My l4-year-old son, John, and I spotted the coat at the same time in a second-hand clothing store. It stood out among big and old coats. It had beautiful tailoring and an unbelievable price: $28. I looked at my son and we both said nothing, but John’s eyes shone. Dark, woolen topcoats were popular with teenage boys, but they could cost several hundred dollars new. This coat was even better. John tried it on and turned from side to side, eyeing himself in the mirror. The fit was perfect.
John wore the coat to school the next day and came home with a big grin. “Did the kids like your coat?” I asked. “They loved it,” he said.
Over the next few weeks, John changed. He was polite, less argumentative, more thoughtful, and on the whole much happier. “Good dinner, mom,” he would say every evening. Without a word of objection he would carry in wood for the stove. One day when I suggested that he might start on his homework before dinner, John, who always put things off, said: “You’re right. I guess I will.” When I mentioned this incident to one of his teachers, she joked that the coat must have changed him.
John and I both know we should never mistake a person’s clothes for the real person within them. But there is something to be said for wearing a standard of excellence for the world to see, for practicing standards of excellence in thought, speech, and behavior, and for matching what is on the inside to what is on the outside. What does the author try to express in the first paragraph?
| A．The coat looked like a magical coat. |
| B．They were good at shopping. |
| C．The coat was a real bargain. |
| D．They had the same taste in clothes. |
What does the underlined word “grin” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
| A．A wide smile. | B．A worried look. |
| C．A jealous spirit. | D．A joking tone. |
After John wore the new coat, the author found he _______.
a. was happier and better-behaved
b. received more praise from his teachers
c. was willing to follow suggestions
d. made rapid progress in study
e. would say sweet words to please her
| A．a, b, c | B．a, c, e | C．b, d, e | D．c, d, e |
What message does the author intend to deliver in the article?
| A．We should not judge people by their appearance. |
| B．Life is full of possibilities when we are young. |
| C．It’s beneficial to try different things in our lives. |
| D．What we wear could help shape who we are inside. |
Many animals recognize their food because they see it. So do humans. When you see an apple or a piece of chocolate you know that these are things you can eat. You can also use other senses when you choose your food. You may like it because it smells good or because it tastes good. You may dislike some types of food because they do not look, smell or taste very nice. Different animals use different sense, to find and choose their food. A few animals depend on only one of their senses. while most animals use more than one sense.
Although there are many different types of food, some animals spend their lives eating only one type. The giant panda (大熊猫) eats only one particular type of bamboo (竹子). Other animals eat only one type of food even when given the choice. A kind of white butterfly (蝴蝶) will stay on the leaves of a cabbage, even though there are plenty of other vegetables in the garden. However, most animals have a more varied diet (多样化饮食). The bear eats fruits and fish. The fox eats small animals, birds and fruits. The diet of these animals will be different depending on the season.
Humans have a very varied diet. We often eat food because we like it and not because it is good for us. In countries such as France and Britain, people eat foods with too much sugar. This makes them overweight, which is bad for their health. Eating too much red meat and animal products, such as butter, can also be bad for the health, Choosing the right food, therefore, has become an area of study in modern life. We can infer from the text that humans and animals - —.
| A．depend on one sense in choosing food | B．are not satisfied with their food |
| C．choose food in similar ways | D．eat entirely different food |
Which of the following eats only one type of food?
| A．The white butterfly. | B．The small bird. | C．The bear. | D．The fox. |
Certain animals change their choice of food when _________
| A．the season changes | B．the food color changes |
| C．they move to different places | D．they are attracted by different smells |
It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their ears, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.
The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries (食品杂货) saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.
I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that，several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, and then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity (人性) as a whole. And it has influenced (影响) us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.Why was the bike so important to the couple?
| A．The man’s job was bike racing. | B．It was their only possession. |
| C．It was a nice Kona 18 speed. | D．They used it for work and daily life |
We can infer from the text that ________
| A．The couple worked 60 hours a week | B．people were busy before Christmas |
| C．the stranger brought over the bike | D．life was hard for the young family |
How did people get to know the couple’s problem?
| A．From radio broadcasts. | B．From a newspaper. |
| C．From TV news. | D．From a stranger. |
What do the couple learn from their experience?
