A friend of mine named Paul received an expensive car from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin (顽童)was walking around the shining car. "Is this your car, Paul?" he asked.
Paul answered, "Yes, my brother gave it to me for Christmas." The boy was surprised. "You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn't cost you anything. Boy, I wish..."He hesitated (犹豫).
Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the boy said surprised Paul greatly.
"I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that." Paul looked at the boy in surprise, then he said again; "Would you like to take a ride in my car?" "Oh, yes, I'd love that." After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes shining, said, "Paul, would you mind driving in front of my house?"
Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the boy wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big car. But Paul was wrong again. "Will you stop where those two steps are?" the boy asked.
He ran up to the steps. Then in a short while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled ( 残疾 ) brother. He sat him down on the step and pointed to the car.
"There he is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn't cost him a cent. And some day I'm going to give you one just like it. Then you can see for yourself all the nice things in the Christmas window that I've been trying to tell you about."
Paul got out and lifted the boy to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and three of them began an unforgettable holiday ride.The street urchin was very surprised when______________ .
| A．Paul received an expensive car | B．Paul told him about the car |
| C．he saw the shining car | D．he was walking around the car |
The urchin asked Paul to stop his car in front of his house______________ .
| A．to show his neighbours the big car | B．to show he had a rich friend |
| C．to let his brother ride in the car | D．to tell his brother about his wish |
We can infer from the story that______________.
| A．Paul couldn't understand the urchin |
| B．the urchin had a deep love for his brother |
| C．the urchin wished to have a rich brother |
| D．the urchin's wish came true in the end |
The best title of the story is__________ .
| A．A Christmas Present | B．A Street Urchin |
| C．A Brother Like That | D．An Unforgettable Holiday Ride |
第二部分阅读理解（共25小题。第一节每小题2分，第二节每小题1分；满分45分）
第一节阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A new study in West Africa shows how farm irrigation systems powered by the sun can produce more food and money for villagers. The study in Benin found that solar-powered pumps are effective in supplying water, especially during the long dry season.
Sub-Saharan Africa is the part of the world with the least food security. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that more than one billion of the world’s people faced hunger last year. Around two hundred sixty-five million of them live south of the Sahara Desert. Lack of rainfall is one of their main causes of food shortages.
Jennifer Burney from Stanford University in California led the study. The research team helped build three solar-powered irrigation systems in northern Benin.
The solar-powered irrigation systems produced an average of nearly two metric tons of vegetables per month.
They sold the surplus(过剩的) produce at local markets. The earnings greatly increased their ability to buy food during the dry season which can last six to nine months.
People in the two villages with the systems were able to eat three to five more serving of vegetables per day. But making the surplus available at markets also had a wider effect.
The study compared the villages with two others where women farmed with traditional methods like carrying water in buckets. The amount of vegetables eaten in those villages also increased, though not as much.
The researchers note that only four percent of the cropland in sub-Saharan Africa is irrigated. Using solar power to pump water has higher costs at first. But the study says it can be more economical in the long term than using fuels like gasoline, diesel or kerosene. And solar power is environmentally friendly.
1. People living in sub-Saharan Africa are short of food mainly because______.
A. it seldom rains there throughout the year B. there is little farmland in the area
C. people there lack experience in farming D. people know nothing about irrigation techniques
2. Which of the following is an advantage of Jennifer’s irrigation systems?
A. They are not affected by the weather.
B. They cost much less than traditional irrigation systems.
C. They have no bad effects on the environment.
D. They use less fuel than traditional irrigation systems.
3. We can learn from the last paragraph that______.
A. people in South Africa will soon be provided with enough food
B. the demand for fuels like gasoline will greatly decrease in Africa
C. people in sub-Saharan Africa don’t take agriculture seriously
D. it’s worthwhile to use the new irrigation systems on the while
4. People in the two villages owe all the following to Jennifer’s irrigation systems EXCEPT that ______.
A. they could buy more food during the dry season
B. they could eat more vegetables than usual every day
C. they could supply local markets with vegetables
D. they could provide people in other villages with food
LONDON---Life for Cathy Hagner and her three children is set to permanent fast-forward.
