How hard we have all prayed(祈祷) to grow up quickly, and looked forward to the happy days of being a grown-up and enjoying the many interests that a youth should have.
At last, you have grown up. At least you are no longer a child. They call you “young lady”. You then enjoy the pleasure of being a young lady. You are proud of being a grown-up teenager. People welcome you-this young lady-heartily. You are glad that your prayer has been answered.
But there is always something that troubles you a lot. You say; “Papa and Mama, give me some money please. My pocket money is all gone already.”
“No”, they say, “your age is a dangerous age. If you have too much money to spend, it won’t do you any good.” Then you have to stay at home because you dare not go out with an empty pocket.
Another time you tell your grandma, “Grandma, see, I am a grown-up now.
“Good, now, you can sit here and knit (编织) this for me while I go and have a rest.” To show that you are no more a child, you have to sit there the whole afternoon doing the work, which only a grown-up can do. After an hour, you find it hard to do, and give the knitting basket back to your grandma. Your grandma criticizes your work. You hear what she says, “Such a big girl can’t do such easy work.” You wish then you were a child again.
But the fact is, you are growing up, and you can’t help it. That’s the way it goes!The passage is told about _______ problems.
| A．a growing-up boy’s | B．a teenage girl’s |
| C．an old woman’s | D．a grown-up’s |
It is clear that the writer, as a teenager, ________.
| A．is pleased with the present life |
| B．is unhappy about growing up |
| C．doesn’t think her present life happy enough |
| D．knows happy life will come to her soon |
How does she know her prayer has been answered?
| A．People treat her as a young lady. |
| B．She is no longer a kid. |
| C．People begin to call her teenager. |
| D．She can join women in all kinds of activities. |
From what her parents say, we know _________.
| A．they don’t believe she is already a teenager |
| B．it’s dangerous for a girl to spend money |
| C．they love her more than before |
| D．they still regard her as a child |
Having heard her grandma’s criticism, _________.
| A．she has to lie in bed, doing nothing |
| B．she knows she has already worked the whole afternoon |
| C．she wishes she were not growing up |
| D．she finds it isn’t her turn to do knitting |
B
Frankfurt: Renault SA Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn said the future of electric cars depends on a rebound (反弹) in oil prices that may boost sales of the battery –powered vehicles he’s spending 4 billion euros ($ 5.9 billion) to develop.
“If oil is less than $ 70, we are going to have a problem,” Ghosn said in an interview at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
Renault pledged to sell 100,000 electric cars by 2016 in Israel and Denmark, the first two countries to hire the Paris-based company’s US partner Better Place to roll out nationwide networks of battery-charging swapping stations.
Ghosn is pitting (绞尽脑汁)electric cars from Renault and Japanese affiliate Nissan Motor Co against a new generation of smaller, cheaper gasoline electric hybrids from rivals including Toyota Motor Corp. The French company’s Fluence sedan, on show for the first time in Frankfurt, will become the world’s first mass-market electric car if the agreement with Better Place pays off.
“The outlook for investors in electric cars is extremely dangerous, but if oil prices take off again, there may be a significant commercial opportunity and big rewards,” said Peter Schmidt, managing director of Warwick, England-based consulting firm Automotive Industry Data.
The price of oil, which stood at $70.75 a barrel（桶） by this morning in Europe, will rise to $75 tomorrow, based on the median（中间数）of 35 estimates ranging from $40 to $110. It’s likely to fluctuate （波动）between $80 and $92 through 2013, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
59. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The higher oil prices are, the better it will be for electric cars.
B. Sales of electric cars depend on the new design.
C. The agreement with Better Place pays off.
D. The quality of battery-powered autos can not be guaranteed.
60. The sentence “But if it’s at $ 200, the economic equation’s very easy, and if it’s more than $ 200, even easier.” can be put at the end of _________.
