“Everybody loves a bargain.” One person's useless, ugly, or broken object can be another person's bargain. That is why so many Americans do not throw things away. They put them outside their houses. They put on a “For Sale” sign. And, as simple as that, they have a yard sale.
The sellers put a paid announcement(付费通告)in a local newspaper. It tells when and where the yard sale will take place. These sales are very popular during weekends in spring, summer, and autumn. Early in the morning, all the things to be sold are carried out of the house. Then they sit all day in the sunlight----like tired guests at a party----waiting for someone to take them home.
Just about anything can be sold at a yard sale. Sometimes, there are more clothes than anything else. Cooking equipment is also popular. So are old toys, tools, books, tables and chairs. Then there are objects called “white elephants”. A white elephant is something you think is extremely ugly or useless. It may be an electric light shaped like a fish. You feel a sharp pa
in whenever you look at it. To someone else, however, it might be a thing of beauty and joy.
Some people go to yard sales to find a special thing that they collect. It may be old toy trains, for example, or painting of dogs. Experts say more Americans are collecting old things now than ever before. Most people who go to yard sales, however, are not looking for anything special. They might buy an object simply because it costs so little. They enjoy negotiating(谈判) over prices, even if they really do not need the object. Later, they may hold their own yard to sell all the things they have bought.What kind of things will go to a yard sale?
| A．Cheap and ugly things. | B．Things people no longer use. |
| C．Things out of season. | D．Things of great value. |
A white elephant refers to _________.
| A．something that can cause a feeling of pain |
| B．something disliked by the owners while appreciated by others |
| C．something sold at the lowest prices |
| D．a toy shaped like a fish |
Most people go to yard sales to________.
| A．find valuable paintings | B．look for something special |
| C．find a bargain | D．kill their time |
Which of the following is NOT true about a yard sale?
| A．It may not be held when the weather is very cold. |
| B．It can last for a whole day. |
| C．It is usually held with a party. |
| D．It is held outdoors. |
We can infer from the last paragraph that__________.
| A．people may find something of great value on a yard sale |
B．yard sales only attract those who have a low income |
| C．things on a yard sale can cost people a lot |
| D．most people don’t want to go to yard sales. |
When my family moved to America from a small village in Guangdong, China, we brought not only our luggage, but also our village rules, customs and culture. One of the rules is that young people should always respect elders. Unluckily, this rule led to my very first embarrassment in the United States.
I had a part-time job as a waiter in a Chinese restaurant. One time, when I was serving food to a middle-aged couple, the wife asked me how the food could be served so quickly. I told her that I had made sure they got their food quickly because I always respect the elderly. As soon as I said that, her face showed great displeasure. My manager, who happened to hear what I said, took me aside and gave me a long lecture about how sensitive(敏感) Americans are and how they dislike the description “old”. I then walked back to the table and apologized to the wife. After the couple heard my reason, they understood that the problem was caused by cultural differences, so they laughed and were no longer angry.
In my village in China, people are proud of being old. Not so many people live to be seventy or eighty, and people who reach such an age have the most knowledge and experience. Young people always respect older people because they know they can learn from their rich experience.
However, in the United States, people think “growing old” is a problem since “old” shows that a person is going to retire or that the body is not working well. Here many people try to keep themselves away from growing old by doing exercises or jogging, and women put on makeup, hoping to look young. When I told the couple in the restaurant that I respect the elderly, they got angry because this caused them to feel they had failed to stay young. I had told them something they didn’t want to hear.
After that, I changed the way I had been with older people. It is not that I don’t respect them any more; I still respect them, but now I don’t show my feelings through words.
1．Jack brought the couple their food very fast because .
A．the manager asked him to do so
B．he respected the elderly
C．the couple wanted him to do so
D．he wanted more pay
2．When Jack called the couple “elderly”, they became .
A．nervous B．satisfied C．unhappy D．excited
3．In Jack’s hometown,.
A．people dislike being called “old”
B．people are proud of being old
C．many people reach the age of seventy or eighty
D．the elderly are the first to get food in restaurants
4．After this experience, Jack .
A．lost his job in the restaurant
B．made friends with the couple
C．no longer respected the elderly
D．changed his way with older people
5．Which of the following is TRUE?
A．The more Jack explained, the angrier the couple got.
B．Jack wanted to show his feelings through words after his experience.
C．The manager went back to the table and apologized to the couple.
