A few months before I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around to welcome me into the world a few months later.
As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special position. My parents were complementary instructors：Mom taught me the words, and Dad taught me to obey them. But the stranger... He was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies(喜剧).
If I wanted to know anything about politics，history or science，he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.
I now know that my early concepts about relationship were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom blamed...and NEVER asked to leave.
More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended(融合) right in but is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you were to walk into my parent's room today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures. His name?
We just call him...“TV”.
He has a younger sister now. We call her “Computer”.When the stranger came to live with our family, he was ________.
| A．ignored by the children |
| B．driven away for no reason |
| C．abandoned because it was too noisy |
| D．accepted by every family member |
The stranger can do all the following things EXCEPT that he can ________.
| A．tell us some funny stories | B．reject our proposals(提议) |
| C．influence the children's character | D．predict the future |
The underlined word “spellbound” in Paragraph 2 most probably means ________.
| A．concentrated | B．puzzled |
| C．fascinated | D．astonished |
What can we learn from the last three paragraphs of the passage?
| A．The computer is more advanced and has gained greater popularity. |
| B．Old as he is，we like the stranger best. |
| C．The TV set is out of fashion and often breaks down. |
| D．We decide to throw the TV set away immediately. |
How Room Designs Affect Our Work and Feeling
Architects have long had the feeling that the place we live in can affect our thoughts, feeling and behaviors. But now scientists are giving this feeling an empirical（经验的，实证的）basis. They are discovering how to design spaces that promote creativity, keep people focused, and lead to relaxation.
Researches show that aspects of the physical environment can influence creativity. In 2009, Joan Meyers-Levy at the University of Minnesota, reported that the height of a room’s ceiling affects how people think. Her research indicates that higher ceilings encourage people to think more freely, which may lead them to make more abstract connections. Low ceilings, on the other hand, may inspire a more detailed outlook.
In addition to ceiling height, the view afforded by a building may influence an occupant’s ability to concentrate. Nancy Wells and her colleagues at Cornell University result of a family move made the most gains on a standard test of attention.
Using nature to improve focus of attention ought to pay off academically, and it seems to, according to a study led by C. Kenneth Tanner, head of the School Design & Planning Laboratory at the University of Georgia. Tanner and his team found that higher scores on tests of vocabulary, language arts and maths than did students whose classrooms primarily overlooked roads and parking lots.
Recent study on room lighting design suggests that dim（暗淡的）light helps people to loosen up. If that is true generally, keeping the light low during dinner, or at parties could increase relaxation. Researchers of Harvard Medical School also discovered that furniture with rounded edges could help visitors relax.
So far scientists have focused mainly on public buildings. “We have a very limited number of studies, so we are almost looking at the problem through a straw（吸管）” architect David Allison says; “How do you take answers to very specific questions and make broad,generalize use of them?” That is what we are all struggling with”
52. What does Joan Meyers-Levy focus on in her research?
A. Light B. Ceilings. C. Windows. D. Furniture
53．The passage tells us that____________.
A．the shape of furniture may affect people’s feelings
B．lower ceilings may help improve students’ creativity
C．children in a dim classroom may improve their grades
D．students in rooms with unblocked views may feel relaxed
54．The underlined sentence in the last paragraph probably mean that_______.
A．the problem is not approached step by step
B．the researches so far have faults in themselves
C．the problem is too difficult for researchers to detect
D．research in this area is not enough to make generalized patterns
55．Which of the following shows the organization of the passage?
CP ：Central Point P:point SP:： Sub-point（次要点） C：Conclusion
TOKYO – The number of domestic infections cases of influenza A/H1N1 in Japan hits 42 on Sunday after a total of 34 people in Osaka and Hyogo counties were confirmed to have been infected, local media reported.
The total number of the infection in the country now stands at 46, including the first four cases contracted abroad.
The country is now facing the risk of grass-root outbreak which could lead the WHO to raise its new flu pandemic alert（传染病预警）to the highest level of 6 from the current 5, experts has warned.
The 34 newly confirmed domestic cases, 11 in Osaka and 23 in Hyogo, included high school students, college students and teachers, the health ministry and local governments said Sunday.
Japan on Saturday confirmed the first eight cases of domestic infection on students of a Kobe high school. The later confirmed cases in Osaka are said to have contacted the Kobe students in a volleyball match. Osaka and Hyogo are neighboring in the Kansai region.
All of the 42 people had no record of overseas travel.
