, two dozen would be better, so I doubled everything. As Dong loved oranges, I also opened a can of orange and poured it all into the bowl. Soon there was a sticky dough（面团）covered with ugly yellowish marks. realizing I had been defeated, I put the dough in the rubbish bin outside so I wouldn't have to face Doug laughing at my work, I went on preparing the rest of the meal, and, when Doug got home, we sat down to Cornish chicken with rice. He tried to enjoy the meal but seemed disturbed. Twice he got up and went outside, saying he thought he heard a noise. The third time he left, I went to the windows to see what he was doing. Looking out, I saw Doug standing about three feet from the rubbish bin, holding the lid up with a stick and looking into the container. When I came out of the house, he dropped the stick and explained that there was something alive in out rubbish bin. Picking up the stick again, he held the lid up enough for me to see. I felt cold. But I stepped closer and looked harder. Without doubt it was my work. The hot sun had caused the dough to double in size and the fermenting yeast （酵母）made the surface shake and sigh as though it were breathing. I had to admit what the 'living thing 'was and why it was there. I don't know who was more embarrassed（尴尬）by the whole thing ,Doug or me?
44．The writer's purpose in writing this story is ___________
A．to tell an interesting experience
B．to show the easiest way out of a difficulty
C．to describe the trouble facing a newly married woman
D．to explain the difficulty of learning to cook from books
45．Why did the woman's attempt at making the bread turn out to be unsuccessful?
A．The canned orange had gone bad.
B．She didn't use the right kind of flour.
C．The cookbook was hard to understand.
D．She did not follow the directions closely.
46．Why did the woman put the dough in the rubbish bin?
A．She didn't see the use of keeping it
B．She meant to joke with her husband.
C．She didn't want her husband to see it .
D．She hoped it would soon dry in the sun.
47．What made the dough in the rubbish bin make the noise?
A．The rising and falling movement.
B．The strange-looking marks.
C．Its shape. D．Its size.
48．When Doug went out the third time, the woman looked out of the window because she was ______________.
A．surprised at his being interested in the bin
B．afraid that he would discover her secret
C．unhappy that he didn't enjoy the meal
D．curious to know what disturbed him
第二部分阅读理解（共两节；满分50分）
第一节阅读短文（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
New York, 10 November 5：27pm, yesterday. Biggest power failure in the city's history.
*Thousands of people got stuck in lifts. Martin Saltzman spent three hours between the 21st and 22nd floors of the Empire State Building. "There were twelve of us. But no one panicked. We passed the time telling stories and playing word games. One man wanted to smoke but we didn't let him. Firemen finally got us out."
* "It was the best night we've ever had.," said Angela Carraro. who runs an ltalian restaurant on 42nd Street. "We had lots candles on the tables and the waiters were carrying candles on their trays. The place was full and all night, in fact, for after we had closed, we let the people stay on and spend the night here."
* The zoos had their problems like everyone else. Keepers worked through the night. They used blankets to keep flying squirrels and small monkeys warm. While zoos had problems keeping warm, supermarkets had problems keeping cool. "All of our ice cream and frozen foods melted," said the manger of a store in downtown Manhattan. "They were worth $50,0000."
* The big electric clock in the lobby（大厅） of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in downtown Manhattan started（滴答） again at 5：25 this morning. It was almost on time.
41．Throughout the period of darkness, Martin Saltzman and the eleven others were _________.
A．nervous B．excited C．calm D．frightened
42．In what way was the night of November 9 the best night for Angela Carraro ?
A．She had a taste of adventure.
B．Burning candles brightened the place.
C．Business was better than usual.
D．Many people stayed the night in her restaurant.
43．How long did the power failure last?
A．Nearly 12 hours. B．More than 12 hours.
C．Nearly 24 hours. D．More than 24 hours.
The wedding took place in a Birmingham hotel. The bride and her father arrived in a new black American sports car. Her father looked nervous and uncomfortable in front of the cameras. The bride wore a silk wedding dress. She smiled nervously at the waiting photographers and went to a room on the first floor where she met her future husband for the very first time.
