In Yemen, you always see one type of vehicle on the road: the water truck.They travel mountain roads and cross deserts to bring Yemenis the goods more valuable than oil.It is one that only the rich can afford, with the supply regularly being cut off.Others must rely on scarce rain or charity to fight thirst.
Experts say Yemen is going to be the first country in the world to run out of water.The capital, Sanaa, will run out of drinking water as early as 2025，says a report by the World Bank.
Hannan, an 18yearold from Lahej, said that only the rich could prepare for cuts in supply.“In a good week we’ll have a water supply all week but then the following week there will be water only for a day or two, ” she said.
She and her husband, a factory worker, pay 3,000 riyals (99 yuan) for a week’s supply of water from a touring water truck when the taps run dry.With an income of only 20,000 riyals (660 yuan) a month，this means the family often spend half their money on water.
“There are a lot of people who can’t afford it and they have to rely on their neighbors to help，” she said.
The average person in Yemen survives on onefifth of what the World Health Organization considers to be enough water.
In Taiz, in the south，tap water is available only once every 45 days.In the mountainous Malhan district in the north，women and children climb a 1,500m mountain to collect water from a spring, often in the small hours to avoid long queues.
Yemen is located in Southwest Asia，bordering the Arabian and Red Sea.Yemeni people have lived on scarce water supplies for thousands of years but that problem has been made serious by conflict in the area，the fastgrowing population and the use of water to grow a drug called qat.With one of the world’s highest rates of population growth—3.46 percent, Yemen is the poorest Arab country.
The government is considering desalinating (淡化) seawater，but this would be expensive and it may now be too late.The only other solution is to cut down on farming, but that means importing even more food.The passage aims to________.
| A．analyze the reasons why Yemen lacks water |
| B．suggest some solutions to the water issue in Yemen |
| C．present how serious the water problem is in Yemen |
| D．encourage the world to help Yemenis who are suffering from water shortages |
When Hannan said that only the rich could prepare for cuts in supply，she meant that________.
| A．rich people drank more water than the poor |
| B．rich people could buy water from the water trucks if there was a water supply cut |
| C．she had a rich neighbor who often helped her during water supply cuts |
| D．the rich were not affected by water supply cuts |
Which of the following may be a reason why Yemen is short of water?
| A．The country has had no rain for a long time. |
| B．The population of Yemen is growing fast. |
| C．The government has failed to reduce farming. |
| D．People can’t afford the water from government water trucks. |
The best title for the passage is “________”．
| A．Never take water for granted |
| B．The water truck—the commonest sight in Yemen |
| C．The first country to run out of water in the world |
| D．No water for Yemen |
E
The San Francisco book, a quarterly magazine published by San Francisco Convention ＆Visitors Bureau , lists seasonal performance schedules(日程表)for live theaters, concerts, dance performances and cultural festivals, as well as detailed information on museums and special exhibits. Read the following content and then answer questions.
10……………The Heart of San Francisco .
Welcome to San Francisco ,where there’s always something waiting over the next hill.
18……………Time for Events.
What ‘s up for the next six months; festivals, street fairs, football games, movies and holiday celebrations.
22……………Visitor Information
Everything you need to know: geography, population, climate, important phone numbers and rules.
38……………Attractions.
Where to go ,and what you’ll find on the bridges, the ships, the different parks, the whole nine yards.
53……………Show in the Open
What to do ,and how to get into the great outdoors for your favorite activity .
59……San Francisco Visitor Information Center .
We’re here to help! And we’re on the 3W .too (WWW.SFVISITOR.ORG)
62……………Restaurants.
What’s for dinner –and lunch and breakfast and snacks(小吃), too.
93……………Nightlife.
What’s for after dinner.
111……………Shopping centers.
123……………Trains and Buses.
How to get about in and around the Coast Area.
57. If you want to know how many people there are in San Francisco, you ‘ll check_____.
A. Page 10 B. Page 22 C. Page 38 D. Page 111
58. What do you think 3W stands for ?
A．Where What When B．Wonderful Wealthy Windy.
C．Who Whom Which. D．World Wide Web
59. In the magazine, you are likely to find information about the following except____.
A. THE SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES
B. CHINATOWN NIGHT MARKET FAIR
C. AMERICAN INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL.
D. CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION
60. According to the content , which of the following statements is not true?
A San Francisco is a mountainous city.