D．From this experience, Jack learned more about American culture.
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分；满分40
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。
Everyone has their friends, but I knew one girl who didn't. I guess you could call her a geek, because all she did was reading, studying, and doing homework. I don't think she even played a sport. She was one of those quiet people who no one really paid attention to, and those who did only made fun of her. I had heard all kinds of rumors (谣言) that she had problems, but I didn't really believe them. I felt bad for her.
My friends and I were nice to her. We let her sit at our lunch table and we often said "Hi" to her, but she wasn't our best friend. Throughout the year, she started talking to us more and more. We continued being kind to her. She was normal as far as I was concerned (就我而言). She was just really quiet.
That summer I got a letter. When I opened it, I realized it was from her. “I just wanted to thank you so much for being so extremely kind and friendly to me this year. Before you became my friend, I had no one to talk to or sit with at lunch. I even wanted to kill myself. But you and your friends changed that. You made me feel wanted and included. It meant so much to me. I am going to be moving and switching to another school next year. I'll never forget you and what you did."
By the time I finished the letter, I was in shock. I could not believe what I had just read. I learned that the simplest things and the smallest acts of kindness can mean the world to someone else.
1. What kind of person does the underlined word "geek" in Para1 probably refer to?
A. A confident and hardworking student.
B. A dishonest and badly behaved person.
C. Someone is not popular and does strange things
D. Someone is naughty and always makes fun of others.
2. How did the girl feel before the author became her friend？
A. Happy and comfortable.
B. Pleased and confident.
C. Worried and surprised.
D. Sad and lonely.
3. From the passage, we learn that the author and her friends ______.
A. helped get the girl out of trouble
B. got the girl to go to another school
C. changed the girl’s the habit of working hard
D. didn't want to help the girl at all
4. What's the best title for the passage？
A. A Strange Girl
B. A Quiet Heart
C. A Girl without Any Problems
D. Just the littlest Things
When did you last see a polar bear? On a trip to a zoo, perhaps? If you had attend
ed a winter activity in New York a few years ago, you would have seen a whole polar bear club. These "Polar Bears" are people who meet frequently in the winter to swim in freezing cold water. That day, the air temperature was 3℃, and the water temperature was a bit higher. The members of the Polar Bear Club at Coney Island, New York are usually about the age of 60. Members must satisfy two requirements. First, they must get along well with everyone else in the group, this is very important because there are so many different kinds of people in the club. Polar Bears must also agree to swim outdoors at least twice a month from November through February. Doctors do not agree about the medical effects of cold-water swimming. Some are worried about the dangers of a condition in which the body's temperature drops so low that finally the heart stops. Other doctors, however, point out that there is more danger of a heart attack during summer swimming because the difference between the air temperature and water temperature is much greater in summer than in winter.The Polar Bears themselves are satisfied with the benefits (or advantages) of cold-water swimming. They say that their favorite form of exercise is very good for the circulatory system(循环系统) because it forces the blood to move fast to keep the body warm. Cold-water swimmers usually turn bright red after a few minutes in the water. A person who turns blue probably has a very poor circulatory system and should not try cold-water swimming. The main benefits(or advantages) of cold-water swimming are probably mental. The Polar Bears love to swim year-round; they find it fun and relaxing. As one 70-year-old woman says. "When I go into the water, I pour my troubles into the ocean and let them float away."51. The members of the Polar Bear Club must meet the following requirements except that_____ . A. they should be easy to make friends with B. they must swim outdoors at least 8 times in the four cold months C. they must agree to swim outdoors from November through February D. they must reach the age of 6052. Doctors _____ . A. encourage people to take part in cold-water swimming actively B. point out the possible danger of blood illness during cold-water swimming C. believe swimming is helpful both in winter and in summer D. have different ideas about the medical effects of cold-water swimming53. According to the passage, some doctors believe it is true that _____ . A. you are healthy if cold-water swimming turns your skin color blue B. cold-water swimming causes more heart attacks in summer than in winter C. cold-water swimming can make the body temperature dangerously high D. Polar Bears are bears swimming in freezing water54. The Polar Bears like to swim all the year round, for _____ . A. they can remain young B. it is an easy way to keep the body warm in winter C. they find it enjoyable and interesting D. they might meet fewer troubles in life55. The passage is mainly about _____ .
