For most people, graduation is an exciting day – the culmination (顶点) of years of hard work. My graduation day... was not.
I remember that weekend two years ago, Family and friends had traveled far to watch our class walk across the stage. But like everyone else in my graduating class, I had watched the economy go from bad to worse during my senior year. We graduates had degrees, but very limited prospects (前景). I hadn’t secured a job, and I knew that the next day, when my lease (租约) ended, I would no longer have a place to call home.
The weeks ahead weren’t easy. I gathered up everything I couldn’t carry and put it into storage. Then, because I had no opportunities in my small university town, I packed up my car and drove to California to find work. But what I thought would take a week dragged into two, then four, and 100 job applications later, I found myself still jobless. The due date to begin paying back my student loans was creeping even closer.
Have you ever felt utter dread? That feeling became a constant in my life. The most frustrating part was no matter how much I tried, I just couldn’t seem to make any progress.
So what did I do to maintain my sanity? I wrote. Something about putting my words on a page made everything clearer. Something about writing gave me hope.
I channeled my frustration into a children’s book. Beyond the river was the story of an unlikely hero, a little fish who refused to give up.
And then one day, with no writing degree or contacts in the writing world – just hard work and perseverance – I was offered a publishing contract for my first book. After that, things were in place, I was offered a second book deal. Then, a few months later, I got an interview with the Walt Disney Company and was hired shortly after.
The moral of this story is… don’t give up, even if things look bleak now. Two years ago I was drinking cold soup right out the can. Things change. All we need is the courage to push beyond the river. When it was time to graduate, the author felt _____.
| A．Bored | B．Relieved | C．depressed | D．hopeful |
After the author’s graduation, _____.
| A．he went on a short trip with his family to California |
| B．things turned even worse than he had expected |
| C．he focused on writing instead of applying for jobs |
| D．he found his salary was hardly enough to pay back his student loans |
When did the author’s career life begin to run smoothly according to the article?
| A．After he got his first publishing contract. |
| B．After he began to write his book Beyond the river. |
| C．After he finished his book Beyond the river. |
| D．After he got hired by the Walt Disney Company. |
What is the main message the story intends to convey?
| A．Opportunity lies everywhere. |
| B．Perseverance is essential to success. |
| C．It’s important to adapt yourself to society. |
| D．We should devote ourselves to whatever we do. |
IN a 30-minute film called The Chase, a girl tries to catch a thief and finally takes him down with martial arts (武术) skills.
Anything special? Thirteen-year-old US girl Sophia Tran wrote, shot and performed in the film. She played the girl in the movie and her father, Steven, played the thief.
Now an eighth-grader at Ladera Ranch Middle School, California, Tran wrote The Chase over the summer of 2008. She shot the film in the fall of 2008 before holding the premiere (首映式) at her home in January the next year.
“It is important to have passion in filmmaking or you are not going to make it,” the quiet teenager said with a smile. “Also, you should read a lot of books about filmmaking.”
Tran thinks that many screenplays don't have any “suspense (悬念) as the film progresses.” She is now working on a movie which she says will be a suspense story.
Steven says his daughter has enjoyed drama and action movies since she was 7.
“She started to be interested in how stories are adapted (改编) to a screenplay,” Steven said. “And she wrote her own books when she was in second grade.”
But Tran also has a big heart. She sold DVD copies of her film The Chase for $10 each to family and friends. She then donated $400 from the DVD sales to her school to buy new computers.
57. Sophia Tran played _____ in her movie.
A. a thief B. a doctor C. a girl D. a police woman
58. Sophia Tran shot the film _____.
A. last year B. in January C. last summer D. less two years ago
59. Sophia Tran thinks ______ are important for successful filmmaking.
A. characters B. stories C. passion and knowledge D. passion and experience
60. According to Sophia Tran, many screenplays are poorly written because _____.
A. they don't keep readers excited B. they mostly end in an unexpected way
C. their dialogues are not interesting D. they are not inspiring
PAUL’S brother bought him a new car as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve (前夜), Paul saw a boy walking around the new car, admiring it.