B. San Francisco is located on the sea.
C. 4 issues of The San Francisco Book are published every year.
D. The San Francisco Book is mainly for visitors.
D
An “apple-polisher” is one who gives gifts to win friendship or special treatment. It is not exactly a bribe（贿赂）, but is close to it.
“Apple-polishing” is as old as human society, but the phrase itself is recent, about 50 years old. It comes from the schoolroom. For a long time, some schoolboys would leave a shiny（有光泽的，发光的） apple on the teacher’s desk. They would rub and polish the apple to give it a bright shine, so as to make it look more tasty. Such a gift, the students hoped, might make the teacher shut her eyes to their poor work and give them a good mark.
All sorts of people are apple-polishers, including politicians and people in high offices—almost everybody.
There are other phrases meaning the same thing as “apple-polishing”— “soft-soaping” or “buttering-up”. A gift is just one way to “soft-soap” somebody, or to “butter him up”.
Another way that is just as effective as apple-polishing is flattery, giving someone high praise — telling him how good he looks, or how well he speaks, or how wise he is. Flattery, of course, is the cheapest kind of “apple polishing”.
To flatter another costs you nothing and you can give it as freely as you want. And you can always find somebody eagerly looking for it.
53. An “apple-polisher” is one who ________.
A. tries to please someone to get favor
B. bribes with money to get something
C. is really friendly to everyone around him
D. plants apple trees and polishes his apples every day
54. Why did the students polish the apple for their teacher?
A. They hoped that she would not pay attention to them.
B. They didn’t want her to wash the apple by herself.
C. They wished to draw her attention.
D. They longed for her giving them a good mark.
55. According to the passage, the cheapest way to please someone is ________.
A. to flatter him B. to bribe him
C. to talk freely with himD. to play jokes on him
56. The author seems to suggest that ________.
A. nobody likes to be flattered B. very few people apple-polish others
C. apple-polishing is a kind of bribe D. many people like to be soft-soaped
C
“The pen is more powerful than the sword.” There have been many writers who used their pens to fight things that were wrong. Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe was one of them.
She was born in the U.S.A. in 1811.One of her books not only made her famous but has been described as one that excited the world，and was helpful in causing a civil war and freeing the enslaved race. The civil war was the American Civil War of 1861，in which the Northern States fought the Southern States and finally won.
This book that shook the world was called "Uncle Tom's Cabin". Begun as a serial for the Washington anti-slavery weekly, the National Era, it focused public interest on the problem of slavery, and was deeply controversial(争议的). In writing the book, Stowe drew on her personal experience: she was familiar with slavery, the anti-slavery movement, and the underground railroad, because Kentucky, across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, Ohio, where Stowe had lived, was a slave state.
There was a time when every English-speaking man, woman, and child has read this novel that did so much to stop slavery. Not many people read it today, but it is still very interesting. The book has shown us how a warm-hearted writer can arouse（唤起）people's sympathies（同情）. The author herself had neither been to the Southern States nor been a slave. The Southern Americans were very angry at the book, which they said did not at all represent（描述）true state of affairs, but the Northern Americans were wildly excited over it, and were so inspired by it that they were ready to go to war to set the slaves free.
Following publication of the book, she became well- known, speaking against slavery both in America and Europe.
In 1862, when she visited President Lincoln, it was said that he greeted her as “the little lady who made this big war”: the war between the states.
49. Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe was________when her world famous book was published.
A. about sixty years old B. around fifty years old
C. in her forties D. around twenty years old
50. What do we learn about Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe from the text?
A. she had been living in a state where slaves were kept.
B. she herself encouraged the Northern Americans to go to war to set the slaves free.
C. she was better at writing than at swinging a sword.
D. she had once been a slave.
51. Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book caused the civil war because________.
A. she wrote so well that Americans loved her very much.
B. she disclosed the terrible wrongs that had been done to the slaves in the Southern States.
C. the Southern Americans hated the book, while the Northern Americans liked it.
D. the book had been read by many Americans.
52. What can we learn from the text?
A. it isn’t necessary to use weapons to fight things that were wrong.
B. A writer is more helpful in a war than a soldier.
C. We must understand the importance of literature and art.
D. No war can be won without such a book as Uncle Tom's Cabin
B
Every year 2. 2 million tons of oil are put into the ocean and this oil has terrible effects on ocean life, including the coastlines where the off washes up onto shore. Some of the largest spills(溢出) in history were caused by oil tankers(油轮) running into each other or by an oil tanker sailing into shallow water and hitting the bottom of the ocean. 