Meanwhile, a total of 143 students at the Kansai Okura Senior High School where many infections in Osaka were found, have shown symptoms of influenza since around Monday, according to local media reports.
The privately run school said it will be closed from Monday through Saturday.
More than 1,000 educational facilities -- kindergartens, and elementary, junior and senior high schools – in Osaka and Hyogo counties have decided to suspend classes for certain periods following the confirmation of new flu infections in the counties, Kyodo News reported.
The two counties have requested private schools to follow suit.
Osaka Governor Toru Hashimoto held a meeting of a new flu task force on Sunday and decided to ask facilities such as movie theaters to suspend operations to prevent the spread of the flu.
TV clips showed people in Kansai region started to wear masks in public spaces and rushed to drug stores for buying medicines.
The Japanese government on Saturday shifted the stage of its new-flu action program from “a period of overseas outbreak” to “a period of domestic outbreak” and called for companies and schools in the areas concerned to allow individuals to avoid commuting（出行） during rush hours.
The Kyodo News quoted Masato Tashiro, a member of the World Health Organization's emergency committee, as saying that several hundred people in Japan already may have been infected with the new flu.
48. According to the passage, the total number of the A/H1N1 infection in Japan now is _______.
42 B. 34 C. 46 D. 143
49. The reasons for the happening of the later confirmed cases in Osaka are the following EXCEPT________.
A. 143 students at the Kansai Okura Senior High School have shown symptoms of influenza.
B. Some students in a Kobe High school got infected.
C. Osaka and Hyogo are next to each other in the Kansai region.
D. The later infected people contacted the Kobe students in a volleyball match.
50. What is the implied meaning of what Masato Tashiro said in the last paragraph?
A. The real situation about the new flu in Japan may be worse than it has been reported.
Several hundred people have been infected but they don’t know it.
The WHO has to raise its new flu pandemic alert to the highest level.
D. The WHO’s emergency committee are trying to confirm the number of infection in Japan.
51. The purpose of the passage is ______.
A. to introduce the domestic infection cases in Japan.
B. to draw people’s attention to the worsening situation.
C. to give some advice on preventing the spread of the flu.
D. to call for educational facilities in Japan to suspend classes for some time.
It’s the Year of the Rat!
Millions of people crowded onto trains and buses across China on Wednesday. They were hurrying home to be with their families for the country’s most important holiday, the Lunar New Year, or the Spring Festival. Thursday marked the end of the Year of the Pig, and the beginning of the Year of the Rat. But for a while, it looked as if severe winter weather in some regions of China would put a deep freeze on the celebrations. Due to dangerous conditions, airlines, railways and highways across the country were forced to shut down for the past few weeks. Many travelers were worried that they would not make it home for the holidays. Luckily, the crisis started winding down just in time for some roads and railways to reopen on Lunar New Year’s Eve.
More than one billion people worldwide celebrate the Lunar New Year. In China, people from Beijing to Guangzhou enjoy a holiday. Businesses and government offices are closed. Many people go to temples to pray for good fortune for the future. The Lunar New Year is celebrated at the second new moon after the winter solstice（冬至）.
On Lunar New Year’s Eve, the Chinese celebrate with fireworks, family gatherings, and festivals. One of the most popular ways to celebrate the holiday is with the lion dance. The lion is considered a holy animal. During celebrations, dancers dressed as lions（or holding up elaborate paper lions in the air） perform to bring good luck to the people they visit at their homes or businesses. People often wear red, which symbolizes fire. Legend has it that fire can drive away bad luck. The 15-day New Year season is celebrated with firecrackers, dragon dances and visits to friends and families. The celebrations end with the Lantern Festival, when brightly colored lamps are hung in parks around China.
44. When the Spring Festival comes, trains and buses are usually crowed because________.
A. millions of people hurried to go abroad for travelling
B. millions of people are hurrying home to get together with their folks
C. at this time the transportation cost is at the lowest point
D. millions of people hurried to send firecrackers to their home
45. Why were many travellers worried whether they would go home for the Year of the Rat?
A. Because a deep freeze hit some regions of China.
B. Because many transportation companies have a holiday.
C. Because some roads and railways won’t reopen in a long time.
D. Because businesses and government offices are closed.
46. Where do people usually go to beg for their good luck?
A. Government offices B. Business offices
C. Temples D. Beijing
47. In order to bring good luck to the people they visit, dancers dress themselves________.
A. as lions to have a dance B. as tigers to have a dance
C. as rats to have a dance D. as cats to have a dance
To Whom It May Concern:
My husband and I got married in 1965 and for the first ten years of our marriage I was very happy to stay home and raise our three children. Then four years ago, our youngest child went to school and I thought I might go back to work.
