It is natural that children are curious (好奇的) about the world around them. For example, they want to know how their hearts beat. They want to know why the ocean water tastes salty.
As children grow up, they become curious about different kinds of things. When they are babies, they are interested in the parts of their bodies and in the smiles of their mothers. They become interested in the physical world around them: the plants, the animals, the sky. Later, they become interested in the things that people have made: wheels, bicycles, cars. And when they are adults, their curiosity continues. Sometimes this curiosity leads to a career (生涯、职业) in science.
Scientists spend their lives trying to find out about the world. Those who work with the earth sciences study the earth, the oceans, and the skies. Other scientists who study living things work with the biological sciences. A third group of scientists study the physical sciences, e. g. physics, chemistry .
These scientists have already discovered a lot about our world. For example, they tell us why your heart beats fast when you run. They say that when you are quiet, your heart normally beats sixty-five or seventy-five times a minute. Your heart is a pump (泵) that pumps blood to all parts of the body. The blood carries oxygen and nutrition. When you run, your muscles work very hard and use the nutrition that the blood carries to them. The muscles need oxygen, too . So your brain sends a signal to the heart. The signal means that the muscles need more nutrition and oxygen. Then the heart beats fast and sends blood quickly to the muscles. It may beat 90 to 140 times a minute.
Of course, scientists cannot answ
er all of our questions. If we ask, “Why does the ocean water taste salty” scientists will say that the salt comes from rocks. When a rock gets very hot or very cold, it cracks. Rain falls into cracks. The rain then carries the salt into the earth and into the rivers. The rivers carry the salt into the ocean. But then we ask , “What happens to the salt in the ocean? The ocean does not get saltier every year.” Scientists are not sure about the answer to this question.
We know a lot about our world, but there are still many answers that we do not have, and we are curious.According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
| A．People are curious in the same way. |
| B．People in different countries are interested in different things. |
| C．Men and women are curious about different things. |
| D．People of different ages are interested in different things |
Scientists who work with the biological sciences study____.
| A．the earth , the oceans and the sky | B．man-made things |
| C．plants and animals | D．ocean water |
When you run, your muscles need ____.
| A．more nutrition and oxygen | B．more signals |
| C．more salt | D．water |
A rock cracks _____.
| A．in wet regions | B．in dry regions |
| C．at very high or very low temperatures | D．when salty water falls in |
People are always curious because ____.
| A．they cannot explain many things | B．they know nothing about the world |
| C．they know little about the world | D．they want to be scientists |
C
One day , Wilson was walking quietly along the road when someone hit him hard on the back of his neck. He looked behind him, and saw a young man whom he had never seen before.
“How dare you hit me like that?” shouted Wilson.
The young man said he had mistaken Wilson for a friend of his and that he thought Wilson was making a lot of noise about nothing.
This insult (侮辱) made Wilson even angrier, of course, and he at once decided to bring the young man before a judge.
Now, the judge, who heard the case was a friend of the young man's father's, and, although he pretended to be quite fair, he was thinking about what he could do to protect the young man from being punished while at the same time not to be appearing unfair.
Finally he said to Wilson, “I understand your feelings in this matter very well. Would you be satisfied if I let you hit the young man as he hit you?”
Wilson said he would not be. The young man had insulted him and should be properly punished.
“Well, then,” said the judge to the young man, “I order you to pay ten coins to Wilson.”
Ten coins was very little for such a crime, but the young man did not have it with him, so the judge allowed him to go and get it.
Wilson waited for him to return with the money. He waited an hour, and then two hours, while the judge took care of other business.
When it was nearly time for the court to close, Wilson chose a moment when the judge was especially busy, came up quietly and hit him hard on the back of the neck. Then he said to him, “I am sorry, but I can’t wait any longer. When the young man comes back, tell him that I have passed my right to the ten coins on to you.”