After these spills, officials try to discover who or what was at fault to help prevent similar accidents in the future.
One of the worst oil spills in history happened along the Alaskan（阿拉斯加） coastline in 1989. In this accident, 42,000 tons of oil spilled from a tanker which resulted in terrible damage to this sensitive natural area. In this spill, the tanker's captain, who was tired from overwork and drinking alcohol, had gone to take a rest. He gave control of the ship to the third mate. The third mate was unfamiliar with the path the ship took, and he ran the ship onto a natural underwater rock wall near the Alaskan coast. Damaged by the rock, the ship leaked(泄漏) oil out into the ocean. More than 1,600 kilometers of coastline were affected by the oil spill. Some scientists who studied nature in the area guessed that 580,000 birds and 5,500 others died when the oil covered their skin. As well, smaller shellfish and other sea creatures were later eaten by seals, whales, and other animals.
The most oil ever spilled was in 1990. As part of the Iraq war plan, 900,000 tons of oil were let out into the Persian(波斯的) Gulf by Iraq. The oil also damaged 650 kilometers of the coastline of both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. In some places, oil on the water was 43 centimeters thick. Water birds, water plants, and baby fish were all seriously affected. The long-term effects of this act on the food chain in the area are bound to（肯定会） cause problems far into the future.
45. Oil spills have terrible effect on________.
A. ocean life B. the coastline
C. both ocean life and the coastline D. the bottom of the ocean
46. Why did the third mate run the tanker aground(搁浅地) in this accident?
A. He was tired. B. He did not know the area well.
C. He was drunk. D. He was talking on the phone.
47. According to the writer, ________.
A. the accident along the Alaskan coastline was the worst oil spill in history
B. Iraq poured oil into the the Persian Gulf on purpose
C. the effects of Iraq’s act in the Persian Gulf War have been seen fully
D. oil put into the sea by Iraq in the war was the worst accident in history
48. Which of the following is the best title for this text?
A. The Worst Oil Spill B. Pollution
C. The Persian Gulf War D. Oil Spill
第二部分：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D)中,选出最佳选项。
A
Three lawyers and three engineers are traveling by train to a conference. At the station, the three lawyers each buy tickets and watch as the three engineers buy only a single ticket.
"How are three people going to travel on only one ticket?" asked one of the three lawyers.
"Watch and you'll see," answers one of the engineers.
They all board the train. The lawyers take their seats, but all three engineers cram into a restroom and close the door behind them. Shortly after the train has departed, the conductor comes around collecting tickets. He knocks on the restroom door and says, "Ticket, please" The door opens just a crack and a single arm emerges with a ticket in hand. The conductor takes it and moves on. The lawyers saw this and agreed it was quite a clever idea.
So after the conference, the lawyers decide to copy the engineers on the return trip and save some money. When they get to the station, they buy a single ticket for the return trip. To their astonishment, the engineers don't buy a ticket at all.
"How are you going to travel without a ticket," asks one perplexed lawyer.
"Watch and you'll see," says one of the engineers.
When they board the train the three lawyers cram into a restroom and the three engineers cram into another one nearby. The train departs. Shortly afterward, one of the engineers leaves his restroom and walks over to the restroom where the lawyers are hiding .He knocks on the door and says, "Ticket, please." By copying the engineers, one lawyer put out a single arm with a ticket in his hand. The engineer came back to his restroom with the ticket. Then the conductor was coming this way...
41. The engineers and the lawyers travel together________.
A. to attend a meeting B. to test who are clever
C. to see how clever the engineers are D. to save money
42. How many tickets do they buy on the two-way trip? .
A. 4 B. 5 C. 7 D. 8
43. The underlined word “perplexed” can be replaced by ________.
A. excited B. surprised C. puzzled D. touched
44. Which of the following would be the best title for the joke?
A. Three Lawyers and Three Engineers B. Train Tickets
C. In the RestroomD. Tickets, Please