One summer I was driving from my home town of Tahoe City，Calif.，to New Orleans.In the middle of the desert，I came upon a young man standing by the roadside.He had his thumb out and held a gas can in his other hand.I drove right by him.There was a time in the country when you’d be considered a jerk if you passed by somebody in need.Now you are a fool for helping.With gangs，drug addicts，murderers，rapists，thieves lurking everywhere，“I don’t want to get involved” has become a national motto.
Several states later I was still thinking about the hitchhiker.Leaving him standing in the desert did not bother me so much.What bothered me was how easily I had reached the decision.I never even lifted my foot off the accelerator.
Does anyone stop any more？I wondered.I recalled Blanche DuBois’s famous line：“I have always depended on the kindness of strangers”．Could anyone rely on the kindness of strangers these days？One way to test this would be for a person to journey from coast to coast without any money，relying solely on the good will of his fellow Americans.What kind of Americans would he find？Who would feed him，shelter him，carry him down the road?
The idea intrigued me.
The week I turned 37，I realized that I had never taken a gamble in my life.So I decided to travel from the Pacific to the Atlantic without a penny.It would be a cashless journey through the land of the almighty dollar.I would only accept offers of rides，food and a place to rest my head.My final destination would be Cape Fear in North Carolina，a symbol of all the fears I’d have to conquer during the trip.
I rose early on September 6,1994，and headed for the Golden Gate Bridge with a 50pound pack on my back and a sign displaying my destination to passing vehicles：“America”．
For six weeks I hitched 82 rides and covered 4,223 miles across 14 states.As I traveled，folks were always warning me about someplace else.In Montana they told me to watch out for the cowboys in Wyoming；in Nebraska they said people would not be as nice as in Iowa.Yet I was treated with kindness everywhere I went.I was amazed by people’s readiness to help a stranger，even when it seemed to run contrary to their own best interests.Why did the author drive past the young man in the desert without stopping?
| A．Because he failed to notice this man. |
| B．Because he was driving too fast. |
| C．Because he thought the young man didn’t need help. |
| D．Because he was afraid of being tricked. |
What was it that made the author upset?
| A．Leaving the young man alone in the desert. |
| B．Being considered a fool. |
| C．Making the decision of not offering help so easily. |
| D．Keeping thinking about the young man. |
The author decided to travel without a penny in order to ________.
| A．find out how long he could survive without help |
| B．go through the great difficulty in surviving unexpected environment |
| C．find out whether strangers would offer help to him |
| D．figure out how strangers thought of his plan |
The following part might probably ________.
| A．describe how he fooled the strangers |
| B．describe how strangers went out their way to help him |
| C．explain why people refused to help strangers |
| D．explain how he overcame his difficulties on the way |
第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题,每小题2分,满分30分）
第一节：阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该选项标号涂黑。
A
Basic Training: Second Saturday Chef’s Series
For the second year , The University of Arkansas System’s Winthrop Rockefeller Institute is offering hands-on cooking workshops to the public. It begins on Saturday ,October 11 and continues the second Saturday of each month through May 2009 .
This year , the series will be held in the Rockefeller Institute’s new culinary (烹饪的) arts classroom – a large room with seats as well as a large cooking area where Executive Chef Steve Jenkins can demonstrate his techniques to the class. Each class begins at 9 am and ends around 4 pm.
Chef Jenkins will present the following courses:
SOUP’S ON – Oct. 11. 2008
DIP INTO CHOCOLATE – Nov. 8, 2008
THE SAUCY SIDE OF COOKING—Dec. 13,2008
SOMETHING’S FISHY—Jan. 10, 2009
IT’S ALLIN THE DOUGH (面团)—Feb .14,2009
IF YOU LOVE SUSHI (寿司) LIKE I LOVE SUSHI Mar.14,2009
COOL AS A CUCUMBER—Apr. 11,2009
SPICE IT UP . HERB—May 9,2009
Space is limited , and reservations are required. To reserve your place at our table , visit www. Wawri.org or call (501) 727-5435. Overnight Lodging (住宿) is available. Cost: $59— $60 per person .
46. If one wants to learn to make Sushi , he / she can attend the course held on___ .
A. Oct. 11,2008 B. Mar. 14, 2009 C. Dec. 13, 2008 D. May 9,2009
47. What can we learn from this passage ?
The cooking work shops last a year
The cooking work shops are held in the evening .
One needs to book in advance to attend the cooking workshops .
The cooking workshops are held on the second Sunday of every month .
48. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage ?
A. Who will give the presentations .
B. Where the cooking workshops are held .
C. How many seats there are in the classroom .
D. How much one should pay to attend the cooking workshops .
E
In many societies, there is often greater acceptance of light skin than dark skin．Light skin may be seen as a mark of beauty, intelligence and success．These beliefs can lead to social pressure even within the same racial group．As a result, more and more people with dark skin are using skin-lightening products, even if they may face health risks．
Many people believe that having whiter skin will improve their lives．They think they will have a better chance of getting a job or marrying into a better family．Or they want to look like what their society generally considers beautiful．
Some beauty care products contain chemicals that make skin lighter．This process is also called bleaching （漂白）．But some of the chemicals are extremely dangerous．One chemical has been linked to kidney （肾） damage and some kinds of cancer．It also causes low birth weight in babies when used by mothers-to-be．
At first, bleaching products make the skin color lighter．But after long-term use they can cause problems．The chemicals in the products block and break down the natural process that gives color to skin．The skin loses its natural barrier to protect against sunlight．Then the skin can become thick and discolored．Usually the person will use more of the product in an effort to correct the problem, but this only makes it worse．
Fatimata Ly treats skin problems in the Senegalese capital, Dakar．Doctor Ly says skin bleaching has become a problem throughout Senegal．She says the chemicals are now more dangerous because they are stronger．Some cases have resulted in blackened fingernails, infections and permanent skin damage．
And these are not the only risks．Experts say some people who change their skin color suffer emotional damage．They feel regret and sadness．They feel that instead of risking their health, they should have learned to love and accept their skin color as it was．
72．Why has skin lightening become popular all over the world?
