Buster Brown was a thief and a good one too，he thought． He’d never been caught by the police because he never took chances．He was always prepared for any unforeseen event or emergency.
Confidently，he stood outside the house of his intended victim(受害者)and read the sign on the front gate of the house．“Don't worry about the dog—be aware of the owner!” it said．Buster smiled and found his way in．
The house looked quite normal outside，but inside it was very exotic with fascinating objects on display．As he began putting them into his bag，a dog came into the room．It stopped when it saw Buster，then wagged its tail madly and went over to him，licking his outstretched hand． "Good boy，” Buster whispered． “What a great guard dog you are—trying to lick me to death.” Satisfied he'd made friends with the dog，Bluster began to wander round the house，choosing items to put in his bag．His skilled eye picked out only the best antiques(古董)：a pair of silver candleholders，a silver tea-and-coffee service，etc．．His new friend，the dog，sat and watched，as if wondering what was happening．
“Well，boy，” Buster whispered，finally．“That might do．Any more and I won't be able to carry it!” He swung the heavy bag onto his shoulders, just as the lights came on, nearly blinding him. He shielded his eyes with his hand.
"You're a very silly person," the figure in the doorway said, his voice dry and dust. As the man came closer, Buster could see he was well dressed. His face seemed familiar, but Buster couldn't quite place where he had seen him before.
"You should have taken more notice of the sign outside," the man rasped. "I knew about this attempted robbery last week and I also know you will end up behind bars for 20 years. Fancy trying to rob the house of the world's greatest fortune-teller!"Why was Buster so confident?
| A．He was not afraid of dogs. |
| B．He knew the owner of the house lived alone. |
| C．The house had no security alarm. |
| D．He had never been caught by the police. |
Which of the definitions is closest in meaning to the word "exotic" in the third paragraph?
| A．Messy and untidy. | B．Rich and expensive. |
| C．Foreign and unusual. | D．Comfortable and calming. |
How did Buster decide which objects to take?
| A．He took those that were easy to carry in his bag. |
| B．He took only the best antiques. |
| C．He took those that he knew he could sell easily. |
| D．He looked for silver objects. |
What punishment waits for Buster Brown?
| A．A long prison sentence. |
| B．A prison sentence with hard labor. |
| C．A heavy fine. |
| D．Community service for 20 years. |
.
Education is not an end, but a means to an end. In other words, we do not educate children only for the purpose of educating them. Our purpose is to fit them for life.
In some modern countries it has for some time been fashionable to think that by free education for all — one can solve all the problems of society and build a perfect nation. But we can already see that free education for all is not enough; we find in such countries a far larger number of people with university degree; they refuse to do what they think “low” work; and, in fact, work with hands is thought to be dirty and shameful in such countries. But we have only to think a moment to understand that the work of a completely uneducated farmer is far more important than that of a professor; we can live without education, but we die if we have no food. If no one cleaned our streets and took the rubbish away from our houses, we should get terrible diseases in our towns.
In fact, when we say that all of us must be educated to fit us for life, it means that we must be educated in such a way that, firstly, each of us can do whatever work suited to his brains and ability and, secondly, that we can realize that all jobs are necessary to society, and that is very bad to be ashamed of one’s work. Only such a type of education can be considered valuable to society.
60. The writer of the passage thinks that _______.
A. education can settle most of the world’s problems
B. free education for all probably leads to a perfect world
C. free education won’t help to solve problems
D. all the social problems can’t be solved by education
61. The writer wants to prove that _______.
A. our society needs all kinds of jobs
B. our society needs free education for all
C. a farmer is more important than a professor
D. work with hands is the most important
62. The purpose of education is _______.
A. to choose officials for the country
B. to prepare children mainly for their future work
C. to let everyone receive education fit for him
D. to build a perfect world
.
第三节阅读理解（共两部分，满分40分）
第一部分（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题的所给的所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
One day I got a duck from a friend who lived two miles south of my house. I brought the duck home in a bag. It was obvious that the duck missed his family very much upon his arrival. Left to himself, he would at once turn his head homeward. I tried to shut him together with other ducks for several days, but with no use at all. There seemed to be but one thought in the mind of him, and that was home.
So I decided to let him out, but I kept about fifty yards behind him. I followed, thinking he would soon lose his way and came back. But he seemed to have an exact map of the country in his mind. Soon he met a dog. He paused and looked at the animal for a moment, and then turned to the right along a road which led to a railroad station. He had now gone about half the distance, and was getting tired. A little pool of water by the roadside caught his eye. Into it he bathed, drank, and rested for a few moments, and then started homeward again. For a while, he realized that he had got into the wrong direction, and turned his face southward again. Finally we came in sight of the home path, which led up to the farmhouse.
It was now nearly night and I had no time to watch the experiment further. But as he neared the path he seemed suddenly to see some familiar things, and rushed at the top of his speed. I followed close behind. Into the house yard he rushed with uplifted wings as if he was eagerly telling his partners the story of his adventures.
56. What does the author think about the duck?
A. Interesting and careful.
B. Curious and enthusiastic.
C. Intelligent and determined.
D. Brave and experienced.
57. As soon as the duck arrived at a new place, he seemed________.
A. glad B. nervous C. tired D. homesick
58.The underlined part “the experiment” in the last paragraph refers to “__________”.
A. if the duck had the ability to get on well with other ducks.
B. if the duck was born with a good sense of direction.
C. if the duck could discover the author.
D. if the duck could find his way home.
59. What’s the purpose of the writer’s writing the text?
A. To share us a duck’s interesting trip.
B. To present his opinions about a duck’s remarkable experience.
C. To express his curiosity about a duck’s interesting trip.
D. To examine why a duck would like to rush on it’s own.
.
