Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son, Michael, prepare for a new sister. And day after day, night after night, Michael sang to his sister in Mommy’s tummy(肚子).
Everything was normal for Karen. But she had difficulty giving birth to the baby. Finally, Michael’s little sister was born. But she was in serious condition and was sent to hospital at once. The days went by. The little girl got worse. The doctor told the parents, “There is very little hope. Be prepared for the worst.”
Karen and her husband had fixed up a special room in their home for the new baby—now they planned a funeral. Michael, kept begging his parents to let him see his sister, “I want to sing to her,” he said.
Karen knew if he didn’t see his sister now, he would never see her alive. She led Michael to his sister’s bedside. In the pure-hearted voice of a 3-year-old, Michael sang: “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine; you make me happy when skies are gray…”
Immediately the baby girl responded. Her breath became calm. “Keep on singing, Michael!” ‘You never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away…” Tears ran down Karen’s face.
Funeral plans were cancelled(取消). The next day, the little girl was well enough to go home! The doctors just called it a miracle(奇迹). Karen called it a miracle of God’s love!Before his sister’s birth, Michael _____ .
A.often whisper to her | B.often sang songs to her |
C.helped with the housework | D.decorated her room beautifully |
The new baby was in serious condition because ______ .
A.the doctors were not skillful |
B.she was not taken good care of |
C.her mother Karen was in poor health |
D.Karen had trouble in giving birth to the baby |
We can know from the text that ____ .
A.singing often has magical power |
B.Michael saved his sister by singing |
C.doctors often use songs to help treat patients |
D.the song Michael sang was made by himself |
The passage is mainly written to _____ .
A.show sometimes songs can cure disease |
B.introduce a funny way of saving life |
C.show readers that God’s love is powerful |
D.tell people a moving and interesting story |
第二部分阅读(共两节,满分50分)
第一节阅读理解(共20小题,每小题2分,满分40分)
阅读下列四篇短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
An eight-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little brother. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money. Only a very expensive operation could save him now and there was no one to lend them the money.
When she heard her daddy say to her tearful mother, “Only a miracle can save him now,” the little girl went to her bedroom and pulled her money from its hiding place and counted it carefully.
She hurried to a drugstore with the money in her hand.
“And what do you want?” asked the salesman. “It’s for my little brother,” the girl answered. “He’s really, really sick and I want to buy a miracle.” “Pardon?” said the salesman.
“My brother Andrew has something bad growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him. So how much does a miracle cost?” “We don’t sell a miracle here, child. I’m sorry,” the salesman said with a smile.
“Listen, if it isn’t enough, I can try and get some more. Just tell me how much it costs.”
A well-dressed man heard it and asked, “What kind of a miracle does your brother need?”
“I don’t know,” she answered with her eyes full of tears. “He’s really sick and mum says he needs an operation. But my daddy can’t pay for it, so I have brought all my money.”
“How much do you have?” asked the man. “$ 1.11, but I can try and get some more,” she answered.
“Well, what luck,” smiled the man. “$ 1.11, the price of a miracle for little brothers.”
He took up the girl’s hand and said, “Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let’s see if I have the kind of miracle you need.”
That well-dressed man was Dr Carlton Armstrong, a famous doctor. The operation was successful and it wasn’t long before Andrew was home again.
How much did the miracle cost?
26.What was the trouble in the little girl’s family?
A.Her brother was seriously ill. B.They had no money.
C.Nothing could save her brother. D.Both A and B.
27.In the eye of the little girl, a miracle might be .
A.something interesting B.something beautiful
C.some wonderful medicine D.some good food
28.The little girl said again and again “...I can try and get some more.” That shows .
A.she had still kept some money
B.she hoped not to be refused
C.There was no need to worry about money
D.she thought money was easy to get
29.What made the miracle happen?
A.The girl’s love for her brother. B.The girl’s money.
C.The medicine from the drugstore. D.Nobody can tell.
30.From the passage we can infer(推断) that .
A.the doctor didn’t ask for any pay
B.a miracle is sure to happen if you keep on
C.the little girl is lovely but not so clever
D.the doctor had great sympathy for the girl’s little brother
Planet Hunter
When Geoff Marcy was 14, his parents bought him a telescope. Every night, he would go onto the roof outside his window to see the wonders of the sky.
“What excited me most was whether there were planets(行星)in other solar(太阳的)systems where life might exist, ”he says. “I decided to try to find planets orbiting(沿…轨道运行)other stars like our Sun.”