| A．Strangers are usually of little help. | B．One should take care of their bike. |
| C．News reports make people famous. | D．An act of kindness can mean a lot. |
A man was selling medicine at a fair（集市）．At first he sold bottles of a cure（药剂）for colds（感冒）for just a dollar a bottle．
Many people wanted to buy it and the man's young assistant moved quickly through the crowd collecting money and handing out bottles of the cure．
Then，when he had a big crowd， the man held up a very small bottle．
“And now，ladies and gentlemen，he shouted，“Here is the medicine you have been waiting for．The cure for old age．Drink just one bottle of this and you will live forever．
“And，ladies and gentlemen，the man continued，“I'm not going to charge（向……要价……）you a hundred dollars a bottle for this wonderful medicine．I'm not going to charge you fifty dollars a bottle．I'm not going to charge you twenty-five dollars a bottle．Now，ladies and gentlemen，I'm going to charge you just ten dollars a bottle． Think，my friends，for ten dollars you can live forever．
Most of the people in the crowd did not believe this．
One person shouted，“If it can make you live forever，why don't you drink it？
Then an other person cried，“Yes， you look as if you're at least sixty years old．
“Thank you，sir，thank you，the man answered，“I'm so glad you said that． My real age is three hundred and twenty-nine．
The crowd laughed at this but there were still some people who wanted to believe the man ．One of them spoke to the man's assistant as she passed by ，“Is that true？he asked．“Is he three hundred and twenty-nine？
“Don't ask me，the assistant said，“I've only worked for him for a hundred and fifty years． What did the man sell at first at the fair？
| A．a cure for colds |
| B．bottles |
| C．a cure for old age |
| D．a medicine that made people live forever |
How much did the man charge for the cure for old age？
| A．one dollar a bottle | B．twenty-five dollars a bottle |
| C．ten dollars a bottle | D．fifty dollars a bottle |
What does the word “assistant” mean in this passage？
| A．仆人 | B．朋友 | C．同伴 | D．助手 |
What does this passage really mean？
| A．The cure for old age is very useful and not so expensive． |
| B．The man is not honest，and so is his assistant． |
| C．The cheaper the medicine is，the more people will buy． |
| D．The two men are very honest，and they would like to help people live forever． |
阅读理解 (共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分)
第一节：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。
Skin-diving is a new sport today．
This sport takes you into a wonderful new world． It is like a visit to the moon！When you are under water，it is easy for you to climb big rocks， because you are no longer heavy．
Here，under water，everything is blue and green．During the day，there is enough light． When fish swim nearby，you can catch them with your hands．
When you have tanks（罐子）of air on your back，you can stay in deep water for a long time．But you must be careful．
To catch the fish is one of the most interesting parts of this sport．On the other hand， you can clean the ships without taking them out of the water．You can get many things from the deep sea．
Now you can see that skin-diving is both useful and interesting．Skin-diving can take you to _______ ．
| A．the moon | B．mountains | C．the sun | D．the deep sea |
A skin-diver _______ under water in the day．
| A．can see everything clearly | B．can't see anything clearly |
| C．can see nothing | D．can see only fishes |
With a tank of air on your back，you can _______ ．
| A．catch fish very easily | B．stay under water for a long time |
| C．be in safe place | D．have more fun |
Which of these sentences is NOT TRUE ？
| A．Skin-diving is a new sport． |
| B．Skin-diving is like visiting the moon． |
| C．The only use of skin-diving is to have more fun． |
| D．Skin-diving is both interesting and useful． |
There is a boy called Bill in my gym class who has unbearably yellow teeth that almost make everyone feel unpleasant．Recently another boy told Bill that he should "go Ajax" his teeth．Bill was crushed．If the other boy had been thinking, he would have realized that there is a better way to handle such a situation．He could have dealt with it with tact．He could have showed this hurtful truth in a more careful, sensitive way—that's "tact"．
If a person isn't sensitive to another's feelings, there is no way he or she can be tactful．Yesterday, my 5-year-old brother proudly announced that he had cleaned the screen on our television set．Unfortunately, he used furniture polish, which produced an oily film on the television screen．My mother smiled arid thanked him for his efforts—and then showed how to clean the screen properly．Her sensitivity enables my brother to keep his self-respect．Yet, sensitivity alone does not make tact．
"Tactfulness" also requires "truthfulness"．Doctors, for example must be truthful．If a patient has just been disabled in an accident, a tactful doctor will tell the truth—but express it with sensitivity．The doctor may try to give the patient hope by telling them curing techniques under study or about advanced equipment now available．Doctors must use tact with patients' relatives as well．Instead of bluntly saying, "Your husband is disabled," a doctor might say, "I'm sorry, but your husband has lost feeling in his legs and．．．"
Tact should not be confused with trickery．Trickery occurs when a nurse is about to give a patient an injection（注射） and says, "This won't hurt a bit．" Instead of trickery, the nurse might guarantee the patient that the discomfort of the injection is a small thing compared to the benefits of it．It would also be thoughtful for the nurse to tell the patients about some of these benefits．
Tact is a wonderful skill to have, and tactful people are usually admired and respected．Without tact our society would become an intolerable place to live in．The underlined word "crushed" in the first paragraph probably means____．
| A．surprised | B．cheated | C．regretful | D．painful |
According to the author, his mother's praise for the brother is ____．
| A．sensitive and tactful | B．sensitive but not tactful enough |
| C．truthful but not tactful enough | D．sensitive but trickish |
Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
（The numbers stand for the paragraphs）