It's 10:30 pm, and 11-year-old Brandon Blanco is sound asleep at home. Suddenly, a loud noise wakes him up. Naturally, Brandon reaches for his cell phone. The message becomes clear: "R U awake?"
Brandon' s use of technology doesn' t stop there. He also has a computer, a TV and three video-game consoles (控制台 ) in his room. With so many choices, it' s no surprise that when he isn' t at school, he spends nearly every waking minute using one or more of these devices
Brandon is hardly alone. According to a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, kids aged 8 to18 are spending more time than ever before using electronic devices. How much time? More than seven and a half hours a day on average, the study found.
The jump is the result of a huge explosion in mobile devices, says Victoria Rideout, the lead author of the study. Today, nearly seven out of ten kids have cell phones. Just five years ago, it was four out of ten.
Often, kids multitask, or use more than one device at a time. " If you’ve got a chance to do something on your computer and take a phone call and have the TV on in the background, why not?" media expert Cheryl Olson says.
Most experts agree technology has much to offer kids. But some worry the kids could be missing out on other activities like playing outside or hanging out with friends. " It' s a matter of balance," says Olson." You’ve got to work on it. "
Multitasking while doing homework is another concern. Some kids listen to music, watch TV or use the phone while doing their homework. "It' s important to make sure that you can stop and concentrate on one thing deeply, " says Rideout.
With new and exciting devices hitting stores every year, keeping technology use in check is more important than ever. " Kids should try," adds Rideout. " But parents might have to step in sometimes. "Why do children spend more time in using electronic devices?
| A．Because more electronic devices are available to them. |
| B．Because electronic devices are more exciting than before. |
| C．Because they have less other activities. |
| D．Because they have less homework to do. |
It is known from the passage that ____.
| A．Brandon Blanco feels very annoyed about his late-night text |
| B．the teenagers using mobile devices have increased by 30% in the past five years |
| C．Cheryl Olson is not surprised about kids' increasing use of mobile devices |
| D．most experts think teenagers should not use electronic devices for their studies |
Which of the following is an example of multitasking according to the passage?
| A．Watching TV while using the computer. |
| B．Talking on the phone while staying with others. |
| C．Playing video games on the Internet. |
| D．Listening to music while relaxing. |
According to the passage, Victoria Rideout would probably agree that ____.
| A．kids should do homework while surfing the Internet |
| B．kids should do homework in a place without disturbance |
| C．kids should spend more time on homework |
| D．kids should have more homework than before |
Long ago, near the village of Hedley, there lived a strange and playful trickster（骗子）, known as the Hedley Kow. Sometimes it looked like an ordinary object. Sometimes it looked like a donkey or a goat.
One evening, as an old woman went along the path, she saw an old iron pot lying in the ditch. “Fancy that.”she said. “Nobody seems to want this old pot. I will take it home and plant pretty flowers in it.”
When she tried to lift it, she saw that it was full of gold pieces. “Well, now, if that doesn’t beat all,” she said. “I’m rich! I can buy a fine house and fancy cloths.”
The pot was heavy, so she tied her shawl around it and began to drag it home. After a while, she stopped to rest. When she looked in the pot, she was amazed to see that it was full of silver pieces!
“Oh, my!” she said. “Aren’t I the lucky one! If it were gold, thieves would have been after me. My friends might have been jealous. But I can hide these silver pieces, take out a few at a time, and live like a queen.”
On she went, pulling the pot after her. She was nearing home now. At her gate, she looked into the pot. What a surprise! The silver had changed into a lump（块）of iron. “Iron,” she said. “Well, now! No one will be jealous or want to steal this from me. I can use this iron to prop open my door and let in fresh air and sunlight. Lucky me!”
As soon as she said that, the pot began to grow and later it became a goat. Then it jumped up and ran off down the road laughing.
“Fancy that!” said the old woman. “I believe I have seen the Hedley kow! Not many folks can say that, and that’s a fact. I’ll just sit up by my fire tonight thinking about how lucky. I was to see it for myself. I truly must be the luckiest person in the world!”
63．Which of the following sayings can best describe this story？
A．All good things come to an end. B．The early bird catches the worm.
C．Content is better than riches. D．All bad luck goes away.
64．What does “seeing the Hedley kow for herself” stand for in the eyes of the old woman?
A．Glory B．Honor C．Misfortune D．Luck
65．Readers may sense the old woman is _________.
A．optimistic B．pessimistic C．strange D．mindless
66．Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A．The woman B．The Hedley kow
C．The pot D．The Effort
Delicate Arch
Delicate Arch can be found in Arches National Park in Utah, USA. The arch stands alone at a height of 52 feet and is considered one of Utah’s most important landmarks. In 2002, the Olympic torch passed through this arch to mark the beginning of the winter games.
