At 7:49 a.m. local time on Wednesday, April 14th, a huge earthquake struck Yushu County in Qinghai, China, described as “end of the earth” in a famous poem of the Tang Dynasty.
The earthquake destroyed many houses, cut off power and caused over 2,000 deaths and injuries. On the night when the earthquake happened, many survivors had to sit or lie on the ground in terrible darkness. Some brought their own tents and others turned on the lights of motorcycles. It seemed that the earth was at an end. But their natural character made them get together to fight the early spring’s cold nights. Facing the disaster, they chose to be stronger and standing still and firmly like Yushu, the name of their hometown meaning “Standing like Trees”.
The disaster drew much attention both at home and abroad. Our country leaders ordered rescuers（营救人员） to value every life and never to give up. Thousands of rescuers and medical teams rushed to Yushu from many areas of China, bringing machines, medicines and something necessary to the quake-hit town. They entered every village to search for survivors. Governments, organizations and volunteers are offering money and materials to the areas.
We believe that under the leadership of the Central Government, people in the disaster areas are sure to restore production and rebuild homeland as soon as possible. And the overall victory can be achieved in the earthquake rescue work.
In Paragraph 2, the writer refers to the meaning of “Yushu” to show that _______.
| A．the strong trees stand still to fight the early spring’s cold nights |
| B．some trees were cut down to make tents to live through the disaster |
| C．the big tree standing still brings the local people good luck |
| D．people there are brave and strong when facing the earthquake |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
| A．Yushu, a young town, was destroyed in the terrible earthquake. |
| B．A huge earthquake once hit Yushu County in the Tang Dynasty. |
| C．The whole nation does its best to help rebuild the new homeland. |
| D．There was still electricity after the earthquake struck the town. |
The underlined word “restore” in Paragraph 4 probably means _______.
| A．战胜 | B．储存 | C．恢复 | D．修理 |
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
Most children, even the youngest of children, are delighted to be around cats and dogs. But these pets carry plenty of germs and allergens(过敏原), prompting researchers to ask: Are cats and dogs really safe for children?
A study finds that, contrary to many parents’ fears, owning cats or dogs does not increase a child’s risk of developing allergies, and in fact, may actually protect them. The study’s lead author, Dr. Dennis Ownby of the Medical College of Georgia, said that even he was “very surprised” by the results. Ownby and colleagues followed more than 470 children from birth to age 6 or 7, comparing those exposed to cats and dogs during their first years of life to those who were not.
By using skin-prick tests for detecting common allergies, the researchers found that, contrary to what many doctors had been taught for years, children who had lived with a pet were not at greater risk.
Even more remarkable, children who had two or more dogs or cats had an even greater reduction, up to 77 percent, in risk of allergies. Researchers suggest this protective effect may be the result of early exposure to lots of bacteria that are carried by dogs and cats. Exposing young children to these bacteria helps “exercise” their immune（免疫的） systems early in life so that they’re better able to resist allergic diseases later.
“There’s something very important in the first years of life when the immune system is developing that we can retrain it away from an allergic response,” said Dr. William Davis.
And while researchers are not encouraging parents to buy dogs or cats just to reduce a child’s allergy risk, they say if a family already has one or more animals, there’s no need to get rid of them.
56．Why do the researchers feel “very surprised” by the results of the study?
A. Because the results are contrary to what they have expected.
B. Because so many families are going to get rid of their cats and dogs.
C. Because parents are so much worried about their children.
D. Because children with animals may develop allergies easily.
57．Compared with children who have pets, those who haven’t ________.
A. will lose the chance to develop immune system
B. may suffer allergic diseases more often
C. will reduce the harm from bacteria
D. are more likely to resist allergic diseases
58.．It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A. pets are ill-treated by their owners
B. fewer families would like to own cats and dogs
C. keeping pets is a good way to keep children healthy
D. the results of the study can make families with pets feel at ease
59．The underlined word “it” in the fifth paragraph refers to ________.
A. the early life B. an allergic disease
C. immune system D. something important
60．What may be the best title of the passage?