"Is this your car, Mister?" he asked.
Paul nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas." The boy was amazed. "You mean your brother just gave it to you? Boy, I wish...." Paul knew what he was going to wish for — a brother who would buy him a car. But the boy surprised Paul.
"I wish that I could be a brother like that," he said.
Astonished, Paul invited the boy to go for a ride in the new car.
After a short ride, the boy said, "Would you mind driving in front of my house?" Paul thought the boy wanted to show the car to his neighbors. But Paul was wrong again.
The boy ran up the steps of his house. Soon he came back carrying his crippled (残废的) little brother. He pointed to the car. "Look!" he said to the little boy. "His brother gave him that car for Christmas. Some day I’m gonna give you one just like it!"
Paul got out and lifted the little boy into his car. The older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them went on a wonderful holiday ride.
That Christmas Eve, Paul learned how good it felt to give.
53. Paul’s brother gave him ___ as a Christmas present.
A. a suit B. a car C. a bicycle D. a card
54. When the boy saw the car, he wished that ____.
A. he could buy a car for himself B. he had a brother to buy him a car
C. he could buy a car for his brother D. he could have a ride in the car
55. When the boy asked Paul the drive the car in front his house, he wanted ___.
A. to show off to his neighbors B. his brother to see the car
C. Paul to drive him home D. to enjoy a ride in the car
56. The story mainly tells us ______.
A. practice makes perfect B. it is important to make money
C. giving makes people feel good D. a friend in need is a friend indeed
第三部分阅读技能 (共三节，满分35分)
阅读理解（共12小题；每小题1.5分，满分18分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的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。
TEENAGERS lead an exciting life in high school, making friends and dreaming about the future. However, as all young people know, teenagers have plenty of worries too.
Do you know what British teenagers worry about most? A survey by the UK's Department of Health shows that the top worries are losing weight (减肥) and fitting in (适应). Over 100,000 teenagers took part in the research.
Losing weight is a big concern among teenagers. This may be an effect of famous people with perfect bodies around them.
Adolescence is a physically and emotionally difficult time. Teenagers want to feel good about their bodies.
It's also important for them to be accepted. Many teenagers were picked on (作弄) in high school. “Who should I eat lunch with?” “Who should I hang out with?” “Will I be accepted?” These questions are troubling many UK teenagers, according to the survey.
It's interesting to see that family background has an effect on teenagers' worries. Teenagers from low-income families worried more about losing weight and bullying (欺凌弱小). Teenagers from higher income families were more likely to worry about fitting in and peer pressure (同辈压力).
49 According to the survey, British teenagers are most worried about ______.
A. fitting in and making money B. finding jobs and making friends
C. losing weight and being accepted D. making money and losing weight.
50. Many teenagers are concerned about losing weight because ______.
A. they see thin famous people B. they care a lot about health
C. they don't have much money D. they face problems in life
51. The word “adolescence” in the fourth paragraph means ______.
A.幼儿期 B.青春期 C.青年期 D.老年期
52. Suppose Jack is from a poor family; what do you think he may worry more about?
A. fitting in and losing weight B. fitting in and peer pressure
C. losing weight and bullying D. losing weight and peer pressure
In 1999, twelve percent of public elementary schools in the United States required students to wear uniforms. Just three years later, the amount was almost double that.
A study of six big-city Ohio public schools showed students who were required to wear uniforms had improved graduation, behavior and attendance rates. Academic performance was unchanged.
Some high schools in Texas have also joined in the movement. Yet studies find mixed results from requiring uniforms. And some schools have turned away from such policies.
Supporters believe dressing the same creates a better learning environment and safer schools. The school district in Long Beach, California, was the first in the country to require uniforms in all elementary and middle schools. The example helped build national interest in uniforms as a way to deal with school violence and improve learning.
Findings in Long Beach suggested that the policy resulted in fewer behavior problems and better attendance. But researcher Viktoria, who has looked at those findings, says they were based only on opinions about the effects of uniforms.
