Betty Skelton was often called “The First Lady of Firsts’’ because of the many records she set. She grew up in Pensacola, Florida, watching airplanes flying to and from a nearby navy base. As a child, she persuaded her parents to let her take flying lessons. By 12, Betty made her first flight alone, though not legally permitted to do so until she turned 16.
During the 1940s, female pilots were mostly prevented from commercial and military flying. So Betty Skelton decided to use her flight skills in aerobatics(特技飞行)，performing difficult turns, drops, and other exercises. She began performing and competing around the country.
She won the International Feminine Aerobatic Championship(IFAC)for three years in a row, starting in 1948. She and her little Pitts Special plane the “Little Stinker’’ became famous.
Dorothy Cochrane is an aviation expert who once studied and worked with Betty Skelton. “Betty was such a wonderful aerobatic pilot that she really set the bar high for other women to follow and she was a great role model for them. She really was as good as some of the men.”
Once Ms. Skelton had made her mark on flying, she moved on to racecars, becoming the first female test driver in the racecar industry. She set several land speed records. She also set a cross-country record, driving from New York to California in under 57 hours. And she became one of the top women advertising experts working with General Motors in support of the company’s Corvette car.
Ms. Skelton died in August, 2011, at the age of 85. Visitors to the Washington area can see her “little Stinker” plane at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. The small red and white plane hangs high in the air above the entrance to the museum.What can we learn from the first paragraph?
| A．Betty Skelton was the first Lady of the US. |
| B．16 was the legal age for people to fly an airplane. |
| C．Betty became a navy pilot when she was 16. |
| D．Betty’s parents didn’t support her flying interest. |
What happened to Betty Skelton in 1950?
| A．She moved on to racecars. |
| B．She became an aerobatic pilot. |
| C．She was 20 years old. |
| D．She won the IFAC for the third time. |
What can we know from the words by Dorothy Cochrane?
| A．It is not easy for other women to break Betty Skelton’s records. |
| B．She was even more excellent than some men in skills. |
| C．It is difficult for other women to reach the height Betty Skelton flew to. |
| D．Betty Skelton is an inspiring role model for pilots worldwide. |
What is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Betty started to fly alone at a nearby navy base at the age of 12. |
| B．“Little Stinker” was Betty Skelton’s Pitts Special plane. |
| C．Betty set several speed records in car racing. |
| D．Betty even set a cross-country record. |
What is the correct order of the events that happened in the passage?
a. Betty won the international Feminine Aerobatic Championship.
b. Betty became an advertising expert.
c. Betty made her first flight alone.
d. Betty began her aerobatic performance.
e. Betty became the first female test driver.
| A．a→b→c→d→e | B．a→e→b→c→d |
| C．c→d→a→e→b | D．c→b→d→a→e |
A young woman carrying a three-year-old child got on a bus. The conductor hurried to give her a warm welcome and then kindly asked the other passengers to make more room for the woman and her child. On seeing this, people began to talk. “You know this conductor used to be very rude. Now suddenly he has changed his bad behavior,” said a middle-aged man.
“Yes, he should be praised and we must write a letter to the company,” said a second passenger. “That’s right,” another lady said, “I wish a newspaper reporter were here so that more people could learn from this conductor.”
Just then a gentleman who looked like a teacher turned to the conductor and said, “Excuse me, but can I know your name, please? Your excellent service must be praised...”
Before he could open his mouth, the three-year-old child sitting on the young woman’s lap interrupted, “I know his name. I call him Dad.”
64. One passenger suggested writing a letter to the company to ______ .
A. make a demand for more buses
B. thank the conductor for his good service
C. criticize the conductor for his rude behavior
D. invite a newspaper reporter to write about the conductor
65. What was the gentleman?
A. A teacher.
B. A newspaper reporter.
C. Not known from the story.
D. The conductor's friend from his company.
66. The word “him” in the last paragraph refers to _______.
A. the gentlemanB. the conductor
C. the middle-aged man D. the three-yea
r-old child
67. It is clear from the story that the conductor _______.
A. has changed his attitude towards his work
B. has now been kind and polite to all passengers
C. has not changed his rude behavior to passengers
D. has now been kind and polite to women with children
It is sometimes said that the English are polite people. This can make life difficult for
foreigners. Suppose a foreign boy asks an English girl to go out with him and she says, “If I finish my work, I’ll meet you in the cafe at 7 o’clock.” Is she saying “yes” or “no” to his invitation?