52. Why did the young man hit Wilson from behind?
A. Wilson had hit him before.
B. He had mistaken Wilson for a friend of his.
C. Wilson was a stranger there.
D. Wilson made a lot of noise when he was walking.
53. The judge thought about how to protect the young man because
A. he thought it a small matter
B. as a judge, he should be fair
C. he thought the man too young to be punished
D. the young man was his friend’s son
54. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
A. The young man was ordered to hit himself as hard as he had done on Wilson.
B Wilson was allowed to hit the young man as hard as he had done.
C. Wilson was allowed to do more insulting on the young man.
D. The young man was ordered to hand a lot of money to Wilson.
55. The best title for this passage is ________.
A. I’ve passed my right on to you B. The judge and Wilson
C. Wilson and the young manD. The young man was set free
B
I started teaching English abroad when I was 22 , soon after I graduated from university. I’m 35 now and have been doing it ever since. If you want to travel the world, there’re a few ways to earn money while you do so. You can pick fruit, pull pints or teach English. The third one has definitely suited me best. I taught in Russia, Argentina, Spain and Slovakia and stayed an average of two years in each country.
Our flat is in the Sanlitun area, not far from the main football stadium , and I work at various schools in the city. The demand for English language teachers is staggering. Basically , if a Chinese person wants a job with an international company such as Hewlett Packard, then English is a must .
In China there’s no shortage of work, though the pay can vary. If you teach English as a second language at an international school, you can earn 22,000 yuan a month, about
￠2,200 or￡1,500. If you’re short of cash, you can always do a bit of extra private tuition, which pays really well—about ￡30 an hour .
The best thing about Beijing is that you aren’t going to be lonely. There’s a huge expat (侨民) community here, mostly based in Sanlitun and growing all the time. I don’t know my way around Dublin or London very well, but I can tell you Beijing is the restaurant capital of the world .
49. Why did the author stay in Beijing to teach English ?
A. He wanted to make a fortune . B. Beijing made a good impression on him .
C. He wanted to live in China for ever . D. He wanted to travel around the world .
50. The underlined word “staggering” in Paragraph 2 means “________”.
A. very weak B. often changing C. great D. unsteady
51. It can be inferred from the passage that the author ____ .
A. often felt lonely in SanlitunB. was satisfied with living in China
C. was very familiar with Dublin D. liked Chinese restaurants best
第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题,每小题2分,满分30分）
第一节：阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该选项标号涂黑。
A
Basic Training: Second Saturday Chef’s Series
For the second year , The University of Arkansas System’s Winthrop Rockefeller Institute is offering hands-on cooking workshops to the public. It begins on Saturday ,October 11 and continues the second Saturday of each month through May 2009 .
This year , the series will be held in the Rockefeller Institute’s new culinary (烹饪的) arts classroom – a large room with seats as well as a large cooking area where Executive Chef Steve Jenkins can demonstrate his techniques to the class. Each class begins at 9 am and ends around 4 pm.
Chef Jenkins will present the following courses:
SOUP’S ON – Oct. 11. 2008
DIP INTO CHOCOLATE – Nov. 8, 2008
THE SAUCY SIDE OF COOKING—Dec. 13,2008
SOMETHING’S FISHY—Jan. 10, 2009
IT’S ALLIN THE DOUGH (面团)—Feb .14,2009
IF YOU LOVE SUSHI (寿司) LIKE I LOVE SUSHI Mar.14,2009
COOL AS A CUCUMBER—Apr. 11,2009
SPICE IT UP . HERB—May 9,2009
Space is limited , and reservations are required. To reserve your place at our table , visit www. Wawri.org or call (501) 727-5435. Overnight Lodging (住宿) is available. Cost: $59— $60 per person .
46. If one wants to learn to make Sushi , he / she can attend the course held on___ .
A. Oct. 11,2008 B. Mar. 14, 2009 C. Dec. 13, 2008 D. May 9,2009
47. What can we learn from this passage ?
The cooking work shops last a year
The cooking work shops are held in the evening .
One needs to book in advance to attend the cooking workshops .
The cooking workshops are held on the second Sunday of every month .
48. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage ?