This 15-meter high and 110-meter long impressive natural rock formation is located in Western Australia. It looks like a large, smooth wave ready to break. Algae（海澡）grow on the surface of Wave Rock.
The Wave
The Wave is located on the slopes of the Coyote Buttes. Arizona, USA. This incredible formation can be reached by hiking approximately 4.8 kilometers, making the round trip to and from The Wave a nearly 9.7-kilometer hike that climbs about 107 meters in altitude.
James Bond Island
James Bond Island can be found in Aohang-Nga National Park in Thailand. The needle-shaped rock formation was named James Bond Island because it was featured in a 1974 Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun.
Devil’s Tower
The formation known as Devil’s Tower can be found in Wyoming, USA. Also known as Bear Tower, the rock formation is actually the neck of a volcano. It rises 386 meters-above the surrounding land and the top of it is 1.558 meters above sea level.
The Giant’s Causeway
The Giant’s Causeway is located in Northern Ireland and has a series of over 40, 000 columns made of basalt（玄武岩）. Each column is connected and the formation is believed to be a result of volcanic ash. Believe it or not, when this formation was first discovered, scientists argued as to how it was formed. Some thought it was natural, others thought it was manmade, and some thought that perhaps it had been created by a giant!
Bryce Canyon National Park
One of the most impressive rock formations in the world is the Bryce Canyon in Utah, USA. It is a national park and despite its name, it is not actually a canyon, but rather a giant natural amphitheater（圆形竞技场）created by erosion.
Pierce Rock
This rock formation is one of the largest natural arches in the world. This natural arch named Pierce Rock is an island in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Canada. It is 433 meters long, 90meters wide, and 88 meters at its highest point.
55．Which of the following rock formations is located in Asia?
A．Wave Rock. B．James Bond Island
C．The Giant’s Causeway. D．Pierce Rock.
56．Which of the following rock formations is related to a volcano?
A．The Wave B．Devil’s Tower.
C．Bryce Canyon National park. D．Pierce Rock.
57．Which of the following words can best describe the rock formations?
A．Impressive B．Unexpected C．Surprising D．Unexceptional
58．According to the passage, the scientists once argued with regard to ________ at first.
A．why Pierce Rock was so featured
B．when Bryce Canyon National park came into being
C．what on earth these formations are connected with
D．how the Giant’s Causeway Was formed
第三部分阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和0）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
It’s always awkward when you meet someone from a different country．You never know whether to shake hands, bow or even whether to kiss on the cheek．But what if you were a dog?
If you are a dog owner, you must be familiar with how your dog says hello to you．Seconds after you arrive home, your dog jumps up on you．You come face to face with a tail-wagging, wildly excited ball of fur that can’t get enough of you．If you’re not happy with that, it will shower you with wet “kisses” perhaps ruining your best shirt．
Like humans, dogs have five senses: smell, touch, sight, hearing and taste．
Unlike humans, dogs use smell rather than sight to identify others around them．A dog’s sense of smell is thousands of times better than that of humans．Your dog can’t just tell what a human being smells like, but it can also tell the difference between different members of its human family by their smell．
They also greet each other this way, not eye to eye, but nose to nose．
To be precise, when they first meet each other, they start with a quick sniff of each other’s noses．Then they will go side to side, working their way towards the back end．
Dogs smell everything they can during a walk．They sniff grass, bushes, trees and signposts．By doing this, dogs know not only what they are looking at, but which other neighborhood dogs have been around lately．
So next time you see your dog sniffing the wrong end of another dog, don’t regard it as a bad habit．They are greeting each other．
56．What is the main idea of the passage?
A．It tells readers how to take good care of dogs．
B．It tells readers what to do to make dogs happy．
C．It tells readers how dogs greet others．
D．It tells readers what dogs do to amuse owners．
57．The phrase “shower you with” in the 2nd paragraph most probably means ______．
A．help you take a bath with
B．frighten you with
C．show you his anger by using
D．cover you with
58．The 2nd paragraph is written mainly to tell readers ____．
A．how dogs greet their owner
B．that dogs like jumping up on people
C．that dogs enjoy ruining their owners' shirt
D．how dogs show their love
59．How does a dog say hello to another one?
A．By sight． B．By both sight and smell．
C．By smell． D．By sight and touch．
60．Which of the following statements is wrong?