A. paragraph one B. paragraph two
C. paragraph three D. paragraph four
61. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A. Fluctuation of oil prices B. Bad future for electric cars
C. Oil price holds key for electric autosD. A promising CEO
62. The estimated oil price in 2013 might be between________________.
A.$35—$75 B.$40—$110 C. $70.75—$75 D.$80—$92
第三部分阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Scars of Love
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. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out of the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks and shirt as he went.
He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator（短吻鳄） was getting close. The mother in the house was looking out of the window and saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In great fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little 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 grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched (抓住) his legs. That began an unbelievable tug-of-war (拔河比赛) between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard their screams, rushed 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 (留下伤疤) by the terrible attack of the animal. And on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother’s fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.
The newspaper reporter, who interviewed the boy after the trauma （外伤）, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted the pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, “Look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my mum wouldn’t let go.”
You and I can identify with （认同） that little boy. We have scars, too. Not from an alligator, but the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret. But, some wounds, my friends, are because we have refused to let go.
56. The underlined part “the two” in the second paragraph refers to ______.
A. the alligator and the mother B. the mother and the son
C. the driver and the alligator D. the son and the alligator
57. From the passage we can infer ________.
A. The mother was unwilling to let the alligator go
B. The mother was actually stronger than the alligator
C. The son was proud of his scars on his arms
D. The son was ashamed of his scars on his legs
58. According to the last paragraph, what is the writer’s real meaning?
A. To forget the past is to betray. B. We should forget the scars.
C. Wounds are different from scars. D. We should learn to let go sometimes.
D
Eight-year-old Bethany and seven-year-old Eliza are having a great time jumping around in the orchard of their home in a village near Penrith. They can play any time they like because they don't go to school. Instead, they are educated at home by their parents, Paul and Veronika Robinson. But they don't have lessons, have never used a timetable and learn only what and when they want to learn.
"I want my kids to have freedom in their childhood, not spend it in an institution," says 37-year-old Veronika, "School is all about control and following the rules." Veronika and her 56-year-old husband Paul have never experienced the daily rush to get dressed and out of the door that is common in most households with school-aged children. "We get up at our leisure - usually around 8:30," says Veronika. "We might visit a friend, or go to the library, and on Tuesdays we shop at the market. In summer, we spend most of our time outside and the girls entertain themselves a lot."
New research due to be published this spring reveals a very different picture of Britain's home educators. "Out of 297 families, 184 said that they never use a timetable," says Mike Fortune-Wood of Home Education UK. "Ninety per cent never or rarely use textbooks, and nearly all said that happiness, contentment and self-fulfillment were more important than academic achievement. Only 15% felt that planning what to learn was crucial."
So far, so good. But what, you might ask, are the children actually learning?
"It wasn't important to me that the girls could read by a certain age, but they both picked it up for themselves at around seven," says Robinson. "Weighing cooking ingredients uses maths, and making a shopping list teaches them to write. Observing five hens has taught the girls about survival of the fittest. "
But what about when the children grow up? Can they go to university? The home educators' answer is they can if they want to. There are a variety of routes into higher education, but probably the most common is to join a local college. This is what Gus Harris-Reid has done. "I was educated at home all my life. I'd never had a lesson or been inside a classroom until I started GCSEs," says the 18-year-old. "I'm now studying for 4 A-levels at Exeter College. I've had no problem with the work or with fitting in." When asked to reflect on his experience of home education, his considered response is, "Like a permanent holiday, really!" Not a bad start for someone who plans to take a mechanical engineering degree next year.
66. What is the topic of this article?
A. New ways of learning to read and write B. Problems with UK schools
C. Home education in the UK D. Wild, undisciplined children
67. Why do the Robinsons not send their children to school?
A. They think schools control children too much.
B. They do not like the courses taught in schools.
C. They want to teach their children farming skills.
D. They live in a remote area where there are no schools.
68. According to the article, in homes with school-going children, ______.
A. mornings are rushed and stressful.
B. the children hardly ever go outside.
C. the family wakes up around 8:30am.
D. the children must ask permission to go to the toilet.
69. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. Most home educators believe that happiness is more important than good grades.