She says other steps taken at the same time to improve schools in Long Beach and statewide could have influenced the findings. The district (the area marked by government) increased punishments for misbehavior. And California passed a law to reduce class sizes.
In Florida, for example, researcher Sharon found that uniforms seemed to improve behavior and reduce violence. In Texas, Eloise found fewer discipline problems among students required to wear uniforms, but no effect on attendance.
Sociologist David has studied school uniform policies since1998．He collected the reports in the book. In his own study, he found that reading and mathematics performance dropped after a school in Pennsylvania(宾夕法尼亚州) required uniforms.
Political and community pressures may persuade schools to go to uniforms to improve learning. But David and others believe there is not enough evidence of a direct relationship. In fact, he says requiring uniforms may even increase discipline problems.
67．Which of the following researchers are NOT supporters of school uniform policies?
A．Viktoria and Sharon. B．Sharon and David.
C．Eloise and Sharon. D．Viktoria and David.
68．The underlined word“misbehavior”in the sixth paragraph probably means ________.
A．serious crime B．bad performance
C．absence for class D．action against wearing uniforms
69．What can we infer from the passage?
A．More work is needed to get better information about uniform’s effect.
B．The number of schools requiring uniforms in the U.S. will become less sharply.
C．Wearing uniforms has little to do with behavior and learning.
D．Politicians and communities won’t vote for uniform policies.
70．What’s the main idea of this passage?
A．More and more students are required to wear uniforms in the U.S.
B．Wearing uniforms contributes to good academic performance.
C．Researchers in the U.S. argue for school uniform policies.
D．Evidence for school uniform polices in the U.S. is seen as weak.
When other nine-year-old kids were playing games, she was working at a petrol station. When other teens were studying or going out, she struggled to find a place to sleep on the street. But she overcame these terrible setbacks to win a highly competitive scholarship and gain entry to Harvard University. And her amazing story has inspired a movie,“Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story”, shown in late April.
Liz Murray, a 22-year-old American girl, has been writing a real-life story of willpower and determination. Liz grew up in the shadow of two drug-addicted parents. There was never enough food or warm clothes in the house. Liz was the only member of the family who had a job. Her mother had AIDS and died when Liz was just 15 years old. The effect of that became a turning point in her life. Connecting the environment in which she had grown up with how her mother had died, she decided to do something about it.
Liz went back to school. She threw herself into her studies, never telling her teachers that she was homeless. At night, she lived on the streets.“What drove me to live on had something to do with understanding, by understanding that there was a whole other way of being. I had only experienced a small part of the society,”she wrote in her book Breaking Night.
She admitted that she used envy to drive herself on. She used the benefits that come easily to others, such as a safe living environment, to encourage herself that“next to nothing could hold me down”. She finished high school in just two years and won a full scholarship to study at Harvard University. But Liz decided to leave her top university a couple of months earlier this year in order to take care of her father, who has also developed AIDS.“I love my parents so much. They are drug addicts. But I never forget that they love me all the time.”
Liz wants moviegoers (who often see films) to come away with the idea that changing your life is“as simple as making a decision”.
63．In which order did the following things happen to Liz?
A．Her mother died of AIDS. B．She worked at a petrol station.
C．She got admitted into Harvard. D．The movie about her life was put on.
e. She had trouble finding a place to sleep.
A．b, a, e, c, d B．a, b, c, e, d C．e, d, b, a, c D．b, e, a, d, c
64．The main idea of the passage is ________.
A．how Liz managed to enter Harvard University
B．what a hard time Liz had in her childhood
C．why Liz loved her parents so much
D．how Liz struggled to change her life
65．What actually made her go towards her goal?
A．Envy and competition. B．Willpower and determination.
C．Decisions and understanding. D．Love and respect for her parents.
66．When she wrote“What drove me to live on...I had only experienced a small part of the society”, she meant that ________.
A．she had little experience of social life
B．she could hardly understand the society
C．she would do something for her own life
D．she needed to travel more around the world