A. How to protect your kids from allergies. B. Your pets may be helping your kids.
C. Bacteria do good to your kids. D. Advantages of owning pets.
After her parents separated, things at tam’s house changed. Her mom, still working, and Tami became responsible for the house and making meals for herself and her younger sister. Though money was right, they never went without. They had a nice home in a modest neighborhood food, belching and shelter. What Tami missed most of all, though, was family.
Tami spent the summer during her ninth grade year working at a park to ear exam spending money. Her job was to organize activities for the kids who spent their summer days at the park. The kids absolutely loved Tami. She was constantly going out of her way to do things for them. She would plan picnics, organize field trips and even buy ice cream for all of them, using her own money. She always did more than the job required, even if it did mean using her own money.
She got to know one little boy who lived in an apartment across the street from the park. His parents both worked at fast – food restaurants, and she knew that they didn’t have much money. The boy talked about his upcoming birthday and the fire truck he wanted so badly. He said he was going to be a fireman some day and needed the truck to practice. He told Tami more details about the truck than she knew a boy truck could have.
The boy’s birthday came and went. The next day when Tami saw the boy, she expected to see a shiny red truck in his arms. When he arrived empty – handed, she asked whether he had got the truck. The boy said no. his parents were going to get it for him later, when things were better. He seemed a little sad.
That week, Tami eased her paycheck and headed for the toy stores. She found the truck easily – after all, from his descriptions, she felt she knew it inside out. She used the money from her paycheck to buy the truck, and then had it wrapped in birthday paper.
61．What can we learn from the first paragraph?
A．They didn’t need in worry too much about their living.
B．Tami’s sister became more responsible.
C．Tami began to earn money.
D．Her mother changed her job.
62．Why did Tami buy the birthday present for the boy using her own money?
A．Because he was poorer than she.
B．Because he was her best friend.
C．Because she wanted him to be a fireman.
D．because she wanted him to feel love around him.
63．What can we learn from the underlined sentence?
A．She knew how much money she would pay.
B．She knew she should check the toy truck inside out.
C．She was fully aware which toy truck the boy wanted.
D．She walked inside and then out of the toy store several times.
64．Which of the following could be the opening sentence of the next paragraph?
A．The next morning, Tami rode to the boy’s house and left the truck at the door.
B．When the boy showed up at the park that day, he was more excited than ever.
C．He showed off his new truck to Tami, and then played with it all day long.
D．That afternoon, the boy’s mom came to the park and walked over to Tami.
China reported blistering growth for the last three months of 2009, raising expectations of interest rate increases and other measures to head off inflation.
China has declared that it is recovering from the global economic crisis.
Ma Jiantang, of the National Bureau of Statistics, said Thursday the country's economy grew by 10.7 percent in the last three months of 2009.
Ma says China has managed to quickly hold back what he described as “the sliding of the national economy.” He says China has become the first country, on the whole, to achieve economic recovery and stabilization.
According to previous estimates, Ma says China's gross domestic product for 2009 rose 8.7 percent to nearly five trillion dollars.
This goes beyond the official growth rate target of eight percent. The government has long considered eight percent growth essential to creating enough jobs for the country's more than one billion people.
At the same time, Ma says some problems and contradictions are natural.
Ma says the Chinese government will give more priority to economic restructuring and improving peoples’ livelihoods.
To reduce the effects of the global economic crisis that began in 2008, China loosened lending practices, cut interest rates and began massive spending programs. But the government wants to make sure those measures do not contribute to inflation, which can be politically sensitive in a country where hundreds of millions of people remain poor.
Beijing resident Ms. Wang says she is worried. She says she thinks prices are rising really fast. She points to the price of cabbage, which has increased more than 10 times in the past year.
The head of the Chinese Banking Regulatory Commission, this week said the government will step up monitoring of banks and rein in lending to prevent speculative bubbles (投机泡沫)in real estate(房地产) and other assets.
The World Bank on Thursday released a report that predicts China's economy will grow by nine percent this year. This contrasts with forecasts of 2.5 percent growth rate for the United States and one percent growth for European economies in 2010, because of weaknesses remaining from the global financial crisis.
