GenerationsofAmericanshavebeen-优题课

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Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house.
He flew into the water , not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator (鳄鱼) was swimming toward the shore. His mother in the house was looking out the window and saw the two as they got closer and closer together . She ran toward the water , shouting to her son as loudly as he could
Hearing her voice , the littler boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him.
From the dock, the mother grabber her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of –war between the two. The alligator was much stronger that the mother , but the mother was much too passionate to let go . A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator.
Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal and, on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother’s fingernails dug in to his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.
The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma (创伤)， asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, “ But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my mum wouldn’t let go。“
Sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situation. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril (危险)and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. When the tug-of –war begins and if you have the scars of his love on your arms, be very, very grateful. He did not —and will not—let you go.
60. What was coming when the boy flew into the river?
A. Happiness. B. A fish C. Danger D. Mother
61. The underlined word “ passionate” in paragraph 4 means“ __________”
A. anxious B . eager C. curious D. full of emotion
62.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The scars on his arms are great.
B. The boy is sad because of his scars.
C. His mother is stronger that the alligator.
D. The scars on the boy were caused by the alligator.
63. Which of the following can serve as the best title for the passage?
A. Save a boy.B. Scars of love
C. Fight with an Alligator D.A brave boy

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第三部分阅读理解 (每小题2分，共40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。
Agricultural scientists in the United States have put a copy of a human gene into pigs, sheep and rabbits. They report that the gene seems to be working in some of the animals. The gene that the scientists are using controls the production of human growth hormone(荷尔蒙), a chemical necessary for growth.
They are using the human gene because it has been more closely studied than any other growth gene. The scientists hope their work will someday result in food animals that grow faster and larger or produce more milk or eggs. The research is being done by scientists at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Washington and the United States Department of Agriculture. The scientists put copies of human growth hormone into the fertilized (受精的) eggs of the female animals. When baby animals were born from the eggs, the scientists looked for evidence that the human gene had become part of the animal’s genetic material. They examined almost 200 baby pigs and found the gene in 20 of them. They found it in 28 of more than 200 rabbits, but it was in only one of 73 baby sheep. The scientists said they found the human growth chemical produced by the gene in some of the animals.
It is too soon to know if the animals will pass the human growth gene into their young, proving that the gene has become part of their genetic material. Similar research with mice two years ago produced a new kind of mouse that is two times larger than normal. The scientists hope the same thing will happen with farm animals. They say their research will permit other gene transplants that can give animals defense against diseases, or let them live in very hot or very cold places. American farmers already use chemical hormones to increase the size of cattle and the amount of milk they produce. But they have to put the hormones into the cows. If the gene transplants are fully successful, the cow’s body will produce growth hormone.
56. How many kinds of animals have scientists put copies of human gene into?
A. 2 B. 3 C. 4 D. 5
57. Why did the scientists do such a research?
A. To prove that the human gene had become part of the animal’s genetic material.
B. To expect food animals that grow faster and larger or produce more milk or eggs.
C. To find the human growth chemical produced by the gene in some of the animals.
D. To follow a similar research with mice carried out two years ago.
58. The underlined word “them” refers to ______.
A. the baby pigs B. baby animalsC. the scientists D. the baby sheep
59. What can we learn about the research with mice?
A. A new kind of mouse was produced, which is defensive against diseases.
B. The hormones from the mice were then put into the cows.
C. A new kind of mouse was produced, which is twice larger than normal.
D. Scientists found that the mice can live in very hot or very cold places.

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According to official statistics released by the Chinese government, China is expected to run out of water around the year 2030. In its directive on water use, the State Council (国务院) has stated, “Taking into full account water-saving, by 2030 our country’s water use will reach or approach the total volume of exploitable water resources (可利用的水资源总量), and the drought-fighting situation will be increasingly serious.” Such statements are certainly serious, and every man, woman and child in China must consider the situation and how it relates to their lives.
So, will China run out of water completely? The news is not all bad. Although there are serious concerns, there are some reasons to be hopeful. One of the simplest is just to consider that China has had a long history of water problems. From flooding to drought, balancing water needs has always been an issue in China; it is something that many public projects are already addressing. Some of these projects need time before their long-term value can be properly seen, but there is reason to hope that they will prove useful.
Another reason for hope lies in what seems at first to be a terrible fact: nearly 70% of China’s water is so contaminated that it is not only unsuitable for drinking but is also not useful for individual purposes. How can this be good news? Well, in recent years, the terrible situation has motivated the government and the public to become more and more committed to cleaning up these contaminated sources. Several projects have already been successful in partially cleaning these water sources. As this commitment increases, more and more of China’s water is being cleaned and made available for use.
Finally, the international community, particularly NGOs (Non Government Organizations) and the corporate community, have begun to focus on ways to help China stretch its limited water resources. Several business and NGOs are already studying the issue and investing in solutions.
It is certainly important for everyone in China to understand the situation and to take part in conserving water. Thankfully, however, the situation is not hopeless. Through the cooperation of the government, the people, NGOs and business, China can continue to find the water it needs.
72. What does the first paragraph tell us?
A. China is seriously short of water now.’
B. We still have enough water for drink and use.
C. China will be faced with serious water shortage in two decades.
D. We needn’t consider the situation for the moment.
73. Which of the following reasons to be hopeful is not mentioned?
A. Many in the international and corporate community have begun to help China.
B. China has dealt with many water problems.
C. The government and the public are becoming more and more committed to cleaning up the contaminated sources.
D. The Chinese have enough confidence and courage to overcome the difficulty.
74. Which of the following can replace the underlined word contaminated in Paragraph 3?
A. cleaned B. wasted C. polluted D. purified
75. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to this passage?
A. The international community and the corporate community have begun to help China develop it limited water resources.
B. All China’s water is so contaminated that it is unsuitable for both drinking and industrial purposes.
C. Several business and NGOs had already studied the issue and invested in solutions.
D. There is no hope for China to find the water it needs.