Fatimah Bamun dropped out of Balizenda Primary School in the first grade, when her father refused to buy her pencils and paper. Only after her teachers said to him that his daughter showed unusual promise(有希望) did he change his mind. Today, Fatimah, 14, tall and slender, studies math in a dirt-floored fourth-grade classroom.
Whether she will reach the fifth grade is another matter. Fatimah is facing the realities of a school with no toilet, no water, no hope of privacy (隐私) other than the shadow of a bush, and no girlfriends with whom to share feelings. Fatimah is the only girl of the 23 students in her class. In fact, in a school of 178 students, she is one of the only three girls who have made it past the third grade.
“I have no friend in the class,” she said. “Most of my friends have dropped out to get married. So during the break, I just sit in the classroom and read.”
Her father, however, now says he is fully behind her. “The people from the government are all the time telling us to send our daughters to school, and I am listening to these people,” he said.
But in many cases, parents don’t listen. Parents think that if the girls stay home, they can help with the harvesting, fetch the water and collect the firewood. So they take them out of school.
In a region where poverty, tradition and ignorance make about 24 million girls not even have an elementary school education. There are many other barriers (障碍) that prevent girls going to school, such as the lack of school toilets and water.
The issue is not only equality. The World Bank thinks that if women in sub-Saharan Africa had equal education, land and other wealth, the region’s economy could improve greatly. There is a connection between growth in Africa and sex equality. It is of great importance but still ignored by so many people.
68. The author’s purpose in writing the passage is to _______.
A. find the cause of Africa’s poverty
B. describe the poor education conditions of African girls
C. prove the inequality in African society
D. reform the present schooling systems in Africa
69. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Fatimah is a girl who shows signs of success for the future.
B. Fatimah’s father is now giving a lot of support to her.
C. Fatimah is the only girl who has made it past the fifth grade in her school.
D. Fatimah has no friends at school because they most of them have dropped out to get married.
70. It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
A. most African girls are treated equally in society
B. African governments don’t care whether girls go to school or not
C. most African girls would rather get married than go to school
D. African girls can’t enjoy equal chances for education
.
A clique(小圈子,派系) is a group of friends who hang out together and act in similar ways. Cliques are common feature of the teen years. Members of a clique usually have certain things in common. For example, they might all be good students. Membership in a clique is limited. Not everyone who wants to belong can join.
Cliques can have a positive or negative influence. Because most teens have a strong need to belong, they want to feel that they fit into a group. Cliques can help them meet this need. Sometimes teens feel unsure of themselves, and they use a clique to gain approval of what they wear or how they act.
Cliques can become harmful, however, if they pressure members to behave the same way as the group that may damage their health. Cliques may discourage members from making their own decisions, giving their own opinions, or having other friends who aren’t accepted by the clique. Cliques may even pressure members to act in ways that go against their own values and beliefs, such as lying to parents or teachers. Cliques can also hurt people outside the group. For example, members might make fun of a teen who isn’t in the clique.
If you find yourself under this type of pressure from a clique, here are some actions you can take to improve your situation.
● Suggest other activities. Offer ideas that don’t involve hurting others or putting anyone at risk.
● Find new friends. If staying in the clique is becoming a negative experience, you will be better off with new friends.
65. Why do teens want to be a member of a clique?
A. Because it is popular with teens.
B. Because it meets teens’ need of belonging.
C. Because it is where teens can be themselves.
D. Because it provides an opportunity for them to be away from their parents.
66. Why can cliques be harmful?
A. Because kids in there don’t have independent thinking.
B. Because kids in there are not allowed to have their own opinions.
C. Because kids in there sometimes are pressured.
D. Because kids in there are forced to lie to their parents.
67. What is the writer’s attitude toward the clique?
A. He is very supportive to it. B. He is strongly against it.
C. He is not against it, though he doesn’t like it.
D. He is not against it. However, he has some worry about it.
.
As prices and building costs keep rising, the “do-it-yourself” (DIY) trend in the U.S. continues to grow.
“We needed furniture for our living room,” says John Ross, “and we just didn’t have enough money to buy it. So we decided to try making a few tables and chairs.” John got married six months ago, and like many young people these days, they are struggling to make a home at a time when the cost of living is very high. The Rosses took a 2-week course for $280 at a night school. Now they build all their furniture and make repairs around the house.
Jim Hatfield has three boys and his wife died. He has a full-time job at home as well as in a shoe making factory. Last month, he received a car repair bill for $420. “I was deeply upset about it. Now I’ve finished a car repair course. I should be able to fix the car by myself.”
John and Jim are not unusual people. Most families in the country are doing everything they can to save money so they can fight the high cost of living. If you want to become a “do-it-yourselfer”, you can go to DIY classes. And for those who don’t have time to take a course, there are books that tell you how you can do things yourself.
60．We can learn from the text that many newly married people ________.
A. find it hard to pay for what they need
B. have to learn to make their own furniture
C. take DIY courses run by the government
D. seldom go to a department store to buy things
61．John and his wife went to evening classes to learn how to ________.
A. run a DIY shopB. make or repair things
C. save time and money D. improve the quality of life
62．When the writer says that Jim has a full-time job at home, he means Jim ________.
A. keeps house and looks after his children B. does his own car and home repairs
C. does extra work at night D. makes shoes in his home
63．Jim Hatfield decided to become a do-it-yourselfer when ________.
A. he had to raise the children all by himself B. the car repair class was not helpful
C. he could not possibly do two jobsD. his car repairs cost too much
64．What would be the best title for the text?
A. the Joy of DIYB. You Can Do It Too!
C. Welcome to Our DIY Course! D. Ross and Hatfield: Believers in DIY