My day began on a definitely sour note when I saw my six-year-old wrestling with a limb of my azalea（杜鹃花）bush. By the time I got outside, he’d broken it. “Can I take this to school today?” he asked. With a wave of my hand, I sent him off. I turned my back so he wouldn’t see the tears gathering in my eyes.
The washing machine had leaked on my brand-new linoleum. If only my husband had just taken the time to fix it the night before when I asked him instead of playing checkers with Jonathan.
It was days like this that made me want to quit. I just wanted to drive up to the mountains, hide in a cave, and never come out.
Somehow I spent most of the day washing and drying clothes and thinking how love had disappeared from my life. As I finished hanging up the last of my husband’s shirts, I looked at the clock. 2:30. I was late. Jonathan’s class let out at 2:15 and I hurriedly drove to the school.
I was out of breath by the time I knocked on the teacher’s door and peered through the glass. She rustled through the door and took me aside. “I want to talk to you about Jonathan,” she said.
I prepared myself for the worst. Nothing would have surprised me. “Did you know Jonathan brought flowers to school today?” she asked. I nodded, thinking about my favorite bush and trying to hide the hurt in my eyes. “Let me tell you about yesterday,” the teacher insisted. “See that little girl?” I watched the bright-eyed child laugh and point to a colorful picture taped to the wall. I nodded.
“Well, yesterday she was almost hysterical. Her mother and father are going through a nasty divorce. She told me she didn’t want to live, she wished she could die. I watched that little girl bury her face in her hands and say loud enough for the class to hear, ‘Nobody loves me.’ I did all I could to comfort her, but it only seemed to make matters worse.” “I thought you wanted to talk to me about Jonathan,” I said.
“I do,” she said, touching the sleeve of my blouse. “Today your son walked straight over to that child. I watched him hand her some pretty pink flowers and whisper, ‘I love you.’“
I felt my heart swell with pride for what my son had done. I smiled at the teacher. “Thank you,” I said, reaching for Jonathan’s hand, “you’ve made my day.”
Later that evening, I began pulling weeds from around my azalea bush. As my mind wandered back to the love Jonathan showed the little girl, a biblical verse came to me: “...these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” While my son had put love into practice, I had only felt anger.
I heard the familiar squeak of my husband’s brakes as he pulled into the drive. I snapped a small limb bristling with hot pink azaleas off the bush. I felt the seed of love that God planted in my family beginning to bloom once again in me. My husband’s eyes widened in surprise as I handed him the flowers. “I love you,” I said.Why did the woman cry when seeing her son had broken the azalea bush?
| A．Because she could not tolerate the harm to it. |
| B．Because it made her bad mood even worse. |
| C．Because her son did not ask her for permission. |
| D．Because she wanted to hand it to her husband. |
The writer wanted to hide in the mountain cave probably for the reason of .
| A．feeling fed up with her endless daily housework |
| B．her husband’s failing to fix the machine in time |
| C．boring daily routine with a feeling of lack of love |
| D．her hoping to seek happiness in a brand new place |
We can infer from the passage that the writer expressed love to her husband in that .
| A．she was inspired by her son that love was supposed to be felt and practiced |
| B．she felt guilty that she misunderstood her husband and wanted to apologize |
| C．she felt it necessary to have a complete family for the happiness of herself |
| D．she wanted to prove her love and expected the same words from her husband |
PART THREE READING COMPREHENSION ( 30 points)
Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage.
When Christopher Columbus landed on the then unnamed Costa Rica in 1502, he saw many Indians wearing gold earrings. So he thought the land must be rich in gold. He named the place Costa Rica, which means “rich coast” in Spanish.
Though little gold was found, Costa Rica today is indeed rich with coffee and bananas. Coffee is the most important product in Costa Rica and most of it is exported (出口) to other countries like America and West Germany. Bananas are the country’s second most important export.
Costa Ricans also grow many other crops such as fruits, corn and beans for their own use. Costa Ricans love colors and their houses are painted in bright colors.
Education is very important to the Costa Ricans. Almost every village has a school and education is a must for children between seven and fourteen years of age. Boys and girls go to separate (单独的) schools. Classes begin in March and end in November. The other three months of the year are harvest time and the children have to help their parents to pick coffee beans.