And he did. “My fellow researcher, Paul Butler, and I found our first planet in 1995, ”Dr. Marcy says. “We worked for ten years without finding anything! But we stuck with it, and our patience paid off. ”
Since then, the two scientists have discovered 65 of the more than 100 planets found orbiting other stars. Dr. Marcy and Dr. Butler also spotted the first “family”of three planets. In June 2002 they announced another discovery: a Jupiter-like(像木星一样的)planet orbiting star 55 Cancri.
At first, the two researchers found only planets that orbit close to stars. Recently, the scientists found planets farther out. The planet orbiting 55 Cancri is a major breakthrough: it is the first sighting of a large gas planet about the same distance from the star as Jupiter is from the Sun.
Why is this important? Scientists think that life on Earth may exist because of two special features(特征)in our solar system. The first is Jupiter.
“Because it’s so big, Jupiter pulls comets and asteroids(小行星), or they all come and hit the Earth. ”Dr. Marcy explains. “Without Jupiter, life on Earth would likely have been destroyed. ”
A second feature is that Earth is a rocky planet where liquid water, which is necessary for life, can exist. Unlike gas planets, rocky planets like Earth have surfaces where water can gather in pools and seas, which may support life. A huge space exists between the Jupiter-like planet and two other planets that lie close to 55 Cancri. Is there an Earth-like planet in the space, too small for us to notice? If so, says Dr. Marcy, “We would have two striking similarities to our solar system: a Jupiter-like planet and an Earth-like planet. And there may be life! ”
59. What can we learn about Dr. Marcy from the passage?
A. He is fond of watching Jupiter.
B. He is from a scientist family.
C. He dislikes working with Paul Butler.
D. He is interested in finding life in outer space.
60. Which of the following is true of the recent discovery?
A. The planet is not as protective as Jupiter.
B. The planet is close to star 55 Cancri.
C. The planet proves to be a gas planet.
D. The planet is as large as Jupiter.
61. How many planets orbiting other stars have the two scientists discovered so far?
A. 100 B. 69 C. 66 D. 65
62. Dr. Marcy thinks that life may exist in the 55 Cancri system because ______.
A. he has found the system similar to the solar system
B. he has discovered an Earth-like planet there
C. he has discovered a rocky planet there
D. he has found signs of life in the system
63.“But we stuck with it”(in Paragraph 3)means ______.
A. they felt discouraged
B. they carried on with it
C. they failed in their attempt
D. they made some progress
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK - US President Bush said on Monday that he wanted Osama bin Laden “dead or alive” for last week’s attacks on the World Trade Center and the pentagon, but many of Washington’s allies are cool on strikes against Afghanistan.
Bush has named Saudi - born militant Osama bin Laden as a prime suspect, though he has provided no evidence for his claim. Still, he had been building public support for military action and has warned Afghanistan’s Taliban to give up Bin Laden.
But the Taliban, which has warned of “holy war” in response to any US attack, by Tuesday afternoon had given no indication of whether the man they call their“ guest” would be handed over.
On an unprecedented“ Day of terror”, two planes smashed into New York’s World Trade Center twin towers on September 11, putting them into ruins while explosions rocked the Pentagon in Washington, and the White House and State Department were evacuated. The attacks have left more than 5, 000 people dead or missing.
China has said it is ready to join international efforts in fighting “terrorism ”but insisted that peace, not war, is the best option.
In London, Blair declared it a“ war between the civilized world and fanaticism ”and determined to stand by an ally which aided Britain in two world wars. France, Germany and other, including Russia, are also supportive. “The evil must be punished, ” Russian President Vladimir Putin said. “But we should not liken ourselves to bandit.” His defense chiefs have ruled out hosting NATO forces in former Soviet Central Asia or joining US military action, although Moscow says it will help with intelligence.
55. What building(s)was/were totally damaged?
A. The World Trade Center and the Pentagon
B. The World Trade Center.
C. The Pentagon.
D. The White House
56. In this passage, what country does the underlined part refer to?
A. Russia B. France C. Germany D. America
57. According to the passage, which of the following is right?
A. It was bin Laden that made the terrorist attacks, which have left more than 5, 000 people dead or missing.
B. Russian forces will join US military action.
C. There is no sign to show that the Tailbone will hand over bin Laden.
D. Few countries support America after the attacks.
58. From the passage, what problem is the world facing?
A. Wars B. Terrorism C. Population D. Explosions
III. 阅读理解
That“Monday morning feeling”could be a crushing pain in the chest which leaves you sweating and gasping for breath. Recent research from Germany and Italy shows that heart attacks are more common on Monday mornings and doctors blame the stress of returning to work after the weekend break.