A.a group of cold-water swimming lovers B. the polar bears' life C. doctors' ideas about cold-water swimming D. the requirements of the Polar Bear Club
Societies all over the world name places in similar ways. Quite often there is no official naming ceremony but places tend to be called names as points of reference by people. Then an organized body steps in and gives the place a name. Frequently it happens that a place has two names: One is named by the people and the other by the government. As in many areas, old habits died hard, and the place continues to be called by its unofficial name long after the meaning is lost.
Many roads and places in Singapore are named in order that the pioneers will be remembered by future generations. Thus we have names such as Stamford Road and Raffles Place. This is in keeping with traditions in many countries —in both the West and the East.
Another way of naming places is naming them after other places. Perhaps they were named to promote friendships between the two places or it could be that the people who used to live there were originally from the places that the roads were named after. The mystery is clearer when we see some of the roads named in former British bases. If you step into Selector Airbase you will see Piccadilly Circus—obviously named by some homesick Royal Air Force personnel.
Some places were named after the activities that used to go on at those places. Bras Basah Road is an interesting example, “Base Basah” means “wet rice” in Malay. Now why would anyone want to name a road “Wet Rice Road”? The reason is simple. During the pioneering days, wet rice was laid out to dry along this road.
A few roads in Singapore are named by their shapes. There is “Circular Road” for on
e. Other roads may have part of their names to describe their shapes, like “Paya Lebar Crescent”. This road is called a crescent（月牙） because it begins on the main road, makes a crescent and comes back to join the main road again.
46. We learn from Paragraph 1 that _____.
A. the government is usually the first to name a place
B. many places tend to have more than one name
C. a ceremony will be held when a place is named
D. people prefer the place names given by the government
47. What does the underlined phrase “die hard” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
A. Change suddenly. B. Change significantly（greatly）.
C. Disappear mysteriously. D. Disappear very slowly.
48. Which of the following places is named after a person?
A. Raffles Place. B. Selector Airbase. C. Piccadilly Circus. D. Paya Lebar Crescent.
49. Bras Basah Road is named _______.
A. after a person B. after a place C. after an activity D. by its shape
50. What can be inferred from the passage?A. Some place names in Singapore are the same as in Britain.B. Some places in Singapore are named for military purposes.C. The way Singaporeans name their places is unique.D. Young Singaporeans have forgotten the pioneers.
第三部分阅读理解(共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.
Most people know this joke. But recently, some people have been much more worried about how the grizzly bear and mountain lion can cross the road.
“Millions of animals die each year on U.S. roads,” the Federal Highway Administration reports. In fact, only about 80 ocelots, an endangered wild cat, exist in the U.S. today. The main reason? Roadkill.
“Eco-passages” may help animals cross the road without being hit by cars. They are paths both over and under roads. “These eco-passages can be extremely useful, so that wildlife can avoid road accidents,” said Jodi Hilty of the Wildlife Protection Society.
But do animals actually use the eco-passages? The answer is yes. Paul Beier of Northern Arizona University found foot marks left by mountain lions on an eco-passage that went under a highway. This showed that the lions used the passage.
Builders of eco-passages try to make them look like a natural part of an area by planting trees on and around them. Animals seem to be catching on. Animals as different as salamanders (火蜥蜴) and grizzly bears are using the bridges and underpasses.
The next time you visit a park or drive through an area with a lot of wildlife, look around. You might see an animal overpass!
41. The writer uses the example of “ocelots” to show that _______.
A. wild animals have become more dangerous
B. the driving condition has improved greatly
C. the measure for protecting wildlife fails to work
D. an increasing number of animals are killed in road accidents
42. From the story, we know an eco-passage is ________.
A. an underground path for cars B. a fence built for the safety of the area
C. a bridge for animals to get over a river D. a path for animals to cross the road
43. When the writer says that “animals seem to be catching on”(Para. 6), he means __.
A. animals begin to realize the dangers on the road
B. animals begin to learn to use eco-passages
C. animals are crossing the road in groups
D. animals are increasing in number
44. The writer asks visitors and drivers to look around when traveling because _____.
A. wild animals may attack cars B. wild animals may jam the road
C. they may see wild animals in the park D. they may see wild animals on eco-passages
45. The best title for the passage is ________.
A. Special bridges help animals cross the road B. Endangered animals increase because of roadkill
C. Animals fail to cross the road D. Take steps to protect animals in danger