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This is my third day of the English camp here in Australia. It has been an amazing experience. I can’t believe how many different nationalities are here. Because we all speak so many different languages, we are forced to use our English in order to communicate. I really like Jim, the leader of my small group. There are only five other students in our group; Jim is very easy-going and is very good at getting all of us to chat and have fun together.
There are classes every day, but they are not boring, like my English classes at school. We learn new vocabulary every day and then must practice it immediately in conversation or in real life situations. The teachers are very professional---and very skilled at making us feel comfortable and eager to talk. The writing classes are the most difficult for me; the teacher is very strict, but I like her a lot. She has very high standards, but her step-by-step method leads us slowly but surely to her final goal.
I can feel myself growing a lot personally. In just three days, I have much more confidence than ever before to express myself in English. I’ve also noticed that I’m much more comfortable with different kinds of people---not nearly so shy as when I’m at home. It seems that being shy is just my way of hiding when I’m afraid. Here at the camp, the teachers and other leaders have kindly but firmly forced me to push past my fear. I’m learning a lot about myself. In fact, after staying here for only three days, I have realized that in the past I used my shyness as an excuse for my poor English. I’ve realized that I’m not really being shy, but I’m being afraid of embarrassment--- and my fear has hurt not only my English ability but my social skills. Here at the camp I’m not only learning English but also learning how not to be afraid.
68. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. The English Camp only offers a three-day study.
B. The writer is the leader of his small group.
C. There are altogether five members in the writer’s group.
D. The members in the English camp are from different countries.
69. What does the writer think of his English classes at school?
A. They are not boring.
B. They are dull.
C. They are interesting.
D. He likes them better than the classes in the English camp.
70. What can we learn about the writer from the passage?
A. His English used to be poor because of his shyness.
B. His English used to be poor because of his fear.
C. He doesn’t like English.
D. He is not as comfortable with different kinds of people as at home.
71. By saying “my fear has hurt not only my English ability but my social skills”, the writer means all of the following except ________.
A. he has learnt both English and social skills in the English camp
B. he has much more confidence than ever before to express himself in English now
C. he has grown a lot personally at the English Camp
D. he is not learning much about himself at the English Camp

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New York (Reuters) --- Television can act like a painkiller when it comes to children and is more effective than a mother’s comforting, according to a small Italian study.
The University of Siena study, published in Archives of Disease in Childhood, was based on 69 children aged 7 to 12 who were divided into three groups to have blood taken.
One group was given no distraction while the blood was being taken. Meantime mothers of children in the second group attempted to distract the youngsters by talking to them, soothing(安慰), and/or caressing them.
In the third group, the children were allowed to watch television cartoons while the procedure was being carried out.
After the samples were taken, the children and their mothers rated their pain scores.
The children recording the highest pain scores were in the group getting no distraction. These scores were about three times as high as those recorded by children allowed to watch the cartoons.
Children comforted by their mothers recorded middling scores.
On average, the mothers rated pain scores higher than the children but they also recorded the lowest pain scores for children who had been allowed to watch television.
“The higher pain level reported by children during mothers’ efforts at distraction shows the difficulty mothers have in interacting positively at a difficult moment in their children’s life,” the researchers said in their report.
They added that watching television also seemed to increase children’s pain tolerance(容忍力).
64. If children are concentrated while having their blood taken, they will _______.
A. feel no pain B. record the lowest pain scores
C. record the highest pain scores D. feel less pain
65. According to the Italian study, children who are suffering from pain had better _______.
A. get comfort from their mothers B. watch cartoons on TV
C. read picture books D. get no distraction
66. The underlined word “distract” in the third paragraph probably means “_______.”
A. reduce one’s pain B. get one’s attention away
C. help one get concentrated D. give comfort to
67. From the passage, we can infer that _______.
A. mothers can soothe their children greatly at hard moments
B. mothers’ love and comfort is the best medicine for children
C. children can have their pain tolerance increased by mother’s efforts
D. mothers’ comfort does not reduce much of their children’s pain