Something roared like thunder. The earth shook a little and we heard the rat-a-tat-tat of gunfire. ‘‘Father!” Hassan cried. We sprung to our feet and raced out of the living room.
“Father! What’s that sound?” Hassan screamed, his hands outstretched toward Ali. Ali wrapped his arms around us. A white light flashed and lit the sky in silver. It flashed again and was followed by rapid sharp sounds of gunfire.
“They’re hunting ducks, ” Ali said in a hoarse voice. “They hunt ducks at night, you know. Don't be afraid.”
A siren(汽笛）went off in the distance. Somewhere glass broke and someone shouted. I heard people on the street, woken up from sleep. Hassan was crying. Ali pulled him close and held him with tenderness.
We stayed huddled (蜷缩）that way until the early hours of the morning. The shootings and explosions had lasted less than an hour, but they had frightened us badly, because none of us had ever heard gunshots in the streets. They were foreign sounds to us then. The generations of Afghan children whose ears would know nothing but the sounds of the bombs and gunfire were not yet born. Huddled together in the dining room and waiting for the sun to rise, none of us had any idea that a way of life had ended. The end came when Russian tanks were rolling into the very same streets where Hassan and I played, bringing the death of the Afghanistan I knew and marking the start of a still ongoing era of bloodletting.
Just before the sunrise, Baba’s car pulled into the driveway. His door slammed shut and his running footsteps pounded the stairs. Then he appeared in the doorway and I saw something on his face. Something I didn’t recognize right away because I’d never seen it before: fear. “Amir! Hassan!” He cried as he ran to us, opening his arms wide. “They blocked all the roads and the telephone didn’t work. I was so worried!”
We let him wrap us in his arms and, for a brief moment, I was glad about whatever had happened that night.Who is the author of this passage?
| A．Amir. | B．Ali. | C．Baba. | D．Hassan. |
By saying “They’re hunting ducks”, Ali _______.
| A．told the children the truth | B．played a joke on the children |
| C．tried to calm the children | D．cheered the children up |
We can infer from the passage that _______.
| A．there were thunderstorms that night |
| B．Afghan children were used to the war |
| C．people on the street shouted and broke the windows |
| D．that night was the end of people's peaceful life |
From the last sentence of the passage, we know _______.
| A．Baba's arms gave the author temporary comfort and joy |
| B．there was a chance that a world in peace was to come |
| C．what happened that night seemed nothing to the author |
| D．the author was glad to see his father come home safe |
C
Susan Sontag（1933—2004） was one of the most noticeable figures in the world of literature. For more than 40 years she made it morally necessary to know everything—to read every book worth reading, to see every movie worth seeing. When she was still in her early 30s，publishing essays in such important magazines as Partisan Review，she appeared as the symbol of American culture life，trying hard to follow every new development in literature，film and art. With great effort and serious judgment，Sontag walked at the latest edges of world culture.
Seriousness was one of Sontag’s lifelong watchwords（格言），but at a time when the barriers between the well-educated and the poor-educated were obvious, she argued for a true openness to the pleasure of pop culture. In“Notes Camp”, the 1964 essay that first made her name，she explained what was then a little—known set of difficult understandings，through which she could not have been more famous.“Notes on Camp”，she wrote，represents“a victory of‘form’ over‘content’,‘beauty’over‘morals’”.
By conviction（信念）she was a sensualist（感觉论者），but by nature she was a moralist（伦理学者），and in the works she published in the 1970s and 1980s，it was the latter side of her that came forward. In“Illness as Metaphor”—published in 1978，after she suffered cancer—she argued against the idea that cancer was somehow a special problem of repressed personalities（被压抑的性格），a concept that effectively blamed the victim for the disease. In fact，re-ex-amining old positions was her lifelong habit.
In America，her story of a 19th century Polish actress who set up a perfect society in California，won the National Book Award in 2000. But it was as a tireless，all-purpose cultural view that she made her lasting fame.
“Sometimes,”she once said，“I feel that，in the end，all I am really defending…is the idea of seriousness，of true seriousness.”And in the end，she made us take it seriously too.
59．The underlined sentence in paragraph l means Sontag ____________.
A．was a symbol of American cultural life
B．developed world literature，film and art
C．published many essays about world culture
D．kept pace with the newest development of world culture
60．She first won her name through____________.
A．her story of a Polish actress
B．her book Illness as Metaphor
C．publishing essays in magazines like Partisan Review
D．her explanation of a set of difficult understandings
61．Susan Sontag’s lasting fame was made upon____________.