Their full school day and her job as a lawyer’s assistant are busy enough. But Hangner also has to take the two boys to soccer or hockey or basketball while dropping off her daughter at piano lessons or Girl Scout Club.
Often，the exhausted family doesn’t get home until 7 p. m. There is just time for a quick supper before homework
In today’s world， middle-class American and British parents treat their children as if they are competitors racing for some finishing line.
Parents take their children from activity to activity in order to make their future bright. It seems that raising a genius has become a more important goal than raising a happy and well-balanced child.
"Doctors across the country are reporting a growing number of children suffering from stomachaches and headaches due to exhaustion and stress, "says child expert William Doherty of the University of Minnesota.
Teachers are dealing with exhausted kids in the classroom. It’s a very serious problem.
Many children attend after-school clubs by necessity. But competitive pressures also create an explosion of activities. They include sports， language， music and math classes for children as young as four.
"There is a new parenting trend under way which says that you have to tap all your child’s potential at a young age; otherwise you will let him down，" says Terry Apter， a Cambridge-based child and adolescent psychiatrist（青少年精神病专家）.“It isn’t entirely new: there have always been pushy parents. But what was previously seen as strange behavior is now well accepted.”
1．From the second paragraph of this passage we can find that ________.
A．Hanger wastes much time helping her children’s lessons
B．Hanger doesn’t spend much time on her full time job
C．Hanger is interested in sports and music
D．Hanger busies herself by following a trend
2．British parents， as the writer described in this passage， ________.
A．treat their children as sports players
B．pay no attention to their children’s lessons
C．bring up their children in a simple way
D．give their children little time to develop freely
3．The writer’s opinion of after-school clubs is that _________.
A．activities in the country are too competitive
B．children should attend four clubs at a time
C．some clubs lead to competitive pressures
D．clubs should have more subjects for school children
4．The last paragraph tells us that in Britain______
A．parents used to take their children to every club.
B．parents used to be wise on how to raise children
C．parents have all benefited from children’s clubs.
D．parents have come to know the standard of education
It’s 2035. You have a job, a family and you’re about 40 years old. Welcome to your future life.
Getting ready for work, you pause in front of the mirror, “Turn red,” you say. Your shirt changes from sky blue to deep red. Tiny preprogrammed electronic are rearranged in your shirt to change its color. Looking into the mirror, you find it hard to believe that you are 40. You look much younger. With amazing advances in medicine, people in your generation may live to be 150 years old. You’re not even middle-aged.
As you go into the kitchen and prepare to pour your breakfast cereal into a bowl, you hear: “To lose weight, you shouldn’t eat that, ” from your shoes. They read the tiny electronic code on the cereal box find out the nutrition details. “Kitchen, what can I have for breakfast?” A list of possible foods appear on the counter as kitchen checks its food supplies.
“Ready for your trip to space. You ask your son and daughter. ” In 2005 only specially trained astronauts went into space－and very few of them. Today anyone can go to space for day trips or longer vacation. Your best friend even works in space. Handing your children three strawberries each, you add, “The doctor said you need these for space travel. ” Thanks to medical advices, vaccination（疫苗）shots are a thing of the past. Ordinary foods contain specific vaccines. With the berries in their mouths, the kids head for the front door.
It’s time for you to go to work. Your car checks your fingerprints and unlocks the doors. “My office. Autopilot,” you command. Your car drives itself down the road and moves smoothly into traffic on the highway. You sit back and unroll your e-newspaper. The latest news downloads and fills the viewer. Looking through the pages, you watch the news as video films rather than read it.
1．What changes the color of your shirt?
A．The mirrorB．The shirt itself
C．The counter D．The medicine
2．How do the shoes know that you shouldn’t eat the breakfast cereal?
A．By pouring the breakfast into a bowl
B．By listening to the doctor’s advice
C．By testing the food supplies in the kitchen
D．By checking the nutrition details of the food
3．The strawberries the children eat serve as______.
