There was once a blind man, who did a lot of traveling alone. He was making his first trip to Texas and happened to be seated next to a Texan on the flight.
The Texan spent a lot of time telling him how everything was bigger and better in Texas. After the blind man reached his destination, a large resort (度假) hotel, he was very excited about being in Texas.
The long trip had worn him out a little so he decided to stop at the bar for a small soda and a light snack before going up to his room to sleep.
When the waitress set down his drink, it was in a huge cup. “Wow, I had heard everything in Texas is bigger,” he told her.
“That’s right,” she replied. The blind man ate his snack and finished his drink. After drinking such a large amount, it was natural that his next stop was to be the restroom. He asked the waitress for directions. She told him to turn left at the corner, and then take the second door on the right.
He reached the first door and continued. A few steps later he stumbled (绊倒) slightly and missed the second door and ended up going through the third door instead. Not realizing he had entered the swimming area he walked forward and immediately fell into the swimming pool.
Remembering that everything was bigger in Texas, he had his head above water and started shouting “Don’t flush(冲洗)! Don’t flush!”Why was the blind man excited about being in Texas?
A.It was the first time that he had travelled abroad. |
B.People from Texas were very friendly than he expected. |
C.He heard that everything was bigger and better in Texas. |
D.The service staff in the large resort hotel was very humorous. |
Why did the blind man enter the swimming area?
A.He wanted to go swimming. |
B.He wanted to have a bath. |
C.He stumbled and missed the restroom door. |
D.The waitress gave him wrong directions. |
Why did the blind man go to the bar?
A.To go through it on his way to his room. |
B.To have a short rest after a long walk. |
C.To have something to eat there. |
D.To ask a waitress for directions. |
Why did the blind man shout out “Don’t flush! Don’t flush!”?
A.He thought he was caught in a big toilet and someone was cleaning it. |
B.He didn’t want anyone to clean the toilet at that time. |
C.He didn’t want anyone to clean the swimming pool at that time. |
D.He thought it was such a big swimming pool that making it clean was no use. |
If the passage is taken from a website, which part of the website does it belong to?
A.Travel services. | B.Hotel services. | C.Funny stories. | D.Health problems. |
第三部分阅读理解(共两节,20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
第一节阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。
(A)
14 days from just £2,090 pp
Fully inclusive from the UK
Price covers International airfares, departure taxes, fuel charges, local transportation, accommodation, all meals, entrance fees, guides, daily tours and visas for UK citizens.
Days 1-3: UK—Shanghai
Fly to the great city of Shanghai and in the evening sample traditional Shanghai food. Visit the beautiful Yu Gardens, Old Town, Shanghai Museum, cross the Great Nanpu Bridge and tour the Pudong area. Also explore Xintiandi with its 1920’s style Shikumen buildings and end your stay in Shanghai with an amazing Huangpu River evening tour.
Days 4-7: Shanghai—Yangtze River Tour
Fly to Yichang and change (approx: one hour) to board your Yangtze River ship for the next four nights. Enjoy a tour of the Three Gorges Dam (三峡大坝) before sailing on the grand Yangtze River, passing through the impressive Three Gorges. We take a side trip to the Lesser Three Gorges or travel up the Shennong Stream in a peapod boat and enjoy various shore trips along the way.
Days 8: Chongqing—Chengdu
Get off in Chongqing and drive to Chengdu for an overnight stay.
Days 9-10: Chengdu—Xi’an
Visit the famous Panda Reserve to see the lovely animals. We then fly to the historic city of Xi’an for two nights’ stay and enjoy traditional Shui Jiao. Next day, explore one of the most important discoveries of the 20th century—the Terracotta Warriors (兵马俑), followed by the ancient City Wall and a performance of Tang Dynasty dancing.
Days 11-13:Xi’an—Beijing
Visit Little Wild Goose Pagoda and see the ancient objects at the well-known Shaanxi Provincial Museum before walking through the lively Muslim Quarter to see the Great Mosque. Later fly to Beijing for three nights’ stay and try Perking Duck. During our stay in Beijing, we stroll through Tiananmen Square to the Forbidden City, the largest and best preserved collection of ancient buildings in China, and visit the Summer Palace. Next day we take a walk on the Great Wall, tour the unique Temple of Heaven and enjoy an attractive Chinese Acrobatic Show.
Days 14: Beijing—UK
Fly back to the UK, arriving home later the same day filled with happy memories.