A．a tireless，all-purpose cultural view
B．her lifelong watchword: seriousness
C．publishing books on morals
D．enjoying books worth reading and movies worth seeing
62．From the works Susan published in the 1970s and 1980s，we can learn that ____________.
A．she was more a moralist than a sensualist
B．she was more a sensualist than a moralist
C．she believed repressed personalities mainly led to illness
D．she would like to re-examine old positions
B
Will you get a good job？ What will you do？ Many new graduates feel lost when they consider the endless list of career choices. They’ve invested（投资）a lot of money for their diploma（文凭）and now an important question stares them in the fact.
I’ve seen so many now graduates who do not know how to use the degree they have just earned. An example was Dave，who loved sports and had played baseball throughout his college years. He had his heart set on working for Nike. But he had never made clear in his own mind what kind of job he could do for Nike，so nothing ever happened. Another example was Allison，who was a history major. She wanted to work as an event planner，but unfortunately，no one hired her. Why？ No experience.
Failing to do some solid career exploration first，to get a clear idea of the types of jobs you can do，is a big error that many college students make. After our suggestion，Dave and Allison both found their jobs. To ensure a brighter future，follow these effective strategies：
—Make educated career choices. Identify the job you want. Conduct research. Ask parents to advise you on actual job duties. Consider what your natural talents are，and look for positions where you can use them.
—Don’t rely on the Internet. Networking is an effective tool—be sure it’s a job—hunting strategy you use. New studies from the Department of Labor state that only 4％ of job-seekers found their job on the Internet. The fact is that 63％ of all jobs are filled by contacts.
Employers are making quick decisions. Most people lose the job in the first minute of the interview. It’s deadly to let the employers focus quickly on how well you can perform the job.
—Practice your interviewing skills. Be ready for the tough questions by first writing out good answers to possible questions and having a role-playing interview with your friend.
55．What does the author seem to be most probable？
A．A job-hunter. B．A magazine editor.
C．A website owner. D．A job-seeking adviser.
56．In order to be well prepared for the interview, you’d better ____________.
A．surf the Internet for contacts
B．get along well with your workmates
C．practice the interview for several times
D．take care of your dress
57．According to the text it is suggested that Dave should ____________.
A．let others know what he can do for them
B．study further to get a higher degree
C．give up his interest in playing basketball
D．take part-time jobs first
58．For Allison, she should ____________.
A．find a job in another field
B．find some work to gain work experience
C．not tell the employer her major
D．offer more personal information
第三部分阅读理解(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
After my husband died suddenly from a heart attack，my world crashed around me.My six children were all under 10，and I was burdened with the responsibilities of earning a living，and caring for the children. I was fortunate to find a wonderful housekeeper to care for the children during the week，but from Friday nights to Monday mornings，the children and I were alone.
One Friday evening I came home from work to find a big pretty German Shepherd（牧羊犬）on our doorstep. This dog seemed to intend to enter the house. The children liked“German”immediately and begged me to let him in. I agreed to let him sleep in the basement. That night I slept peacefully for the first time in many weeks.
The following morning we made phone calls and checked lost-and-found ads for German’s owner，but with no results.
On Sunday I had planned to take the children on a picnic. Since I thought it best to leave German behind in case his owner came by，we drove off without him. When we stopped to get gas，we were amazed to see German racing to the gas station after us. No way was he going to be left behind.
Monday morning I let him out for a run. He didn’t come back and we were all disappointed. We were convinced that we would never see him again. We were wrong. The next Friday evening，German was back on our doorstep. Again he stayed until Monday morning，when our housekeeper arrived.
This pattern repeated itself every weekend for almost 10 months. We grew more and more fond of German. We took comfort in his strong，warm presence，and we felt safe with him near us. As German became part of the family，he considered it his duty to check every bedroom to be sure each child was cozy in bed.
Each week，between German’s visits，I grew a little stronger，a little braver and more able to handle; every weekend we were no longer alone and enjoyed his company. Then one Monday morning we patted him on the head and let him out for what turned out to be the last time. We never saw German again.
51．The dog first came to the family when _______________.
A．it was needed most
B．the writer became strong enough
C．the writer was away on a business trip
D．the writer was busy on the weekday
52．The family planned to go on a picnic without the German Shepherd because ____________.
A．it was too wild to control
B．it was too young to walk so far
C．the owner might come by to pick it up
D．it might spoil the trip
53．The writer was ____________ the German Shepherd.
A．afraid of B．grateful to
C．cruel to D．annoyed with
54．Which of the following can’t be used to describe the dog？
A．Loyal. B．Beautiful.
