For a long time, a boy wondered why his next-desk-pal was always the first in the class, whereas he could only rank the 21st. At home, he asked his mom, “Am I more stupid than other kids? How come I always lag behind? I just can’t come up with an answer.” Mom was aware that her son’s self-respect had been damaged by the ranking system, but she didn’t know what to say to help.
She was tempted (想要) to say that intelligence differs and that yes, her son’s friend really was the smarter boy. But that would have so upset her son. Thank goodness she resisted the temptation to say it.
Her son and his friend went on to high school that year, but despite trying as hard as he could, her son’s friend still outdid him. But she was proud of her boy for his hard work, sincerely proud. It was around this time she decided to take him on a trip to the seaside. On the trip, she at last found an answer for him.
Today her son no longer cares about rankings. He doesn’t have to, for he himself is now the top of the class – at the top national university he attends. Invited to speak to his old high school, he mentioned a valuable childhood experience: “Once, on a trip to the sea, my mother and I were lying on the beach. She pointed to the sea and said to me: ‘Do you see the seabirds fighting for food out there? When a wave comes near, the little birds rise quickly. The “clumsy” seagulls (海鸥) are far less agile (灵活的) and have to struggle to get away from the wave. But these “clumsy” birds prove to
have the biggest, strongest wings, which open the widest and allow the bird to travel the furthest. When the season changes, they leave for foreign shores, leaving the little birds behind. Son, I have a feeling that you are one of those seagulls.”
From the first paragraph, we could conclude the mother ______.
A.knew her son was not bright enough |
B.saw the negative effects of the ranking system |
C.decided to help with her son’s school work |
D.was troubled by her son’s low rankings |
The mom was glad she didn’t give an answer at first because ______.
A.she knew her son would forget his rankings soon |
B.she felt intelligence doesn’t mean everything |
C.she knew he was not strong enough for the truth |
D.she wanted to avoid another blow to her son’s self-respect |
The story conveys the message that ___
___.
a. only rankings show intelligence
b. hard work and confidence can lead to a change in rankings
c. parents should see children’s strengths and encourage them
d. competition between students is good for society
A.bc | B.cd | C.abc | D.bcd |
Which of the following would be the best title for the story?
A.How important are rankings? |
B.Little birds and seagulls |
C.The answer Mom gave |
D.Hard work pays off! |
John Grisham was born on February 2,1955, in Jonesboro, Arkansas, in the USA. His father was a construction worker and moved his family all around the southern states of America, stopping wherever he could find work. Eventually they settled in Mississippi. Graduating from law school in 1981, Grisham practiced law for nearly a decade in Southaven, specializing in criminal defense and personal injury litigation(诉讼). In 1983, he was elected to the state House of Representatives and served until 1990.
One day at the Dessoto County courthouse, Grisham heard the horrifying testimony(证词) of a 12-year-old rape victim. He decided to write a novel exploring what would have happened if the girl’s father had murdered her attackers. He got up every morning at 5 am, to work on the novel, called A Time to Kill, which was published in 1988. Grisham’s next novel, The Firm, was one of the biggest hits of 1991, spending 47 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list. Grisham was then able to give up law and concentrate on writing. Grisham lives with his wife and two children, dividing their time between their Victorian home on a 67 acre farm in Mississippi and a 204 acre plantation near Charlottesville, Virginia.
When he’s not writing, Grisham devote time to charitable(慈善) causes, including mission trip with his church group. As a child he dreamt of becoming a professional baseball player, and now serves as the local Little League leader. He has built six ball fields on his property and hosts children from Little League teams.
1.What inspired Grisham to write his first novel?
A.A case of murder. B.A case of rape.
C.His father’s experience. D.His life on the farm.
2.The story of the novel A time to Kill would probably focus on __________.
A.how the girl was attacked B.what the circumstances of the rape were
C.how the girl’s father would act D.how the case of rape was settled
3.Which of the following is not true of the novel The Firm?
A.It was popular at the time of publication. B.It earned Grisham great fame.
C.It brought Grisham wealth. D.It was carried by the New York Times as a series.
4.It can be inferred from the passage that Grisham has built ball fields on his property _______.