My husband was very supportive and helped me to make my decision. He emphasized all of the things I can do around the house, and said he thought I could be a great success in business.
After several weeks of job-hunting I found my present job, which is working for a small public relations firm. At first, my husband was very proud of me and would tell his friends, "My clever little wife can run that company she's working for."
But as his joking remark approached reality, my husband stopped talking to me about my job. I have received several promotions and pay increases, and I am now making more money than he is. I can buy my own clothes and a new car. Because of our combined incomes, my husband and I can do many things that we had always dreamed of doing, but we don't do these things because he is very unhappy.
We fight about little things and my husband is very critical of me in front of our friends. For the first time in our marriage, I think there is a possibility that our marriage may come to an end.
I love my husband very much, and I don't want him to feel inferior（自惭形秽）, but I also love my job. I think I can be a good wife and a working woman, but I don't know how. Can you give me some advice? Will I have to choose one or the other or can I keep both my husband and my new career?
Please help. "Distressed"
40. The letter was most probably written ________.
A. in 1975 B. around 1980 C. four years ago D. in 1965
41. Her husband ________ when she first found her present job.
A. was very critical of her B. felt disappointed
C. was proud of herD. was happy but critical
42. What does the underlined word "promotion" mean?
A. scolding B. criticism C. prize D. advancement
43. As her income increased, ________.
A. she found a gap（分歧）emerged（显露）between her and her husband
B. she bought more clothes and a house
C. she did the many things she and her husband dreamed of
D. she felt very proud of herself
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。
Trogmire Troll was dealing with a crisis. The new girl in class really liked him a lot. Trogmire was not happy about it.
Trogmire’s good friend, Tremor Troll, tried to comfort him. “What’s the big deal? I think Treasure Troll is kind of cute. And she seems to be nice enough.”
Trogmire swallowed his last bite of salad and glared at Tremor. “Then why don’t you ask her to be your girlfriend? There she is, sitting all by herself at the other end of the cafeteria. March over there and ask her to be your sweetie-poo!”
“She’s crazy about you, not me,” Tremor replied.
“Well, I don’t want any girlfriend, especially not a weird（古怪的）, annoying one like her!” Trogmire growled（to make a sound to show anger）.
Tremor wouldn’t give up. “The only thing annoying about her is that she keeps writing you those notes and she stares.”
“Annoying love notes!” Trogmire interrupted. He took another sip of milk. “Did you notice those strange brown eyes? Why aren’t they normal red or pink?”
Tremor took another look at Treasure. “I think her face is a lovely shade of green. And her dark green curly hair is quite pretty. Besides, she’s very sweet and that’s what really matters.”
Trogmire stuck out his tongue. “I think I’m going to be sick! I’d better save my apple pies for later.” He crammed a small bag of Maggot Munchies into his even smaller shirt pocket. “The fact is, I have a problem. That girl is getting on my nerves!”
Tremor followed Trogmire’s example and decided to save his apple pies for later. However, he carefully placed the bag into his lunch box. “Do you have any ideas about how to solve your problem?” Tremor asked.
“I’m going to be mean and rude to her,” Trogmire announced. “I’ll call her names and make ugly faces at her.”
“That’s how you treat everyone,” Tremor reminded his friend.
Trogmire nodded. “It’s time that Treasure got to know the real Trogmire Troll!”
36. How did Treasure Troll feel about Trogmire Troll?
A. She didn’t like him because he was rude.
B. She was annoyed by his strange appearance.
C. She didn’t have any strong feeling about him.
D. She liked him a lot.
37. How did Trogmire feel about Treasure?
A. He felt annoyed. B. He enjoyed the attention.
C. He didn’t realize that she existed. D. He was crazy about her.
38. Who did Trogmire want for a girlfriend?
A. No one. B. Tremor’s sister. C. Treasure Troll. D. Weird girl from another class.
39. Which statement is true?
A. Trogmire pretended to be rude in order to make Treasure stop liking him.
B. Tremor thought that looks were more important than personality.
C. Tremor thought that Treasure was cute.
D. Trogmire offered his apple pies to Treasure to make her sick.