A. Who will give the presentations .
B. Where the cooking workshops are held .
C. How many seats there are in the classroom .
D. How much one should pay to attend the cooking workshops .
E
In many societies, there is often greater acceptance of light skin than dark skin．Light skin may be seen as a mark of beauty, intelligence and success．These beliefs can lead to social pressure even within the same racial group．As a result, more and more people with dark skin are using skin-lightening products, even if they may face health risks．
Many people believe that having whiter skin will improve their lives．They think they will have a better chance of getting a job or marrying into a better family．Or they want to look like what their society generally considers beautiful．
Some beauty care products contain chemicals that make skin lighter．This process is also called bleaching （漂白）．But some of the chemicals are extremely dangerous．One chemical has been linked to kidney （肾） damage and some kinds of cancer．It also causes low birth weight in babies when used by mothers-to-be．
At first, bleaching products make the skin color lighter．But after long-term use they can cause problems．The chemicals in the products block and break down the natural process that gives color to skin．The skin loses its natural barrier to protect against sunlight．Then the skin can become thick and discolored．Usually the person will use more of the product in an effort to correct the problem, but this only makes it worse．
Fatimata Ly treats skin problems in the Senegalese capital, Dakar．Doctor Ly says skin bleaching has become a problem throughout Senegal．She says the chemicals are now more dangerous because they are stronger．Some cases have resulted in blackened fingernails, infections and permanent skin damage．
And these are not the only risks．Experts say some people who change their skin color suffer emotional damage．They feel regret and sadness．They feel that instead of risking their health, they should have learned to love and accept their skin color as it was．
72．Why has skin lightening become popular all over the world?
A．There are many ways to help change skin color．
B．Many people with dark skin have no confidence．
C．Light skin seems to bring more advantages than dark skin．
D．People with dark skin are facing the pressure from their family．
73．According to the passage, people using bleaching products would risk _____
A．thinner skin B．low weight
C．lung cancer D．emotional damage
74．Which of the following is NOT true about bleaching products?
A．Some of them contain dangerous chemicals．
B．They will not make the skin color lighter．
C．They may cause skin damage．
D．They are likely to bring health risks．
75．The writer's attitude toward using bleaching products is ________．
A．supportive B．positive
C．uncertain D．negative
D
Can it be true that Australian men spend more time during the week brushing their teeth than they do alone with their children?
A new study from the University of New South Wales has discovered that during the working week, Aussie fathers only spend an average of just over a minute each day alone with their children．Australian mothers, on the other hand, spend three hours a week looking after their children — a much
greater disparity （悬殊） than in other countries like America, Denmark, Italy and France, where couples divide the child-care more evenly．
These findings will upset those who want to shake off the perhaps unfair image of Australia as a land of old-fashioned male chauvinism （大男子主义）．
According to the study, Australian fathers appear to like the fun aspects of parenthood, but shy away from the drudgery．So while they tend to be happy taking the kids to the park or to sports events, they are unlikely to participate regularly in feeding, bathing, or taking the kids to school．In short, parenting is seen as a woman's job and a man's hobby in Australia．
Many people believe that in Europe the last twenty years have seen the arrival of the so-called "new man" — the man who is willing to share the housework and child-care．The "new man" never misses his children's school plays and he always gets home in time to read their bedtime story．Indeed, a questionnaire conducted in the UK indicated that almost 70 of British women thought that men were as good at raising children as women．
That's something for Aussie men to think about while they are brushing their teeth!
68．The underlined word "drudgery" refers to ______．
A．enjoyable activity B．easy job C．social responsibilityD．boring work
69．In Australian parenting, ______．
A．both fathers and mothers take it as a hobby
B．neither fathers nor mothers spend enough time on child-care
C．parents don't share the same amount of child-care
D．fathers don't like the kids at all
70．The passage says that the "new man" would ______．
A．go home right after work B．spend more time on their work
C．read stories to their children D．do all the housework
71．According to the passage, Australian fathers should
A．spend more time with their kids B．know more about their family
C．learn from their wivesD．stay at home longer