C．Lovely. D．Wild.
E
A United Nations report says the number of people in the world is expected to reach 6500 million this July. By the middle of the century, the population could reach more than 9000 million. That would be an increase of 40﹪.
These numbers are fresh estimates for a report on world population change from 1950 to 2050. Hania Zlotnik is director of the U.N. Population Division. She says the world has added nearly 500 million people in the last six years.
But, in her words, "the good news is that new estimates show that it will take a little longer" to add the next 500 million. Mizz Zlotnik says this will probably happen by 2013.
The U.N. report says most population growth by 2050 will take place in less developed countries. Their population is expected to increase from 5000 million today to almost 8000 million. The population of more developed nations is expected to stay about the same, at just over 1000 million.
The report says nine countries will be responsible for about half the world population increase by 2050. These include Bangladesh, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and India. The others are Nigeria, Pakistan, Uganda and the United States.
Twelve countries are expected to have populations at least three times the size now. These include Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chad, Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and East Timor. The others are Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger and Uganda.
The report says birth rates remain low in forty-four developed countries.
Today, worldwide, there is an average of two-point-six children per woman. This number is expected to fall to just over two children per woman in 2050. But U.N. population experts note that they cannot be sure which way birth rates will go in the future.
The U.N. report also notes that AIDS has increased death rates and slowed population growth in sixty countries. The area most affected by the disease is Southern Africa.
There, how long people live has fallen from an average of sixty-two years in 1995 to forty-eight now. Researchers believe life expectancy will fall to forty-three years by 2015, then begin a slow recovery.
67. Which of the following statements is true?
A. The population growth will slow down in the next few years.
B. Most population growth will take place in developed countries.
C. There is an average of 2.6 children per woman in developed countries.
D. The area most affected by AIDS is Uganda.
68. Which one is the best title of this passage?
A. AIDS slowed population growth.
B. Most population growth will take place in less developed countries.
C. Population growth and death rate.
D. UN world population report.
69．The author believes that the population growth results from_______
A. The birth rate in developed countries is too high.
B. The birth rate in developing countries is too high.
C. AIDS hit only a few countries.
D. A decrease in death rate.
70. Which of the following best describe the author’s attitude towards the rapid population growth?
A. sympathetic B. happy C. optimistic D. critical
D
Millions of people around the world cook their food over a smoky fire every day. It is often difficult to find wood for the fire. People who do not have wood must spend large amounts of money on cooking fuel. However, there is a much easier way to cook food using energy from the sun.
Solar cookers, or ovens, have been used for centuries. A Swiss scientist made the first solar oven in 1767. Today, people are using solar cookers in many countries around the world. People use solar ovens to cook food and to heat drinking water to kill bacteria and other harmful organisms.
There are three kinds of solar ovens. The first is a box cooker. It is designed with a special wall that shines or reflects sunlight into the box. Heat gets trapped under a piece of glass or plastic covering the top of the cooker. A box oven is effective for slow cooking of large amounts of food.
The second kind of solar oven is a panel cooker. It includes several flat walls, or panels, that directly reflect the sun’s light onto the food. The food is inside a separate container of plastic or glass that traps heat energy. People can build panel cookers quickly and with very few supplies. They do not cost much. In Kenya, for example, panel cookers are being manufactured for just two dollars.
The third kind of solar oven is a parabolic cooker. It has rounded walls that aim sunlight directly into the bottom of the oven. Food cooks quickly in parabolic ovens. However, these cookers are hard to make. They must be re-aimed often to follow the sun. Parabolic cookers can also cause burns and eye injuries if they are not used correctly.
You can make solar ovens from boxes or heavy paper. They will not catch fire. Paper burns at two hundred thirty-two degrees Celsius. A solar cooker never gets that hot. Solar ovens cook food at low temperatures over long periods of time. This permits people to leave food to cook while they do other things.
63. Which kind of solar cookers is the best choice for the poor?
A. a box cooker B. a panel cooker C. parabolic D. above all
64. What does the bold word “parabolic” mean in paragraph 5?
A. a curve of rising and falling B. rhombic(菱形的) C. square D. triangular
65. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Solar cooker is a new kind of cooker.
B. If we want to cook quickly, we should choose a parabolic cooker.
C. We should be careful with solar cooker for it may cause fire.
D. Solar cooker is not a good choice for people in England.
66. We can infer that ________.
A. Solar cookers all can cause burns and eye injuries.
B. Solar cookers are environmentally friendly.
C. A solar cooker can get as hot as 232 ℃.
D. A solar cooker is a good choice for people all over the world.