In grammatical terms, she is using the conditional structure (表示条件的句式). By using the conditional, speakers of English can avoid giving a “yes” or “no” answer to a question. It enables people to be diplomatic (婉转的). If the girl doesn’t want to go out with the boy, she won’t turn up at the cafe. She will let him understand she is still working. If she wants to go out with him, but doesn’t want to appear too easy to catch, she has achieved that with her reply. But in this case, as she uses the first conditional which shows probability, she is quite likely to turn up at the cafe. Being polite can make life very difficult!
The conditional is often used by people in the news -- politicians, for example -- who wish to avoid speaking out their ideas. This is very important if they are on their way to discuss an agreement. No one wants to give away his or her points before he or she starts. A government spokesman might say to a group of work
ers, “If we could pay you more, we would.” The use of the conditional here makes room for argument although the speaker is using the second conditional form, which shows improbability. So it is unlikely the workers will get their rise.
“If ” is a small word, which appears often in the English language. It can show politeness, reported speech and conditionals such as the First -- probability -- if I can come to your party, I will; the Second -- improbability -- if I saw you tomorrow, I’d give you the book; and the Third -- impossibility (meaning it is too late to change something that has happened ) -- if you have told me, I would have helped you.
60. The using of the conditional can make a speech _________.
A. clearer B. quicker C. more polite D.more exciting
61. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Language used in the news should make room to argue.
B. Usually English girls are not easy to catch.
C. English people never speak out their ideas in public.
D. The word “ if ” can show different meanings.
62. In the passage, “If we could pay you more, we would.” probably means __________.
A. the workers will make more money
B. the spokesman doesn’t give any promise
C. the spokesman keeps his word
D. the workers’ problems aren’t difficult
63. This passage is mainly talking about _________.
A. the conditional in communication
B. how to invite a girl in Britain
C. British people and their life
D. some language points in daily English
第三部分：阅读理解（共20题；每小题1.5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。
From age eight to eleven, I attended a small school in Bath, England. It was a small school of four classes with about twenty-five children in each class according to age. For the most part, one teacher had to teach all subjects to the children in the class. However, sometimes the headmaster, Mr. Ronald Broaches, would come in and spend an hour or so, teaching some subjects in which he was especially interested. He was a large man with a very happy nature. He had a sense of humor and would delight in telling the children small stories that would make us laugh. He was a very fair man and had a great influence on many of the children. In my own case, I found that he took great interest in me and he quickly found that I enjoyed puzzles. He would often stop me as I was going to class and take a piece of paper out of his pocket, often with a puzzle already on it. The puzzles were usually mathematical or logical. As time went on, they slowly got more difficult, but I loved them. Not only that, they made me interested in math and problem solving that stays with me to this day. They also served to show me that intellectual activity was rewarding when the correct answers were found, but perhaps more importantly it was great fun. To this day, I can remember Mr. Broaches’ cheerful cry of “Well done!” whenever I got a problem right. The simple communication with a man whom I loved greatly has had a deep influence on my life. I shall forever be thankful that our paths crossed. Mr. Broaches died just two weeks after I had won the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Unluckily, I had no chance to speak to him before he died. I learnt later that he had heard of my success and I will always hope that he knew the deep influence he had made on my life.
56. There were ________ children in each class when Richard was in the school in Bath, England.
A. 4 B. 8 C. 11 D. 25
57. From the text, we can learn that __________
_.
A. the puzzles made the students laugh
B. the students were afraid of the headmaster
C. the puzzles made Richard enjoy math
D. the headmaster never taught in the school
58. The writer felt sorry because __________.
A. Mr. Broaches had passed away before he won the Nobel Prize
B. he didn’t express his thanks before Mr. Broaches died
C. he couldn’t find Mr. Broaches after he grew up
D. Mr. Broaches didn’t know his success
59. What is the best title（标题）for the text ?
A. The Story of Mr. Broaches.
B. The Story of Richard J. Roberts.
C. My Early School Life.
D. An Important Teacher in My Life.
Do you dream of being a reporter or an editor? Are you a good writer who loves the news? If so, then you may have what it takes to be a winner in the TFK Kid Reporter Talent Search.