Carla Germaine and Greg Cordell were the winners of a radio station's competition. The aim of the competition was to find two strangers prepared to marry without having met each other. Miss Germaine, 23, is a model. Mr. Cordell, 27, is a TV salesman. They were among the two hundred people who entered for a peculiar（古怪的） "experiment" organized by BMRB radio in Birmingham, England. Greg and Carla were among eight finalists who were interviewed live on radio. They took a lie detector (测谎仪）test and the station also spoke to their friends and family about their personalities. The competition judges included an astrologer (占卜家) who declared that they were suited .
The couple celebrated their wedding with a wedding breakfast and a party for 100 guests in the evening, but not everyone shared their joy. Miss Germaine's mother looked anxious throughout the wedding and Mr. Cordell's parents are reported to be less than delighted.
Organizations, including the marriage guidance service Relate, have criticized the marriage. As one expert put it, "we have enough problems getting young people to take marriage seriously without this. Marriage should always be about love. "
The couples are now on a Caribbean honeymoon followed by journalists. Their other prizes include a year's free use of a wonderful apartment in the centre of Birmingham, and a car. But will it last?
72. How did the couple's parents react to the wedding?
A. The bride's mother shared their joy.
B. The bride's father felt comfortable about the wedding.
C. The bridegroom's parents were quite delighted.
D. The bridegroom's parents were not that joyful.
73. Some experts believe that_______.
A. marriage without the couple's meeting each other first ends up in divorce.
B. young people nowadays are too careless about marriage
C. taking a lie detector test can not solve all the marriage problems
D. most young people take marriage seriously except this couple.
74. One of the prizes for the couple is.
A. to spend their honeymoon wherever they like.
B. to use an apartment free for some time.
C. to have a wedding dress free.D. to own an American sports car.
75. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A. Two Strangers and a Wedding. B. A Wedding Based on love.
C. A Short-lived Marriage. D. A Well-Matched Couple.
Should we try to contact and make friends with other beings in the universe? Certainly not，says British physicist Stephen Hawking．
“If aliens（creatures from other planets）ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn’t turn out very well for the Native Americans,’’ said the 68-year-old disabled scientist in a new Discovery documentary (纪实性电视节目) on April 25．
The program pictures an imagined universe where other life forms in huge spaceships hunt for resources after using up all those on their home planets．
“Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads(游牧民)，looking to conquer and colonize whatever planets they can reach，”warned Hawking．
On the probability of other life forms existing, he says, “To my mathematical brain, the numbers alone make thinking about aliens perfectly reasonable.”
Hawking’s concerns have frightened some people and been met with disagreement from other researchers．Paul Davies, author of the book Renewing Our Search for Alien Intelligence，thinks Hawking’s reasoning is wrong.
He argues that since Earth is about 4.5 billion years old，if intel1igent life is likely , communities of other beings may have been there for a very long time．
“If resources are the factor, then at least one group of aliens would surely have visited Earth as a destination mil1ions of years ago．
Even if other life forms do come to Earth in the near future, Davies believes comparisons with are wide of the mark(离谱的).
68. What is the article mainly about?
A. Other life forms coming to our planet．
B. Scientific evidence of other life forms．
C. Earth as the only place where human beings can survive．
D. Hawking’s belief that other life forms may exist in the universe．
69. Which of the following ideas is opposed to Hawking’s view?
A. Other life forms exist in the universe．
B. 0ther life forms may be more intelligent than human beings．
C. We should try to contact other 1ife forms from other planets．
D. Other life forms may exist in more than one part of the universe．
70. Paul Davies didn’t agree with Stephen Hawking ,believing that ________．
A. the universe is running out of resources
B. humans are the best creatures in the universe.
C. it is a good idea to avoid meeting with other life forms
D. Davies doesn’t think it proper to compare aliens with Columbus
71. Hawking referred to Christopher Columbus as an example to ____．
A. inspire interest in the universe
B. draw attention to other planets in the universe
C. warn people to watch out for other life forms
D. urge further exploration of the universe~