46. The underlined word “sample” in the passage probably means “__________”
A. buy B. reserve C. taste D. make
47. The first and last scenic spots to be visited in Xi’an are _____.
A. the Terracotta Warriors and the Great Mosque
B. the Terracotta Warriors and Shaanxi Provincial Museum
C. Little Wild Goose Pagoda and the Great Mosque
D. Little Wild Goose Pagoda and the Muslim Quarter
48. Which of the following is TRUE according to the ad?
A. The tourists will have to pay extra for fuel and meals.
B. The tourists will visit the 1920’s Shikumen buildings in Beijing.
C. The tourists will take a side trip to the Three Gorges Dam during the tour.
D. The tourists will stay in Beijing for three nights before leaving for the UK.
49. The ad is mainly intended to ____.
A. encourage the British to travel in China
B. attract the British to traditional Chinese food
C. offer services of booking air tickets to tourist
D. provide the British with a letter understanding of China
E
Children who speak English as their first language are now a minority in inner-city London primary schools,official figures show.
Youngsters with foreign mother tongues form a majority at primary schools in 13 out of33 London cities. Across the country,English is a foreign language to more than one in seven primary school youngsters.
The figures from the Department for Children,Schools and Families (DCSF) point to major demographic (人口的) changes over the past few decades,with around a fifth of pupils now coming from ethnic minorities.
There are concerns that school finances are coming under stress from the growing numbers of youngsters requiring help with English. The government has been urged to provide more funding,and give fair treatment to schools with large concentrations of non-English speakers.
In Tower Hamlets almost four out of five youngsters do not have English as their mother tongue. In other areas,including Leicester,Luton and Bradford the proportion approaches 50 percent.
The figures indicate that many recent migrants have settled in London. Sir Andrew Green,Founder and Chairman of Migration Watch UK,says,“These figures confirm the huge impact immigration is having on our society. When government funds are as tight as they are,this is bound to have a negative impact,since children for whom English is a second language need extra tuition (学费).”He adds,“In inner London it's hard to know with whom immigrant children are supposed to practice English,since the number of immigrant children is much larger than that of local. ”
A spokesman for DCSF stresses that the figures “only indicate the language to which a child was initially exposed at home,regardless of whether he or she comes to speak English fluently later on. It is only a relatively few recent arrivals for whom communication problems are serious”.“We are increasing funding to the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (助学金)to £206 million by 2010,to help bring students weak in English up to speed. We’re also equipping schools to offer effective English as an Additional Language teaching to new arrivals,”he adds
72.A minority of London primary school students speak English as their first language because
_______.
A. local children prefer to speak other languages
B. more and more immigrant children are attending school in London
C. children learning English as an additional language need extra tuition
D. English is too difficult a language for primary school children to learn
73.Some people worry about________.
A. the increasing number of adults needing help with English
B. the government taking no measures to help the schools
C. non-English speakers putting school finances under stress
D. London schools not providing adequate service for children in need
74.It can be inferred from the passage that________.
A. most immigrant children make a great effort to learn English
B. the government used to treat non-English speakers unfairly
C. it's not easy to find English speakers for immigrant children in some parts of London to communicate with
D. local children are influenced by immigrant children
75.According to the spokesman for DCSF,the figures indicate______.
A. that children will speak English fluently later on
B. that immigration is having a huge impact on English society
C. what the language the children were exposed to first was
D. that funding is increasing to help students weak in English
D
Peanut allergies (过敏) are among the most common and most dangerous of food allergies. A tiny exposure to peanuts can mean big trouble for a person with a peanut allergy—not just sneezing or coughing,but something as potentially deadly as narrowing of the airways.
But a recent study suggests that some children may be able to beat back their allergic reactions to peanuts by gradually introducing trace amounts of the nut into their diets. It's too early to say for certain,so if you have a peanut allergy,do not try this at home. But the first results look promising.
Two teams of scientists have been experimenting on a group“of 29 children who are allergic to peanuts”At the beginning of the study,each kid received less than 1/1,000 of a peanut per day. (Imagine splitting a peanut into 1,000 parts!) Over the course of the study, the children gradually increased the amount of the peanut in their diets
Nine of the children have been receiving the treatment for two years,and five of those nine now appear to be free of their peanut allergies,and can eat peanuts with no problem. But the other four have not benefited so much from the therapy(治疗).
The two teams of scientists are now doing a follow-up study on two groups of children with the allergy. Children in one group will receive the new therapy,while the others will not. Researchers hope this study will help them learn if the therapy truly does work.
Scientists don't understand why some people get peanut allergies and others don't,but are trying to find a way to help people with the allergy. Because of the severity of some peanut allergies,scientists want to know the answer as soon as possible. “This is very encouraging, but remember,it's not something you try at home,”says one of the researchers.
68.According to the passage,the peanut allergy________.
A. can be deadly if only a small amount is used
B. causes a lot of trouble for many parents
C. allows people to eat only small amounts of peanuts
D. is considered the least common and dangerous food allergy
69.Scientists are trying to treat peanut allergies by_________.