We’re looking for 12 students from around the nation to be members of the TFK Kid Reporter Team for the 2008-2009 school year. Next year’s team will continue the tradition of reporting local and regional news stories for TIME FOR KIDS magazine and TIME FOR KIDS online.
Professional（职业的）journalists from TIME magazine and TIME FOR KIDS will select this exclusive team. In the past, TFK kid Reporters have
★Interviewed national leaders, celebrities and other newsmakers.
★Written news stories, reviews and opinion pieces for TIME FOR KIDS.
★Appeared on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Today and The Tonight Show with another famous kid Jay Leno to talk about their work.
How to Enter
Get the official rules at time for kids. com/contest.
Entries must be postmarked by Dec. 20, 2008. Good luck!This ad is written for ___________________.
| A．professional reporters and editors |
| B．student reporters and editors |
| C．kids who are interested in politics |
| D．kids who love to write news |
If you want to become a TFK Kid reporter, you must _________________.
| A．write news stories for local newspapers |
| B．sign up through TFK’s official website |
| C．post your entries before Dec 20, 2008 |
| D．know a lot about the newspaper and its style |
Winners of the talent search will be able to do all the following EXECPT _____.
| A．write reports on celebrities and other newsmakers |
| B．become a professional journalist for TIME magazine |
| C．write down their opinions for TIME FOR KIDS |
| D．share their working experiences with other kids on famous media |
If you're in charge of a project, the key to success is getting everyone to want to help you. As a director, I point, I suggest, I gently push the actors in the direction I want them to go.
In the 1986 movie Nothing in Common, Jackie Gleason's character, Max Basner, gets fired (or unemployed) from his job as a clothing salesman. The scene, shot (拍) on a boat, shows Max's despair(绝望) about being out of work. I was looking for some gesture that would allow Max to show his feelings.
Jackie had far more experience at everything than I did, and at first I was frightened. What could I possibly tell “The Great One” about acting? Out of fear I decided to direct by suggestion, and I sat down with Gleason to talk about the scene. “So Max is sad, right?” I said.
Gleason nodded.
“And he’s probably still carrying his pens with his name on them ---the ones he used to hand out to his customers, right?”
Gleason nodded.
“ So what would you want to do with the pens after you were fired?” He was silent for a moment. “Why don’t I throw them overboard (or all over the boat)?” I stood up and turned toward the crew. “Hey, everybody, Jackie has a wonderful idea. Let’s shoot it.”
After filming the scene, Gleason called me over and said with a smile, “Garry, what kind of wonderful idea am I going to have tomorrow?” You and your team can discover the answers to problems together. When there are no prizes or gold stars for who gets the solution (or the way to work out a problem) first, you'll all benefit (or get something of use or value) when everything turns out right.The author tells us that to succeed in a project you are in charge of, you should __.
| A．make everyone work for you |
| B．get everyone willing to help you |
| C．let people know you have the final say |
| D．keep sending out orders to them |
It can be inferred(推断) that ______________.
| A．Jackie Gleason is the director of the film Nothing in common |
| B．Jackie Gleason is very angry when he is fired from his job |
| C．Max, a character in a film, is in very low spirits(情绪) when he loses his job |
| D．Jackie Gleason is the writer of the film Nothing in common |
The Great One” in paragraph 3 refers to ___________.
| A．Gleason | B．the director himself |
| C．Max | D．Max's boss |
Why did Gleason call the director over and smile at him? That’s because Gleason ___
| A．thought his wonderful idea was accepted by the latter(后者) |
| B．succeeded in hitting upon (or think of) a wonderful idea |
| C．was certain about his work the next day |
| D．appreciated the latter's way of directing films |
The best title for the passage is ____________.
| A．Directing a Film | B．The Key to Success |
| C．A Wonderful Experience | D．Working with Film Stars |