A．By sniffing, dogs can tell any other dog that has been around lately．
B．It’s a good habit for a dog to sniff the wrong end of another one．
C．Two strange dogs will begin with a quick sniff of the each other’s noses．
D．A dog’s sense of sight is thousands of times better than that of humans．
Michael Phelps and his U．S．teammates crowned the greatest single Olympic performance Sunday morning with a win in the 4x100 – meter medley relay．
The victory gave Phelps his eighth gold medal of the Beijing Olympics, the most golds ever won by an athlete at one Games．With gold No．8, Phelps earned a singular place in the Olympic record books．
“There is no comparison in the swimming world for what Michael has done,” said Gregg Troy, coach of U．S．swimmer Ryan Lochte, who finished third to Phelps in two races here in Beijing but also won gold alongside him in the 4x200 - meter freestyle relay．It’s hard to find comparisons even in the sports world overall．Phelps is solidly in the company of seemingly invincible superstars such as Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods．
“I think years and years down the road we’ll realize more and more how amazing he is and how special he really is．” U．S．teammate Natalie Coughlin said．The 23 - year - old from Baltimore capped a brilliant meet at the Water Cube．He set a world record in every event aside from the 100 butterfly which he narrowly won on Saturday, completing a program of 17 races in nine days．
Phelps has won 14 Olympic gold medals and 16 total medals．He holds the record for most medals won by a man, surpassing Soviet gymnast Nikolai Andrianov, who won 15 from 1972 -1980, Soviet female gymnast Larysa Latynina holds the record with l8．
At the 2004 Athens Games, Phelps won six gold medals and two bronze．He has already said he’ll swim in the 2012 London Games．Phelps’ victories in Beijing include: 200 –meter freestyle, 200 and 400 individual medleys, 100 and 200 butterfly, 4x200 free relay, 4x100 medley relay, and 4x100 free relay．
71．Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A．Phelps wins 4x100 -meter medley relay
B．Phelps writes Games gold history
C．Phelps plans to attend 2012 London Games
D．Phelps finishes his competitions
72．Why are Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods mentioned in the 3rd paragraph?
A．To emphasize Phelps’ unique position in swimming．
B．To indicate Phelps’ great efforts to his championship．
C．To attract the world’s attention to the young Phelps．
D．To memorize the two heroes' contributions to the world．
73．The world records Phelps has set do not include ____________________．
A．200 - meter freestyle B．200 individual medleys
C．200 - meter butterfly D．100 - meter butterfly
74．Which of the following is true of Phelps?
A．Phelps has won 18 Olympic gold medals till now．
B．Phelps has got the most gold medals in Beijing Olympic．
C．Phelps defeated Nikolai Andrianov in Beijing．
D．Phelps won 8 gold medals at the Athens Games．
75．It can be inferred from the text that______________________．
A．Phelps is a swimming genius by nature
B．Phelps succeeded in Athens at the age of 18
C．Phelps has won the most golds all by himself
D．Phelps will have a brilliant future in the 2012 London
Since weeks ago, China has been involved a worldwide A/H 1 N 1 flu that has already killed more than 80 people in the middle of May, 2009, in Mexico and has turned into a global pandemic．
The central government has asked people entering China from the virus-hit countries to report flu-like symptoms（症状）to the authorities．In an emergency notice issued on Saturday night，the country’s top quality watchdog ordered the Customs to check passengers’ temperature，too．
A Beijing airport official Li said Customs officers are on a high alert（警戒）level．
“Three temperature detectors are now in operation．We’re ready with protection garments and equipment，too．Passengers flying in from Mexico and other A/H1N1 flu-hit countries are being monitored closely,” he said．
The Ministry of Health，however，said yesterday there was no evidence to suggest that a person would contract the disease by eating pork．
Hong Kong, too, has raised its alert level against the flu to “serious”．Secretary for Food＆Health，Mr．York Chow urged people to avoid visiting places from where A/H1N1 flu cases have been reported，and said the virus would be added to Hong Kong’s list of the diseases which have been noticed．
The terrible A/H1 N1 flu has been contracted by about 4000 people in Mexico，and most of the killed were aged between 25 and 45．
The virus has also infected about 5000 people in the US．The US Center for Disease Control said this kind of virus is spreading from human to human, raising fears of a global pandemic．
66．What is the passage mainly about?
A．A/H1N1 flu killed more than 80 people．
B．A/H1N1 flu is spreading from human to human．
C．China has begun to take steps to prevent A/H1N1 flu．
D．All the people are strongly affected by A/H1 N1 flu．
67．The underlined word “pandemic” in the first paragraph probably means
A．death B．panic C．enemy D．disease
68．Why does the flu cause global fears?
A．Because most people in the world eat pork．
B．Because it’s spreading from human to human．
C．Because we still don’t know the cause of it．
D．Because it has infected about 5,000 people．
69．According to the passage，which of the following is TRUE?
A．People would contract the A/H1N1 flu if they often eat pork．
B．The virus of the A/H1N1 flu has infected people all over the world．
C．People from AH1N1 flu—hit countries are all forbidden to enter China．
D．People should avoid visiting places where A/H1N1 flu cases have been reported．
70．We can infer from the passage that．
A．Students in the middle school are most likely infected by A/H1N1 flu．
B．A person would be infected by the virus by eating pork．
C．Passengers from the United States are being monitored closely．
D．Mr．York Chow said that the virus had been added to Hong Kong’s list of the diseases．