B. Most home educators believe that planning is important.
C. Most home educators do not follow a timetable or use textbooks.
D. Most home educators are not worried about when their children learn to read and write.
70. What does the article say about home-educated children getting into university?
A. They learn so many useful skills at home that universities are happy to accept them.
B. They can get into university if they have 4 A-levels.
C. They can go to school later and get the qualifications they need in order to enter university.
D. Home education is so relaxed that they are likely to experience problems when faced with the pressures of a degree course.
C
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62. The person who received this e-mail message was probably______.
A. Me B. Just one of MILLIONS of lucky e-mail users world-wide.
C. YouD. All of the above
63. A foreigner who receives this letter should ________.
A. be a close relative of the dead.
B. send hundreds of dollars to Africa
C. go to African Development Bank for the wealth
D. not take it seriously.
64. Which of the following is true according to the text?
A. Many millionaires died in the plane crash.
B. Any money unclaimed will be given to a poor foreigner.
C. the division of the money seems quite reasonable.
D. AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK doesn’t exist at all.
65. A person who believes “__________” will fall into it.
A. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. B. There's no such thing as a free lunch.
C. All rivers run into the sea D. A short cut is often a wrong cut
B
Over 2,000 years, the examination of the pulse has been a mysterious skill in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Although many westerners may have known something about methods like inspecting, listening and enquiring, pulse reading as a tool to determine physical condition is not common knowledge. It is therefore worth our effort to take a closer look at it.
There are three positions on each wrist which are used for analysis: the front, middle and back part, and analyzed at three different levels: superficial, middle and deep.
On the left wrist, the front position focuses on the condition of the heart and small intestine (小肠), the middle position concentrates on the functions of the liver and gall bladder, and the back position is connected with the kidney. The lungs and large intestine are the centre of attention in the front position on the right wrist, with the middle position focusing on the spleen and stomach and the back taking note of the “Gate of Vitality Fire’. This is the heat provider for all bodily functions.
In regards to the various levels, the superficial level reflects the state of energy, the middle level shows the state of blood flow, and the deep level is an indication of the state of the Yin organs. Suppose that the pulse in the left middle position was soft and smooth, neither superficial nor deep, it would suggest that the liver and gall bladder are in a good state of health.
Checking the pulse is actually far more complex. Doctors need to be able to recognize 26 different pulse categories. For example, a scattered pulse which is irregular and hardly noticeable, is a sign that a patient is critically ill and nearing death. Other categories include the rapid pulse, probably a sign of a fever; or the tense pulse, which may suggest that the patient is suffering from pain. Many pulses only have subtle differences; thus, pulse examination is often seen as being more than just a skill but an actual art form.
This kind of medical diagnosis can be affected by many factors, so before any examination, it is important that patients are in a relaxed physical and mental state so they can get the most accurate reading. The morning is often the best time to take such a reading, as a busy day in the office or vigorous exercise before seeing the doctor can influence the quality of the pulse. The right amount of pressure must be applied by the doctor for the right duration of time. Patients’ characteristics are also of importance. Children, for instance, have quick pulses and athletes have slower than usual ones. Even seasonal influences need to be taken into account.
59. Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?
A. Chinese Pulse Checking B. Difficulties in Pulse Checking
C. What Makes a Good Doctor D. Brief Introduction to Traditional Chinese Medicine
60. Which factor is NOT mentioned as possibly influencing the accuracy of a pulse reading?
A. Amount of force used. B. Time of day.
C. Climate. D. Body height.
61. From the passage we can infer that the writer believes __________.
A. Chinese medicine is too difficult to learn
B. pulse reading requires a long-time study and practice
C. doctors need to be familiar with Chinese history
D. pulse examination is unimportant and no longer necessary