The risk of having a heart attack on any given day should be one in seven, but a six-year study helped by researchers at the Free University of Berlin of more than 2, 600 Germans showed that the average person had a 20 percent higher chance of having a heart attack on a Monday than on any other day.
Working Germans are particularly not protected against attack, with a 33 percent higher risk at the beginning of the working week. Non-workers, by comparison, appear to be no more at risk on a Monday than any other day.
A study of 11, 000 Italians proved 8 a. m. on a Monday morning as the most stressful time for the heart, and both studies showed that Sunday is the least stressful day, with fewest heart attacks in both countries.
The finding could lead to a better understanding of what is the immediate cause of heart attacks, according to Dr Stefan Willich of the Free University. “We know a lot about long-term risk factors such as smoking and cholesterol(胆固醇)but we don’t know what actually causes heart attacks, so we can’t give clear advice on how to prevent them, ”he said.
Monday mornings have a double helping of stress for the working body as it makes a rapid change from sleep to activity, and from the relaxing weekend to the pressures of work.
“When people get up, their blood pressure and heart rate go up and there are hormonal(内分泌)changes in their bodies, ”Willich explained. “All these things can have an unfavorable effect in the blood system and increase the risk of a clot(血凝块)which will cause a heart attack.”
“When people return to work after a weekend off, the pace of their life changes. They have a higher workload, more stress, more anger and more physical activities,”said Willich.
51. Monday morning feeling, as this passage shows, ________.
A. is not as serious as people thought
B. is the first killer in Germany and Italy
C. is created by researchers in Germany and Italy
D. is harmful to working people in developed countries
52. To protect people from a heart attack, doctors have paid much attention to ________.
A. people’s working time B. people’s living place
C. people’s diet and lifestyle D. people’s nationalities
53. It can be learned from this passage that the heart attack has something to do with all the following EXCEPT ________.
A. blood pressure B. heart rate
C. hormonal changes D. blood type
54. If the researchers give us some advice to avoid Monday morning feeling, what might it be?
A. Improve working conditions. B. Never go to work on Mondays.
C. Stay with a doctor on Mondays. D. Get up late on Monday mornings.
An unhealthy obsession (着迷)with celebrity(名人) culture is damaging the study success of British students, a survey of teachers found last Friday, with celebrity couple the Beckhams their favorite. Many students are dropping their study to seek the chance of fame instead, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) survey found. .Almost two-thirds of teachers said sports stars were the type of celebrity most pupils wanted to copy while more than half of students wanted to be pop stars.
The celebrities students wanted to be most like, the survey said, were Los Angeles-based David and Victoria Beckham, Britain's most famous couple. Soccer player "Beckhams" topped the poll(民意测验), with more than half the teachers saying their students modeled themselves on him. In second place, with almost a third of the poll's vote, was his 33 year-old wife and pop star "Posh."
A majority of teachers said it was television "stars" and a media fixation with celebrities, celebrity culture that negatively impacted the their pupils. Almost half of the 300 teachers polled said pupils tried to look like or behave like celebrities they most admired. What they feared is that girls particularly dressed in "unsuitable.”
"We are not surprised about infiltration(渗透) of celebrity culture in schools" the teacher Mary Boust said in a statement. "Celebrities can have a positive effect on students. They can raise students' desires and ambitions for the future.
"However, celebrity culture can cause the wrong opinion that celebrity status(地位) is the greatest achievement and the belief that other career choices are not valuable."
5. The survey showed that________
A. the British students studied hard.
B. many students dreaming of being famous stars.
C. Beckhams was a famous football player.
D. the teacher thought it unnecessary to study hard.
6. The underlined word ”modeled” refers to ______
A. was fond of B. hated C. copied D. wished
7. Which of the following is NOT right?_________
A. The survey was carried by the teachers.
B. Beckham was the most popular with the students.
C. Celebrities sometimes have a good effect on the students.
D. The couple Beckhams now still live in England.
8. Which is the best title of the passage?________
A. British Students Wants to Be Famous
B. Celebrity Obsession Harming British Students
C. Teachers Worried about Their Students
D. The Students’ Opinions Are changing