A. exposing children with the allergy to as many peanuts as possible
B. changing the eating habits of children with peanut allergies gradually
C. giving children Peanuts in slowly increasing amounts
D. exploring ways to resist the feelings caused by peanut allergies
70.The experiment shows that___________.
A. people with peanut allergies can't use small amounts of peanuts in their diets.
B. children are more easily cured than adults
C. all children can be cured of their peanut allergies if given more time of treatment
D. about 55-percent children with peanut allergies have been cured
71. Scientists are now doing a follow-up study in order to_________.
A. explore why some people get the illness while others don’t
B. show whether peanut allergies can really be dangerous
C. check whether the therapy really works or not
D. explore whether the allergy can be cured without treatment
C
Gorillas are born with an international sign language of gestures that they use to communicate,says a new study from the University of St Andrews in Scotland.
From beating their chests to putting objects on their heads,shaking their arms,and even bouncing on all fours,the animals use more than 100 gestures to communicate with each other
Professor Richard Byrne,a psychiatrist involved in the research,says it was hard to figure out the meanings of the gestures.
“We don't really know what the animals are thinking. Often the gestures have more than one meaning,depending on the context,”says Byrne.
The study showed that the gorillas did not learn the gestures from each other,as had been expected,but performed them instinctively (本能地).
“Everyone had assumed different groups of gorillas would learn different gestures,”he says. “But that's not what we found. The more sites we went to ,the more we saw the same gestures being used. They seem to be naturally equipped with a pretty complex system of communication.”
The study also found that gestures were performed with close attention to the potential audience,so that silent signals,for example, were only given when other apes could see them. Other gestures,such as the "disco arm shake" were only ever seen directed towards humans.
Byrne believes that the findings may explain how the human language developed.
“There has always been speculation(猜测)that the origins of the human language might lie in gestures,”he says.
“Many researchers have therefore studied the gestural communication of the great apes for clues to the evolutionary origins of human gestures,”he adds.
Several studies have shown that great apes are capable of imitating gestures. However,the scientists found that what appeared to be copies of human actions were actually gestures the apes were already able to make themselves. They're “reusing” gestures from their own repertoire,not learning new ones.
64.According to the passage,Richard Byrne's research has found_________.
A. different groups of gorillas would learn different gestures
B. gorillas know the sign language from birth
C. how gorillas learn from each other
D. gorillas develop a variety of languages when growing up
65.Why can't the researchers really know the meanings of gorilla gestures?
A. Because gorillas possess the ability of making many kinds of gestures.
B. Because they haven't made deep research into the animal.
C. Because a gorilla gesture may have different meanings.
D. Because gorillas can't exactly express their thoughts.
66.If a gorilla wants to make a silent gesture towards another gorilla,he_________.
A. needs to know how many other gorillas are watching him
B. needs to make noise first in order to draw attention
C. will first make sure his gesture can be seen
D. will first consider whether he can carry out his gesture
67.According to the passage,many scientists study the sign language of great apes in order to ____.
A. find the origins of the human language
B. find ways for people to communicate with apes
C. learn how animals communicate
D. discover the meanings of animal gestures
B
The beet (甜菜) is a tasty root vegetable that does not require much work to grow. People think of beets as being always dark red,but they can also be pink,yellow or white. Beets are high in nutrients,and both the root and the tops can be eaten. The leaves make good salads when the plants are young,and the greens can be cooked when the plants are older. Beets grow best in full sun and in loose soil that is not too wet.
Remove stones from the soil while preparing the ground,and test it before adding fertilizer Beet seeds can be planted as soon as the soil can be worked at the start of the growing season. Planting them every two or three weeks will provide a continuous harvest into the fall. A beet seed is a fruit containing several seeds. Overcrowding the plants will mean that the roots cannot spread out and grow,so thin the beets by removing the smaller ones and using them as greens.
A specialist named Cindy Haynes says little or no fertilizer is needed in rich soils. Once the seeds are planted,however,she suggests covering the soil to protect it from the rain and during dry periods. She also suggests putting a fence around the plants to keep away rabbits and deer. She says the only work beets need once they have been thinned is weeding and, when the weather is dry,a weekly watering. For best results,beets should be picked when the roots are two and one-half centimeters around. Larger beets can be tough,and have to be cooked for a long time. Beets can be eaten in many ways.
60.What is the second paragraph mainly about?
A. How to test the soil. B. How to plant beets
C. When to harvest beets. D. When to plant beets.
61.Smaller beets are often removed in order to .
A. give other beets space to grow B. add more fertilizer to the soil
C. plant new seeds D. use the green,young leaves in salads
62.What may the next part of the last paragraph be about?
A. When to pick beets. B. How to eat beets.
C. The uses of beets. D. The taste of larger beets.
63.The passage is most probably from a(n) ___________.
A. gardening book B. education magazine C. science report D. entertainment magazine