The Man was very sad. He knew that the Cat's days were numbered. The doctor had said there wasn’t anything more that could be done, and that he should take the Cat home and make him as comfortable as possible.
A tear rolled down the Man’s cheek and landed on the Cat’s forehead, The Cat gave him a slightly annoyed look. “Why do you cry, Man?” the Cat asked. “Because you can’t bear the thought of losing me? Because you think you can never replace me?” The Man nodded “yes”.
“Pick up that piece of string from the floor~~there, my ‘toy’ The Man reached over and picked up the string. It was about two feet long and the Cat had been able to entertain himself for hours with it. “Now take each end of the string in one hand,” the Cat ordered. The Man did so.
“The end in your left hand is my birth and the end in your right hand is my death. Now bring the two ends together,” the Cat said. The man did so. Then the Cat continued, “You have made a continuous circle. Does any point along the string appear to be different, worse or better than any other part of the string?” The Man inspected the string and then shook his head.
“Close your eyes.” the Cat said. “Now lick your hand.” The Man widened his eyes in surprise. “Just do it，” the Cat said. “Lick your hand, think of me in all my familiar places, and think about all the pieces of string.”
Licking his hand, he discovered what a cat must know, that licking a paw is very calming and allows one to think more clearly. He continued licking and the corners of his mouth turned upward into the first smile he had shown in days. He waited for the Cat to tell him to stop, and when he didn’t, he opened his eyes. The Cat’s eyes were closed. The Man stroked the warm, brown fur, but the Cat was gone.
One day, not long after, there was a new cat on his lap. She was a lovely calico and white.
It is very different from his earlier beloved Cat and very much the same.Why did the Cat give the man a slightly annoyed look?
| A．Because the man’s tears made the Cat really anxious. |
| B．Because the Cat didn’t know what made the man burst into tears. |
| C．Because the Cat couldn’t go to sleep when the man was in low spirits. |
| D．Because the man didn’t have to be so sad and concerned. |
According to the text, which of the following is the reason why a cat licks paws?
| A．Licking paws can make a cat remain calm and have a clear mind. |
| B．Licking paws will make a cat happy and energetic. |
| C．Licking paws will make a cat find out many unknown secrets. |
| D．Licking paws can make a cat stay tidy and healthy. |
What does the underlined word “string” in paragraph 3 stand for?
| A．Life. | B．Birth. | C．Hope. | D．Power. |
What's the main idea of the passage?
| A．Pets play an important part in our life. |
| B．Life has no end and death is just a new beginning. |
| C．We should take a positive attitude towards life and live life to its fullest. |
| D．It gives us some suggestions on how to relieve ourselves when a pet passes away. |
Science Daily (Apr 27, 2008) — Dutch ecologist Roxina Soler and her colleagues have discovered that subterranean (地下的) and aboveground herbivorous (食草的) insects can communicate with each other by using plants as telephones. Subterranean insects issue chemical warning signals through the leaves of the plant. This way, aboveground insects are warned that the plant is already “occupied”.
Aboveground, leaf-eating insects prefer plants that have not yet been occupied by subterranean root-eating insects. Subterranean insects send out chemical signals through the leaves of the plant, which warn the aboveground insects about their presence. This messaging makes it possible for spatially-separated insects to avoid each other, so that they do not compete for the same plant.
In recent years it has been discovered that different types of aboveground insects develop slowly if they feed on plants that also have subterranean residents and vice versa (反之亦然). It seems that a system has developed through natural selection, which helps the subterranean and aboveground insects to notice each other. This avoids unnecessary competition.
Through the “green telephone lines”, subterranean insects can also communicate with a third party, namely the natural enemy of caterpillars (毛虫). Parasitic wasps (寄生的黄蜂) lay their eggs inside aboveground insects. The wasps also benefit from the signals sent by the leaves, as these help them find more insects for their eggs.
The communication between subterranean and aboveground insects has only been studied in a few cases. It is still not clear how widespread this phenomenon is. But scientists are looking into it. This research was carried out at the Netherlands Institute for Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) by Roxina Soler, Jeffrey Harvey, Martijn Bezemer, Wim van der Putten and Louise Vet. The PhD project, in which this study was carried out, was funded by the Free Competition of NWO Earth and Life Sciences.
51. After finding a plant occupied by subterranean insects, aboveground insects usually ____.
A. send out warning signals B. choose to give up the plant
C. compete for the plant D. share it with the subterranean insects
52. Aboveground insects will develop more quickly if they ____.
A. feed on plants occupied by subterranean insects
B. feed on plants not occupied by subterranean insects
C. become cleverer through natural selection
D. compete with subterranean insects
53. Subterranean insects communicate with a third party through ____.
A. caterpillars B. parasitic wasps C. wasps’ eggs D. a plant’s leaves
54. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. Other animals may communicate in the same way.