A.to achieve his life’s goal as a professional baseball player
B.to coach children in baseball
C.to see his childhood dream being realized in the children
D.to provide facilities of baseball training
5.John Grisham is a _______ at present.
A.writer B.lawyer C.Congressman D.professional baseball player
Glynis Davis:
I first piled on the pounds when I was in the family way and I couldn’t lose them afterwards. Then I joined a slimming club. My target was 140 pounds and I lost 30 pounds in six months. I felt great and people kept saying how good I looked. But Christmas came and I started to slip back into my old eating habits. I told myself I’d lose the weight at slimming classes in the new year…but it didn’t happen. Instead of losing the pounds, I put them on. I’d lost willpower and tried to believe that the old bag of fish and chips didn’t make any difference but the scales don’t lie.
Roz Jumab:
To be honest, I never weigh myself any more. I’ve learnt to be happy with myself. It seemed to me that I would feel sorry about every spoonful of tasty food that passed my lips. My idea is simple. You shouldn’t be too much thinking about food and dieting. Instead, you should get on with life and stop dreaming of a super thin body. This is obviously the size I’m meant to be and, most of all, I’m happy with it.
Lesley Codwin:
I was very happy at winning Young Slimmer of the year. I’d look into the mirror unable to believe this slim lady was me! That might have been my problem—perhaps from then on I didn’t pay any attention to myself. Winning a national competition makes everything worse, though, because you feel the eyes of the world are fixed upon you. I feel a complete failure because I’ve put on weight again.
Ros Landfod:
Before moving in with my husband Gavin, I’d always been about 110 pounds, but the pleasant housework went straight to my waist and I put on 15 pounds in a year. Every so often I try to go on a diet…I’m really good on a few days, then end up having the children’s leftovers or eating happily chocolate—my weakness. I’d like to be slim, but right now my duty is the children and home. I might take more exercise when my kids are older.
1.What do you think the four women were all talking about?
A.Their own slimming matter. B.Their life after marriage.
C.Their work as a housewife. D.Different diets they prefer.
2.Where are these short passage most likely to be taken from?
A.Talks on the air. B.Advertisements on the wall.
C.Book in a library. D.Magazines for housewives.
3.What does the underlined word “scales” possibly mean?
A.The coach in the slimming club.B.Some tool to measure weight.
C.Glynis Davis’ dear husband. D.The salesperson in a food shop.
4.What can we infer from Roz Jumab’s words?
A.Losing weight is a painful process which is unbearable.
B.Being thin can also be harmful.
C.It is necessary to force ourselves to lose weight.
D.We should learn to live comfortably with the way we look.
5.Which of the following best describes each of the four women’s attitudes towards slimming?
1.Glynis Davis 2.Roz Jumab 3.Lesley Codwinc 4.Ros Langfodd
a.I put on weight soon after I got married. b.Fame doesn’t necessarily mean success.
c.Facts speak much louder than words. d.I like myself as I am, and to be what you are.
A.1- a; 2 – d; 3 – b; 4 – c B.1 – c; 2 – b; 3 – d; 4 – a
C.1 – c; 2 – d; 3 – b; 4 – a D.1 – a; 2 – b; 3 – c; 4 –d
第三节:阅读(满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Tug-of –war is not only popular in China, but in many other countries. Their tug-of-war match is a little different from ours. They have eight men for each team, while we may have the match between two sides with equal men or women players. Of course, they are usually tall, strong and heavy.
For a tug-of-war match, we need a long thick rope. Each team stands at one end of the rope, holding it. Then they try to pull the center of the rope, marked in the ground towards each of their own sides. The team which succeeds in pulling the center of the rope away through a certain distance is the winner.
Many foreign sports experts think we don’t have to be tall, heavy and strong to play tug-of-war. We don’t have endless energy, for a match lasts only a few minutes. The secret is good hands. The players must have big strong, hard hands. Before they start the match they put mixture of oil and petrol on their hands so they can hold the rope better.
Many foreign experts say the best hand for tug-of-war belong to the sons of farmers. This is because they have to work hard when they are still very young. Farming is a good practice for this sport!
1.In our country tug-of-war ______.