68. What does the underlined phrase in the first paragraph mean?
A. prevent B. begin C. continue D. reduce
69. How many measures did China take to reduce the sliding of the national economy?
A. 2 B. 3 C. 4 D. 5
70. The global economy in 2010 will ________.
A. increase more quickly than in 2009
B. recover immediately if proper measures are taken
C. remain weak as a result of the global financial crisis
D. remain the same standard as that in 2009
71. The passage is mainly about ________.
A. jobs created for more than one billion people
B. lending practices loosened in China in the new year
C. rapid growth of Chinese economy in last months of 2009
D. fast growth in economy leading to inflation
Living in a foreign culture there are many times when I realize that my perspective (观点) on life is drastically different from those Koreans I interact (相互影响) with on a daily basis. This past week I have been greatly challenged to change my perspective and here is why.
My dream in life is to become a doctor, one who changes the world. But last week I opened an email from UBC that contained the words “regrets”, no interview. I didn’t get an interview to medical school, thus will not be entering school for September 2009. My immediate reaction was one of extreme disappointment and anger—mostly directed at myself for not working hard enough, for not seeking out the opportunities necessary to have a good application, for simply not being good enough. My mind was full of hopelessness and despair that left me with no desire to further seek for the dream that I’ve held for quite a time now.
During the past week two things happened. At church our pastor mentioned perspective in a section of his sermon (说教). He stated that when we take our eyes off ourselves and realize God’s greatness, our circumstances will be seen through a new perspective.
The second thing that reminded me to look at perspective was reading a book. The Mitford Series is so good if you are looking for books to read. So last night I was reading and one of the main characters (who is a priest) is trying to figure out what to say at church. His sermon ended up saying “In everything we give thanks.” It is easy to give thanks when we feel successful in life. It is easy to give thanks when we receive a blessing. But seriously, who in their right mind says thanks for the financial problems I have?
64. Where does the author probably live now?
A. In the USA. B. In Britain.C. In China. D. In Korea.
65. How did she feel when the author received the email from UBC?
A. Surprised. B. Disappointed. C. Excited. D. Pleased.
66. In the first pastor’s view, when we face disappointment or despair, we should _________.
A. turn to God for help B. say thanks to it
C. see it in another way D. praise others for it
67. What can we infer from the passage?
A. The author can’t really free from the disappointment.
B. The author thinks the second sermon is wiser.
C. The author still wants to be a doctor.
D. The author thanks God for not being admitted by the university.
Send us your joke, anecdote or story, and if we publish it in the magazine, we’ll pay as follows:
My Story $500
Personal stories beyond the call of daily life. They must be unpublished, original and less than 1000 words. Click here to read more stories.
Kindness of Strangers Up to $250
True accounts of good karma, inspiring acts for unexpected kindness and generosity, or just something someone did that made your day—or changed your life. 100-500 words. Click here to read more stories.
Anecdotes and Jokes $50-$250
Funny things can happen at work and at home—especially when kids are around to pass comment. We may run your writing in Life’s Like That, All in a Day’s Work or As Kids See It, or as a short filler. Got a new joke? Send it in for Laughter, the Best Medicine. Click here to read more jokes.
Send Us Your Punchline（妙语）
So you think of yourself as a bit of a jokester? See if you can come up with punchline to this month’s joke…
You Said It
If you’d like to comment on something you saw in Reader’s Digest magazine or on this website, this is the place to do it!
Is It Just Me
Can you be humorous about the trials and mysteries of modern life? Get it off your chest in 500 words. Click here to read more stories.
60. This passage is written to ________.
A. offer some wonderful stories to readers
B. encourage people to write something
C. show that making money is not difficult
D. remind people that life is full of joy
61. The underlined word “karma” is closest in meaning to ________.
A. wish B. explanation C. luckD. imagination
62. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. The magazine is mainly intended for entertainment.
B. The more words you write, the more money you get.
C. Anecdotes and Jokes isn’t paid much attention to.
D. New jokes can be sent in for Life’s Like That.
63. Where can you most probably see this passage?
A. In a library. B. In a magazine. C. In a story book. D. On a website.