B. There will be further research into this phenomenon.
C. Part of the study is a PhD project.
D. The Free Completion of NWO Earth and Life Sciences has the patent for these results.
55. What would be the best title for this passage?
A. Insects use plants as a telephone. B. Insects live in harmony with each other.
C. No species can live alone. D. Plants and animals have an effect on each other.
From the earliest times，man has been interested in art．People have often worked together to collect and save the world's art treasures．
Fine art treasures from many countries are kept in an art museum called the Louvre in Paris，France．The works of art have been collected by the people of France over many centuries．
The Louvre has not always been a museum．The first building was a fort（炮台）．In 1190，it was the king's castle with high walls and a round tower．It had a moat to keep out his enemies．
Over the years，the number of buildings around the castle grew．By 1350，the castle was no longer needed as a fort．The Louvre became a palace home for French kings and queens．
During times of peace，new treasures were brought in．During days of war，many treasures were stolen，and the buildings were damaged．
When Francis I became king of France in 1515，he brought in artists from many countries．One of the artists was Leonardo Da Vinci from Italy．Da Vinci's"Mona Lisa"is the best known painting in the museum today．
In 1793，the Louvre became a public museum，just as it is now．It is a place where art treasures have been saved for everyone to enjoy．
46．On the whole，this passage is mainly about____. ．
A ．an art museum called the Louvre B ．an Italian artist named Leonardo Da Vinci
C ．a king of France named Francis I D ．the best known painting in Louvre
47．Which of the following is not true？
A ．The Louvre used to be a fort a very long time ago．
B ．French kings and queens once lived in it．
C ．The Louvre was taken by enemies in 1190．
D ．Many treasures were brought into the Louvre over the years．
48．Why is it good for great art to be kept in public museums？
A ．It helps people remember who the King of France is．
B ．It keeps people out of the palaces．
C ．It gives everyone a chance to enjoy good art．
D ．It helps people to know who is the greatest artist．
49．From the passage we know that _____．
A ．It is not possible for treasures to be stolen
B ．Old forts always make the best museums
C ．Great art should be shared with all the people
D ．King Francis I of France brought in artists from an old fort
50．In the third paragraph the word "moat" probably means_____．
A ．a high tower built in former times where soldiers watched out for enemies
B ．a long and deep ditch(沟) dug round a castle and was usually filled with water
C ．a cart pulled by horses on which soldiers fought
D ．a long and high wall around castle
Ⅲ 阅读 (共两节，满分40分)
第一节阅读理解 (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A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
The old shopkeeper led me through to the back of the shop．The room was filled with boxes and
photographs of people dressed in old-fashioned clothes，holding packages in their hands．
“Who are these-people?”I asked．
“Satisfied customers，”answered young Mr. Hopkins．“We have a very wide choice of items for
sale．Whenever I serve a new customer, I always take their picture．”Mr. Hopkins pointed to an ancient
camera standing next to one wall．“Now, how can I serve you?”he added．
By this time，I had started to trust Mr. Hopkins and had begun to appreciate the lovely items on
sale. I needed to buy Christmas presents for my family and friends，and this seemed to be the perfect
place to purchase them．I spent a very pleasant hour being shown the commodities in Mr. Hopkins’shop．
No matter what I asked for, Mr. Hopkins found it for me．Finally, I bought an antique jewelry box，a pair
of riding boots，a leather-bound edition of the Complete Works of Mark Twain, and a sewing machine．
I was very excited that I had found such a good little shop．I promised Mr. Hopkins that l would
come back soon. “I will tell all my friends about your lovely place，”I told the shopkeeper．
“Please do not do that, sir" , said Mr. Hopkins．“This is a special place for special people．You must
keep this shop a secret．” Then he took my photograph and handed me the picture straight away．
“That was quick!”I exclaimed．I looked at the photograph．In the picture I looked proud and excited holding the presents I had bought in Mr. Hopkins’dusty shop．
On Christmas Day, my friends and relatives were delighted with the presents I had bought for them．
For weeks．my brother begged me to show him where to find this wonderful little shop．I finally agreed to take him to London to show him．
When we arrived in London，we walked along Oxford Street，past the department store and
Found nothing．The little shop was no longer there．In its place was an empty space being used as a car
park．I checked the area again。There was the music shop，and there was the department store．In between
should have been Hopkins and Son, but it wasn’t there．
As l was staring at the place where the shop should have been, a old policeman came along．“Are
you looking for something sir?”he asked．
I turned and said“I am looking for a little shop called Hopkins and Son．I thought it was here．”
“Oh yes，”said the policeman．“There was a shop here once called Hopkins and Son．It sold all
sorts of things，but it was knocked down over 30 years ago．”
I looked again at the place where the shop had been．Then I reached into my pocket and took out
the photograph that Mr. Hopkins had taken of me holding my presents in the little shop．
“How strange”I exclaimed．
41．The photos in the back of the shop showed
A. the items that Mr. Hopkins had sold B．Mr. Hopkins’family members
C．Mr. Hopkins’former customers D．the antique paintings
42．How did the writer like the shop?
A．He found it a modem big shop．
B．He thought it a wonderful shop for all Christmas presents．
C．He thought it a good shop with an ancient camera．
D．He found it a dusty, old but friendly and lovely little shop．
43．Which of the following is true about the shop?