56. What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?
A. How Columbus found Costa Rica. B. How Costa Rica got its name.
C. What the Costa Ricans wore.D. What language the Costa Ricans spoke.
57. The Costa Ricans may NOT paint their houses ______.
A. pink and redB. grey and black
C. blue and green D. yellow and orange
58. In Costa Rica, boys and girls between seven and fourteen ______.
A. must go to school B. study in the same school
C. do not have to go to school at allD. can choose to stop schooling at any time
59. From December to February, school children in Costa Rica ______.
A. have lessons every day B. have their examinations
C. help their parents pick coffee beansD. help their parents decorate their houses
60. This passage is mainly about ______.
A. Christopher ColumbusB. Costa Rica
C. some products from Costa Rica D. the education of Costa Rica
The gigantic dam of the multi-function water control facility would be finished nine months ahead of schedule, said an engineer who is in charge of the Three Gorges Project. He said by June, the workers would have built the half-done dam from the southern bank of the river to the height of 185 meters. The Three Gorges Project will be capable of controlling the floods on the Yangtze by then and generating more electricity. And the level of the water stored in the reservoir will rise from 135 meters at present to 156 meters.
Situated near the Xiling Gorge, the easternmost gorge of the Three Gorges on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, the Three Gorges Dam is designed to have a length of 2,309 meters and a height of 185 meters.
It will also have the functions for flood control, power generation and navigation. It will be built from northern and southern banks of the Yangtze, which has been troubled by floods for hundreds of years.
Launched in 1993, the Three Gorges Project, including the 185-meter-high dam and 26 generators on both banks of the Yangtze, is being built in three phases. The preparations and construction of the first phase were carried out between 1993 and 1997. The Yangtze was dammed at the Three Gorges area for the first time on November 8, 1997.
The entire Three Gorges Project is expected to be completed in 2009 and by then, it will be able to generate 84.7 billion kwh of electricity every year.
63. The underlined word in the fourth paragraph might mean ____.
A. places B. periods C. gorges D. dams
64. According to the passage, we know _______.
the construction will be completed ahead of time
the biggest function of the dam is used to control flood
the Three Gorges Dam will be finished in ten years
the dam will be 156 meters tall when it is finished
65. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The Yangtze River was first dammed in the year 1993.
B. The water level in the reservoir will remain at 135 meters.
C. The Three Gorges Dam is on the easternmost part of the river.
D. The first phase of this project is finished in 1997.
Have you noticed that the majority of human beings seem to focus on the negative? Bad news is often seen in the newspapers, television shows and magazines, but good news is often overlooked.
I saw a woman I was not very familiar with. She is a beautiful woman; every time I see her, I am struck by the smile on her face that can light up a whole room. So at one time I walked up to her and said, “You know, you are like liquid sunshine! Every time I see you, you give me so much joy.” I was not quite prepared for her reaction. She was blown away. Her eyes seemed about to shed tears, and she said, “That is so sweet! That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me!” It was as if nobody had ever told her how beautiful her appearance was. I was extremely moved by the moment I had shared with this woman.
Why not take notice of the positive and spread a little sunshine? When you are looking for beauty, you will begin to see it more and more. When you discover it, don’t be afraid to appreciate it. Not only will it make them feel good, it will make you feel good as well. I truly believe the saying, “What goes around, comes around.” When you show kindness and sincerity, you will receive it back. You may even discover — much to your surprise — that you become the friend of someone you would never have expected to get along with.
60. The woman had tears in her eyes because __________.
the man’s behavior was so rude
she was nervous about the man’s words
the man told her the fact she didn’t know
she was so excited at the man’s praise
61. Which of the following can take the place of “What goes around, comes around”?
A. The wise appreciate one another.
B. Respect yourself, or no one else will respect you.
C. There is kindness to be found everywhere.
D. Everybody should learn to praise others.
62. The best title for the passage probably is _____.
Spread a little sunshine
B. Everyone likes to be praised
C. Pay attention to the positive
D. Each of us has good points
第三部分：阅读理解（共10小题；每小题2分，满分20分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中选出最佳选项。
The Yangtze River, the biggest river in China, starts with the Tuotuo River at the Roof of the World, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, takes in countless rivers, and flows eastward across the inner part of China. With a total length of more than 6,300 kilometers, it marches toward the East China Sea, singing the songs of the four seasons with its waves. The Yangtze River, only next to the Amazon and the Nile, is a cradle that breeds the ancient civilization of the Chinese nation.
