Having returned from her round trip, the angry woman stood outside the ticket office of the station. “The railway owes me ￡12,” She said to Harry Jenks, the young man working at the office. “You sold me a ticket for May 22nd, but there was no ship from Jersey that night. So my daughter and I had to stay in a hotel. It cost me ￡12. ”
Harry was worried. He remembered selling the woman a return ticket. “Come into the office, Madam,” he said politely. “I’ll just check the Jersey timetable for May 22nd.”
The woman and her little girl followed him inside. She was quite right, as Harry soon discovered. There was no sailing on May 22nd. How could he have made such a careless mistake? He shouldn’t have sold her a ticket for that day. Wondering what to do, he smiled at the child. “You look sunburnt,” he said to her. “Did you have a nice holiday in Jersey?”
“Yes,” she answered shyly, “The beach was lovely. And I can swim, too!”
“That’s fine,” said Harry.
“My little girl can’t swim a bit yet. Of course, she’s only three…”
“I’m four,” the child said proudly, “I’ll be four and a half.”
Harry turned to the mother, “I remember your ticket, Madam,” he said. “But you didn’t get one for your daughter, did you?”
“Er, well---” the woman looked at the child, “I mean…she hasn’t started school yet. She’s only four.”
“A four-year-old child must have a ticket, Madam. A child’s return ticket to Jersey costs…let me see…￡13.50. So if the railway pays your hotel, you will owe ￡1.50. The law is the law, but since the fault was mine… ”
The woman stood up, took the child’s hand and left the office.Harry was worried because ________.
| A．the woman was angry with him |
| B．he had not done his work properly |
| C．the Jersey timetable was wrong |
| D．the little girl didn’t have a return ticket |
Harry started talking to the little girl ________.
| A．because he was in difficulty and did not know what to do |
| B．because he had a little girl about the same age as this girl |
| C．because he wanted to be friendly to the little girl who looked so nice |
| D．when he suddenly realized that he could find a way out from the little girl |
When Harry said, “The law is the law, but since the fault was mine…” he means that ________.
| A．they must follow it without other choice, even though the fault was his |
| B．he had to be strict with the woman because of the law, although he didn’t want to |
| C．the woman had to pay him ￡1.50 and the railway would pay her for the hotel |
| D．she should pay ￡1.50, but he had made a mistake, she could go without paying |
How did the woman feel when she left the office?
| A．angry | B．peaceful | C．embarrassed | D．nervous |
第二部分：阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）
第一节：（共15小题：每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
Heather Mills McCartney lives an admirable life, attending celebrity parties, meeting regularly with the rich and famous and doing meaningful work for charity．All who work with her admire and respect her．But Heather’s life hasn’t always been so easy．When Heather was only 9 years old, her mother abandoned her and her two brothers．At the age of 13, she ran away from home and ended up living on the streets in London．Eventually, however, her exceptional beauty led to a career in modeling．At that time, Heather also began helping with the war relief efforts in former Yugoslavia．Through her modeling and relief work, she soon became famous．
But in August 1993, at age 25 her life changed once again．She was crossing the street in London when a motorcycle crashed into her．She was so badly injured that the doctors had to cut off her left leg．After that, she discovered she frequently needed to change her artificial limbs(假肢)．It was expensive and she felt it was a waste to just throw away the old one．It occurred to her to set up an organization that could deliver used artificial limbs to Yugoslavia and other war-torn countries．It was through her charity work that she met her husband Paul McCartney．
Throughout her life, Heather has risen above problems and focused on helping others．Her work with artificial limbs even earned her a nomination（提名） for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996．Heathe’s persistence and determination are what impresses anyone who knows her．Heather believes anyone can make a positive difference in the world．
36．This passage is mainly about _________．
A．Heather’s miserable life B．Heather’s contribution to the world
C．Heather’s success in her work D．Heather’s belief in life
37．Heather began her modeling career _________．
A．due to her mother’s encouragement
B．after her brothers abandoned her
C．because of her excellent intelligence and performances
D．because she was especially beautiful
38．Which of the following is Not true according to the passage?