A．It was a well-known little shop in London。
B．It was a special shop selling special presents．
C．It was between a music shop and a department store．
D．It was knocked down a few weeks ago.
44．The word “the commodities’in the 4th paragraph means．
A．the goods in the shop B. the writer’s works
C．Mr. Hopkins' photographs D．Some presents left by other customers
45．Which of the following is the best title of this passage?
A．Christmas Shopping B．Hopkins and His Son
C．The Strange Experience D．The Strange Little Shop
"There's no other way to describe it, it's the moment of a lifetime," said Bigelow at the awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday．She has become the first female ever to win a Best Director Oscar．
Bigelow was up against the top-selling film of all time, Avatar．But Bigelow's smallbudget film, The Hurt Locker, swept the awards with six trophies （奖杯） , including Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Sound Mixing and the big one: Best Picture．
Many Hollywood insiders are calling this year’s awards the "Indie Oscars", with smaller films taking the other top awards．This was due in large part to outstanding individual performances: Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart （Best Actor） and Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side （Best Actress）．But all eyes were on Bigelow, as her movie The Hurt Locker beat Avatar to the major awards．This was sweetened by the fact Avatar's director, James Cameron, is her ex-husband．
Bigelow was only the fourth female ever to be nominated （提名） for Best Director．She followed in the footsteps of Lina Wurtmuller, for Seven Beauties （1976）; Jane Campion, The Piano （1993）;and Sophia Coppola, Lost in Translation （2003）．
Bigelow played down the important occasion last week, telling CBS, "There's really no difference between what I do and what a male filmmaker might do．I mean we all try to make our days, we all try to give the best performances we can, we try to make our budget, we try to make the best movie we possibly can．So in that sense it's very similar．On the other hand, I think the journey for women, no matter what field it is—politics, business, film —it's a long journey．"
Ironically Bigelow's filmography is filled with action movies that are low on female leads and high on guns and steel．Her films such as Point Break and The Hurt Locker focus on the fears of men．
And is there an entertaining end to the story of Bigelow's victory? She won on International Women's Day．
It is, after all, Hollywood．
64．Of all the awards mentioned in Paragraph 2, the most important one is .
A．Best Picture B．Best Sound Mixing
C．Best Director D．Best Original Screenplay
65．We may learn from the passage that _____．
A．four people have been nominated for Best Director
B．The Hurt Locker cost a large sum of money
C．only big films such as Avatar can take top awards
D．Sophia Coppola was a woman director
66．What Bigelow said in Paragraph 5 indicates that women _____．
A．can't compete with men in any field
B．have to make greater efforts in whatever field
C．are weaker than men in the film industry
D．don't have to make a long journey until their careers take off
67．What would be the best title for the passage?
A．Oscar Awards Ceremony B．First Female Oscar Best Director
C．Hollywood Best Actress D．The Hurt Locker Beat Avatar
Welcome to London's River Marathon and our online Entry section．You can fill in an Entry Form and the closing date for Race entries is 6th September．
Here you can learn something about our service such as towage（拖船）．
A tow-down service from Ham, Richmond and Putney to the Start is being run from early Race day morning and timed to have your boat available for collection when you arrive at Registration．To take advantage of this service, boats must be launched by 18.00 hours on Friday and the cost is ?0．00 per boat．If required, Towage and Crane Assistance must be requested via the entry maintenance facility; we will be in touch with full details on receipt of a request．
There are also a number of ways to enjoy the Race without necessarily getting into a sweat. Camping/Roast BBQ/Party:
As usual, we will be operating our very successful campsite at Thames Young Mariners in Riverside Drive, just a few minutes walk from the Race Finish．The 14th Richmond Sea Scouts will once again organize and host this very popular service．
The Friday night BBQ party will include a delicious roast and the entertainment will be provided by our regular blues band．
On Saturday evening the bar will be open．
ShuttleBus:
The ShuttleBus service has become an integral part of Race Day．In the morning of this year's Race, it will take crews and spectator boat passengers from the Holiday Inn Hotel, Thames Ditton, the campsite and Finish area to the Start in time for registration and boarding．
The service starts at 08．00 hours．Later, we will be running buses from the party area at the Finish （Ham Street car park） at 22．30 hours to the Start, calling at Waterloo and Liverpool Street stations．
Passenger Boat:
With its good visibility, low freeboard, licensed bar and friendly cooperative crew．The Viscount makes the ideal viewing platform for The Great River Race．The boat will be leaving Masthouse Terrace Pier at 11．45 hours with boarding starting from 11．15 hours．Light lunches will be available on board．
60．The Great River Race takes place on _____．
A．10th May B．22nd May C．6th September D．25th September
61．What does the underlined word "launched" in the passage probably mean?
A．sent up B．set off C．put into water D．put into action
62．Which of the following is true about The Viscount?
A．It offers no lunch． B．Its departure time is 11:15 hours．
C．The bar on it is illegal． D．You can get a good view of the race on it．
63．Hans from Germany is a music lover and likes eating roasted beef．What service will he probably choose to enjoy the race?
A．The Friday night BBQ service． B．The tow-down service．
C．The ShuttleBus service． D．The Passenger Boat service．