The Three Gorges have showed the magic workings of nature with their beautiful mountains and waters. The peaks and rocks on the two sides are telling us the history of the region in the past billion years. Every year, many visitors around the world are attracted by the charming thousand-year-long history of the region, the great ancient relics of human civilization, and the mysterious folk tales.
Sandwiched between the mountains, the Three Gorges run across Fengjie and Wushan Mountain in Sichuan Province and Badong, Zigui and Yichang in Hubei Province, extending 193 kilometers long to include Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge and Xiling Gorge. The City of White Emperor in Fengjie is the important passage of the west part of the Three Gorges. Nanjinguan in Yichang is the important gateway of the east part. Along the banks of the Yangtze River, the high peaks, overhanging rocks tower, rise into the clouds, dangerous cliffs seem to reach the sky, waterfalls are spraying and sparkling, clouds and thin fogs are curling, rapids and torrents are boiling. On the whole, Xiling Gorge is dangerous for its shallow shores and rapid currents. However, Yichang is regarded by most people as the best start point to tour the Three Gorges.
56. The Yangtze River is important to Chinese people, mainly because _______.
A. it extends its way from the west to the east of China
B. the ancient Chinese civilization began here
C. the scenery on both sides is very beautiful
D. the Three Gorges is located on it
57. We can see the Three Gorges _______.
A. on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau B. in Hubei Province
C. in Sichuan Province D. Both A and B
58. According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. The Three Gorges have a total length of 193 kilometers.
B. The shapes of the Three Gorges are like sandwiches.
C. The Three Gorges is famous for beautiful scenery and relics.
D. The Xiling Gorge are very dangerous for ships to sail.
59. As a tourist, you’d better go to _______ to start your trip to the Three Gorges.
A. Nanjinguan B. Wushan C. Badong D. Zigui
“It hurts me more than you. ”and “This is for your own good.” These are the statements my mother used to make years ago when I had to learn Latin, clean my room, stay home and do homework.
That was before we entered the permissive period in education in which we decided it was all right not to push our children to achieve their best in school.
The schools and the educators made it easy for us. They thought that it was right to be parents who take a let alone policy. We stopped making our children do homework. We gave them calculators (计算器), turned on the television, left the teaching to the teachers and went on vacation.
Now teachers, having taught many children who have been developing at their own step for the past 15 years, are realizing we've made a terrible mistake. Sharon Klompus is such a teacher who thinks her students “so passive” and wonders what happened. Nothing was demanded of them. She believes that Television contributes to children's passivity. “We' re not training kids to work any more,” says Klompus. “We' re talking about a generation of kids who've never been hurt or hungry. They have learned somebody will always do it for them. Instead of saying'go and look it up', you tell them the answer. It takes greater energy to say no to a kid.”
Yes, it does. It takes energy and it takes work. It's time for parents to end their vecation and come back to work. It's time to take the car away, to turn the TV off, to tell them it hurts you more than them but it's for their own good. It's time to start telling them no again.
1．Children are becoming more inactive in study because______.
A. they watch TV too often B. they have done too much homework
C. they have to fulfil too many duties D. teachers are too strict with them
2． To such children as described in the passage_______.
A. it is easier to say no than to say yes B. neither is easy to say yes or to say no
C. it is easier to say yes than to say no D. neither is difficult to say yes or to say no
3．. We learn from the passage that the author's mother used to play emphasis on______.
A. learning Latin B. natural development C. discipline D. education at school
4．. By "permissive period in education" the author means a time______.
A. when children are allowed to do what they wish to
B. when everything can be taught at school
C. when every child can be educated
D. when children are permitted to receive education
5．. The main idea of the passage is that______.
A. parents should leave their children alone
B. kids should have more activities at school
C. it's time to be more strict with our kids
D. parents should always set a good example to their kids