A．Heather won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996．
B．Heather began her charity work while working as a model．
C．Her artificial limbs had to be replaced continuously．
D．Heather has never been defeated by her problems．
39．From the passage we can infer that people admire and respect Heather because_________．
A．she had a lot of misfortunes during her childhood．
B．she was a world-famous model
C．she is determined and never gives in
D．she made a great difference in the world
The damming of river systems in the northwestern United States has had damaging effects on salmon(鲑鱼). In the spring young salmon, called smolts, drift into rivers from smaller streams. They swim with the current downstream heading for the Pacific Ocean. Before the large-scale constructions of dams(水坝), the young salmon used the strong flow from melting snows to get to the sea in between six and twenty days. It is necessary to do this because during these days the smolts’ bodies undergo the physiological changes for adaptation to salt water.
Unfortunately, the current has become very slow due to the construction of numerous dams. Companies operating the dams also intentionally slow the current. They store the water from the melting snow until the winter, when more electric power is needed. The net result is that many of the young fish do not survive the now sixty-day trip to the sea. Consequently, there are fewer adult salmon to migrate(回游) back up the rivers for breeding. When the time comes for the salmon to return, they again face the problem of dams. As fewer adult salmon are able to get back to their cool upstream water, they fail to produce a sufficiently new generation of salmon. This cycle could eventually lead to the extinction of the fish.
Attempts are being made to transport the young salmon down river by boats. However, many scientists think that this artificial method of getting the fish to the sea kills more than it saves. Another suggestion, recently proposed by environmentalists, is to increase the rate of water flow. This would be a partial（部分的） solution to the declining salmon numbers. One method of doing this would call for releasing water from upstream dam. This would speed up the downstream movement of the smolts.
Another method would be to reduce the water level in the dams for a period in the spring when the smolts are migrating downstream. This would also increase the flow rate temporarily without requiring large amounts of water and, thus, enable the young salmon to move downstream faster. Unfortunately, both of these proposals have met with criticism from the power companies, which strongly suggests the uncertain fate of the salmon in the region.
76. What’s the main topic of the passage?
A. The failure of adult salmon to reproduce.
B. The importance of smolts returning upstream.
C. The need for smolts to reach salt water quickly.
D. The harm caused to salmon by river damming.
77. The passage discusses all of the following methods of dealing with salmon issue EXCEPT _____.
A. carrying the fish in boats
B. allowing water to be released from upstream dams
C. dropping water levels in dams
D. breeding salmon
78. In paragraph 3, what does the author mean by the statement that many scientists think that this artificial method of getting the fish to the sea kills more than it saves?
A. Saving fish is artificial.
B. More fish die when transported than would die otherwise
C. Artificial methods of transportation give salmon the chance to get adapted to salt water.
D. The sea kills more fish than are saved by transportation.
79. Which of the following statements would the author most probably agree with?
A. The salmon problem is likely to continue.
B. A solution to the salmon problem will be found in the near future.
C. Salmon will be extinct very quickly.
D. The government should step in and provide a way out.
Computers and television have pushed a generation of children towards violent behaviour, and mental illness, a large-scale study said yesterday. Though the main reason for children’s violent behaviour comes from family, the study report also blamed computer games, the internet and television for breeding violence and increase mental illness.
The study report warned of the effects of long hours spent watching television, on the internet and playing computer games. 'There is much evidence that exposure to violent images encourages aggressive behaviour,” it said.
On television, violence is frequently shown as part of a normal human life. The violence is both physical and psychological, and violent argument appears as a standard response to disagreement. To be sure, there is plenty of violence in Shakespeare plays and in the cinema. But people used to go to the cinema once a week, whereas our children now watch television for an average of 17 hours a week.
According to the report, the harm caused by computer and television has been widely recognized, which is only second to family factors including family break-up and the lack of a father living at home. No doubt, selfish behaviour by adults is mainly responsible for the misery of millions of children.
Many parents’ aggressive pursuit of personal success has pushed the needs of children aside and amounts children’s violent behavior. The belief among adults that the main duty of the individual is to make the most of their own life, rather than contribute to the good of others, is causing our young people a range of problems.
At the end, the report calls for measures to cut the impact of television on young people, including a ban on all advertising aimed at children under 12, set up watchdog equipment on every TV set to control what children watch and put an end to advertising of alcohol and unhealthy food before the 9pm watershed. And more importantly, it calls on all British parents to value the once-in-a-lifetime period of their children’s growth. Or, according to the report, they will soon regret their absence in that special period when their kids have grown into the “bad guys.”