A.is not very popular B.is not so popular as in foreign countries
C.is only a men’s game D.is not only played by men but also by women
2.In foreign countries a tug-of-war team __________.
A.has eight men or women players
B.has men players equal in number to the other side
C.has eight men players
D.is formed in the same way as in our country
3.Tug-of-war is a match in which who __________ are winners.
A.pulled the rope to their side farther
B.made the center near to their own side
C.succeeded in pulling the center of the rope in their direction
D.made the center of the rope pass through a certain length nearer to their side
4.The foreign experts think a good tug-of-war player must _________.
A.have lasting energy B.have big, strong and hard hands
C.do farm work D.be tall, heavy and strong
5.Which of the following is not true?
A.In foreign countries women take part in tug-of-war.
B.In foreign countries a tug-of-war match has 16 players.
C.In order to hold the rope better, many players put a mixture of oil and petrol on their hands.
D.The sons of farmers are thought to be the best tug-of-war players.
Will it matter if you don’t take your breakfast? Recently a test was given in the United States. Those tested included people of different ages, from 12 to 83. During the experiment, these people were given all kinds of breakfasts, and sometimes they got no breakfast at all. Special tests were set up to see how well their bodies worked when they had eaten a certain kind of breakfast. The results show that if a person eats a proper breakfast, he or she will work with better effect than if he or she has no breakfast. This fact appears to be especially true if a person works with his brains, if a student eats fruit, eggs, bread and milk before going to school, he will learn more quickly and listen with more attention in class. Contrary to what many people believe, if you don’t eat breakfast, you will not lose weight. This is because people become so hungry at noon that they eat too much for lunch, and end up gaining weight instead of losing. You will probably lose more weight if you reduce your other meals.
77. The results of the test show that ______
A. breakfast has great effect on work and studies.
B. breakfast has much to do with people’s health.
C. a person will work better if he has simple breakfast
D. breakfast only affects those who work with their brains.
78. The passage mentions that many people believe that if you don’t eat breakfast, you will____.
A. not lose weight B. be healthier
C. gain weight D. lose weight
79. We can infer from the passage that _____
A. one can work better without breakfast.
B. morning diet will do good to your health.
C. reducing lunch and supper will help lose weight.
D. breakfast is more important than lunch and supper.
80. What is the best title for this passage?
A. Good Breakfast B. Why Eating Breakfast?
C. No eating, No gaining D. What is breakfast
Are you worried by the rising crime rate? If you are, you probably know that your house, possessions and person are increasingly in danger of suffering from great rise in the cases of burglary (夜盗) and attack.
Figures show an ever-increasing crime rate, but it is only too easy to imagine "It will never happen to me". Unfortunately, statistics show that it really can happen to you and, if you live in a large city, you run twice the risk of being a victim(受害者).
Fortunately, there is something definite which you can do. Protect Alarms can help to protect your house with a burglar alarm system which is effective, simple to operate and easily affordable.
You must remember that owning a burglar alarm is no indication that your house is packed with valuable possessions. It quite simply indicates to unwelcome visitors that yours is one house they will not break into easily, so they carry on to an unprotected house where their job is made a lot easier.
Send now for our free leaflet telling you how we can Protect Alarm your house quickly, easily and cheaply. Complete and tear off the slip below and post it to us. Postage is free. Also, telephone us on 327 6721 where we have a round-the-clock answering service. It costs nothing to find out about Protect Alarm. 73. Anyone who takes an interest in the crime rate will, according to the text, be aware that_______.
A. more burglars are being caught than ever before
B. people have more possessions to worry about nowadays
C. burglars are more at risk than they used to be
D. homes are more likely to be broken into nowadays 74. It seems that people who live in cities are _______
A. more often victims than those living in other areas
B. of the opinion that statistics are wrong
C. twice as well as people living in other areas
D. of the opinion that burglars only rob unprotected homes75. The article claims that possessing an alarm system will _________.
A. show burglars that you have something worth stealing
B. persuade burglars not to break into your house
C. make the burglars’ job less complicated
D. persuade burglars to try again another time 76. In order to find out more information about this alarm system one can _______.
A. buy a leaflet
B. write enclosing a stamped, addressed envelope
C. phone at any time of day or night
D. sign a contract