A．breakfast B．lunchC．vaccinesD．nutrition
4．How is the text organized?
A．In order of timeB．In order of frequency
C．In order of preference D．In order of importance
People in the United States honour their parents with two special days: Mother’s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day’s, on the third Sunday in June. These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care. These two days offer a chance to think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers now work outside the home. More fathers must help with child-care.
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day people wear carnations A red one stands for a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services（宗教仪式）to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit their graves. On these days, families get together at home and in restaurants. They often have outdoor BBQs for Father’ Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.
Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are valued more than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is “the thought that counts”. Greeting card stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries, telephones companies and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays.
1．Which is NOT a reason for children to show love and respect for parents?
A．Parents bring up children.
B．Parents give love and care to children.
C．Parents educate children to be good persons.
D．Parents pass away before children grow up.
2．What do you know from the passage?
A．Mother’s Day and Father’ Day are both in May.
B．Fewer women worked outside the home in the past.
C．Not all the children respect their parents.
D．Fathers are not as important as mothers at home.
3．Which do you think is right about “carnation”?
A．It only has two kinds of color.
B．It is a special kind of clothes people wear on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.
C．It’s a kind of flower showing love and best wishes.
D．People can wear carnations only on the second Sunday in May.
4．What do you think “florists” do?
A．They sell flowers.
B．They made bread or pastry.
C．They offer enough room for having family parties.
D．They sell special clothes for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
COOL INVENTIONS
CHARGE ON THE GO
From school to band practice, the Venturi Eclectic is an Earth-friendly way to get where you want to go. This battery-powered, zero-emission(meaning it doesn’t pollute the air) vehicle runs mainly on renewable energy. Solar panels on the Eclectic’s roof absorb sun rays when you’re driving. On windy days, you can connect a machine to the car’s roof collects energy from the wind while you’re parked. The Eclectic’s top speed is 28 miles an hour; the battery lasts for 31 miles before it needs to be recharged. Zipping （迅速行进）round the neighborhood has never been better.
WATER CLOCK
Here’s an eco-friendly way to tell time: Simply fill the Bedol Water-powered Clock’s tank（箱）with water, add some lemon juice, and the clock will display the time without the need for environmentally harmful batteries. There are two sets of metal electrodes（电极）inside the water tank. Water contains ions（离子）that carry negative and positive charges. These ions complete a charge between the electrodes creating enough energy to power the clock. Just refill the tank every few weeks, and this clock will keep on ticking.
LAND ROCKET
Bloodhound SuperSonic Car (SSC) will be the first car to attempt to break the 1,000-mile-an-hour barrier. (The current record is 763 miles an hour.) a concept for now, the rocket-shaped car gets its initial push to 350 miles an hour from a jet engine. Then a rocket fires up, pushing the SSC past 1,000 miles an hour. In order to keep the car streamlined（流线型的）the driver lies back at a 45-degree angle.
COOL CAMERA
You’re having a blast at your friend’s birthday party. But when it’s time to bring out the cake, everyone crowds around, blocking your view. No worries. Throw the Triops into the air, and this clever camera captures the view from above. The Triops can take three pictures at once, each from different angles. You can also record sounds and command the Triops to start shooting whenever it hears that noise. That’s one smart camera.
1．According to the passage, the Venturi Eclectic______.
A．is popular with businessmen
B．is suitable for a long trip
C．can turn wind into energy
D．has only a little gas emission
2．What is the common characteristic of the Venturi Eclectic and the Bedol Water-powered Clock?
A．They don’t need batteries.
B．They are difficult to operate
C．They can be powered by water
D．They are environmentally friendly
3．The underlined phrase “having a blast” in the last paragraph means______.
A．looking at a picture B．enjoying yourself
C．blowing out a candle D．recording sounds
4．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A．The Triops in sensitive to sounds.
B．The driver of the SSC must be of great size.
C．The color of the Bedol Water-powered Clock is like that of lemon
D．The SSC doesn’t have anything to do with a rocket actually.