72. The study is mainly about ______.
A. the family and social reasons for the children’s negative behaviour
B. the importance of a complete family on the behaviour of children
C. the ways to reduce the influence of television on children
D. the relationship between parents and children
73. According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
A. The major reason for children’s bad behaviour comes from family.
B. Watching too many violent images will cause violent behaviour.
C. Classical works are violence-free so people in the past were not that violent.
D. Many parents put personal success ahead of their children’s benefits.
74. According to the passage, what kind of TV program is more likely to be shown after 9 p.m.?
A. Cartoons for kindergarten children.
B. Gardening programs for housewives.
C. Action movies with violent scenes.
D. Political talk shows for adults.
75. The passage mentions all the measures to reduce the TV influence EXCEPT ______.
A. advising parents to watch TV programs with children together
B. stopping commercials for little children
C. using a practical method to monitor what children watch on TV
D. forbiding ads for harmful products shown before 9 p.m.
Upon waking up, Jim found himself lying on a stretch of sandy shore with his face half-buried in the sand. He found, that his clothes had been almost torn apart. His arms ached and his body was heavy like stone. Before he could stand up, he was brought to his knees due to exhaustion. As he lay on the sand, he began to study the environment for signs of human activities. But there was nothing except for a few trees and some stones within eyesight.
He remembered how, a few hours before, he had still been struggling for survival in the vast South China Sea. The boat that had carried his friends and him out to sea for a fun fishing trip had run into a terrible storm. James, who was the captain of the boat, and had been at the wheel, lost control of the boat. The boat moved from side to side in the storm. Suddenly, it hit a sharp object, most probably a rock from the sea and was wrecked.
Jim could not remember how he had managed to drift onto land. His friends were not in sight. He was saddened by the fact that they might have all drowned. Then he suddenly saw a thin column of smoke on the far side of a hill. “Could it be a house?” Jim asked himself. Even if it wasn’t, it gave him some fresh hope of surviving the ordeal that he was going through. He struggled on towards the place from where the smoke was rising.
Finally, he found himself at the top of the hill. He saw a little green valley dotted with a few huts and trees in the sun. His eyes were not playing tricks on him. There was a village located at the bottom of the valley. The sight gave him renewed hope. He began to run toward the village with his last ounce of energy.
68. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Jim found himself in a desert when he woke up.
B. Jim and his friends were fishing at South China Sea.
C. Jim lost control of the boat he and his friends were in.
D. The boat hit a rock but kept steady.
69. Jim struggled toward the place of the smoke probably because ______.
A. he was afraid of being too near the sea
B. he thought his friends might be in the place of the smoke
C. the smoke implied human activities
D. All of the above.
70. What does the underlined word “ordeal” in the third paragraph probably mean?
A. bad weather B. order C. suffering D. ideal state
71. According to the passage, what is NOT TRUE about Jim?
A. He survived a terrible sea storm.
B. He had the feeling that his friends survived the wreckage.
C. At first he didn’t find signs of humans but then he saw a smoke rising.
D. He finally found a village at the bottom of a valley.
Section B
Directions: Read the following four passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read.
(A)
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I am selling a computer. It is a well-maintained second hand computer with a LCD monitor and a rechargeable battery. It is at an affordable price. E-mail Fred at frogprince@hotmail.com
Selling: Hiking shoes. Worn only once. In tip-top condition. Dark brown leather material with black laces. Branded.
Original Price: $198
Sale Price: $120
Please drop an e-mail to Daniel at damiao@gmail.com
For sale: branded PEAR iPod with a thin black and silver body. 1 year old.
Storage size: 2GB
Original Price: $159
Sale Price: $100
Interested? Please contact Jace at moveit@pacific.net.sg
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65. According to the advertisement, which of the following is the benefit of E-BAE Shop?
A. Crowding with customers. B. Paying original prices.
C. Shopping with ease and comfort. D. Shopping with free shipping.
66. Which of the following items is not sold on the webpage?
A. Second-hand shoes. B. Designer bags.
C. Electronic goods. D. Computer batteries.
67. If Anne needs a bag for a dinner party, which email address can she use to contact the person in charge?
A. frogprince@hotmail.com B. damiao@gmail.com
C. moveit@pacific.net.sg D. quirkyfinds@yahoo.com