A．There are many ways to help change skin color．
B．Many people with dark skin have no confidence．
C．Light skin seems to bring more advantages than dark skin．
D．People with dark skin are facing the pressure from their family．
73．According to the passage, people using bleaching products would risk _____
A．thinner skin B．low weight
C．lung cancer D．emotional damage
74．Which of the following is NOT true about bleaching products?
A．Some of them contain dangerous chemicals．
B．They will not make the skin color lighter．
C．They may cause skin damage．
D．They are likely to bring health risks．
75．The writer's attitude toward using bleaching products is ________．
A．supportive B．positive
C．uncertain D．negative
D
Can it be true that Australian men spend more time during the week brushing their teeth than they do alone with their children?
A new study from the University of New South Wales has discovered that during the working week, Aussie fathers only spend an average of just over a minute each day alone with their children．Australian mothers, on the other hand, spend three hours a week looking after their children — a much
greater disparity （悬殊） than in other countries like America, Denmark, Italy and France, where couples divide the child-care more evenly．
These findings will upset those who want to shake off the perhaps unfair image of Australia as a land of old-fashioned male chauvinism （大男子主义）．
According to the study, Australian fathers appear to like the fun aspects of parenthood, but shy away from the drudgery．So while they tend to be happy taking the kids to the park or to sports events, they are unlikely to participate regularly in feeding, bathing, or taking the kids to school．In short, parenting is seen as a woman's job and a man's hobby in Australia．
Many people believe that in Europe the last twenty years have seen the arrival of the so-called "new man" — the man who is willing to share the housework and child-care．The "new man" never misses his children's school plays and he always gets home in time to read their bedtime story．Indeed, a questionnaire conducted in the UK indicated that almost 70 of British women thought that men were as good at raising children as women．
That's something for Aussie men to think about while they are brushing their teeth!
68．The underlined word "drudgery" refers to ______．
A．enjoyable activity B．easy job C．social responsibilityD．boring work
69．In Australian parenting, ______．
A．both fathers and mothers take it as a hobby
B．neither fathers nor mothers spend enough time on child-care
C．parents don't share the same amount of child-care
D．fathers don't like the kids at all
70．The passage says that the "new man" would ______．
A．go home right after work B．spend more time on their work
C．read stories to their children D．do all the housework
71．According to the passage, Australian fathers should
A．spend more time with their kids B．know more about their family
C．learn from their wivesD．stay at home longer
C
Where do you want to travel this year? What are some of your favorite vacation spots? See some places we have picked as the top destinations for 2010．
● Sri Lanka
The island feels like one big tropical zoo: elephants roam freely, water buffaloes （水牛） idle in paddy fields and monkeys swing from trees．And then there's the beautiful coastline．Among the most scenic is Nilaveli Beach in the Tamil north．Vacationers can lie on poolside hammocks （吊床） under palm trees or swim in its crystal-clear waters．Or they can order cocktails at the Nilaveli Beach Hotel．
● Shanghai
Following up on Beijing's successful Olympics, Shanghai is expecting 70 million visitors to its World Expo．From May 1 to Oct．31, more than 200 nations and regions will turn a two-square-mile site by the city's Huangpu River into an architectural playground: Switzerland will be represented by a building shaped like a map of that country, while England is in the celebrated hands of the designer Thomas Heatherwick．However, by contrast, the United States pavilion might be mistaken for a suburban （郊区的） office park．
● Copenhagen
Last year, thousands of environmentalists challenged world leaders in Copenhagen for the climate summit, but the Danish capital has already emerged as one of the world's greenest, and maybe coolest, cities．In Copenhagen, long, flat roads all have bicycle paths where locals cycle around the city．Away from all the modernism and the happy cyclists, cultural thrill-seekers are being attracted to the district of Norrebro, where the city's young crowd the cafes and galleries or dance in local clubs until the early hours．
64．According to the passage, visitors to the place with natural beauty can have ______．
A．a vacation on the palm beach
B．a great time in busy local clubs
C．a feast for the eyes of architectural wonders
D．a chance to see an environmentally friendly city
65．Which of the following statements is TRUE about the 2010 World Expo?
A．Millions of people will visit Shanghai in seven months．
B．Switzerland has built something that looks like a map of the world．
C．The building of England is designed by Thomas Heatherwick．
D．The US pavilion reminds people of downtown New York．
66．This passage is probably printed on the ______ page of a newspaper．
A．real estate B．entertainment C．travelD．weekend
67．Which of the following can be the best title for this passage?
A．A Trip to the World Expo B．The Places to Go in 2010
C．Join the Copenhagen Climate Summit D．The Most Visited Travel Destinations
B
At 3,500 metres, La Paz, Bolivia, is the highest capital in the world．Many roads are in bad condition and accidents are frequent．One road in particular, is considered the most dangerous in the world．On one side there is a sudden drop, which is so great that anyone inside the vehicle is lucky to survive．
But thanks to one man, the death toll （人数） has fallen．Timoteo Apaza is a man who lives in a village near the most dangerous part of the road, known as "the Devil's Bend"．Timoteo has an unusual job — he is a human traffic signal．Every morning he stands on the bend and directs the traffic．When two vehicles approach from opposite directions, they can't see each other, but they can see Timoteo．Actually no one pays him to do the job．Sometimes drivers give him a tip so that he has just enough money to live on．But often they just pass by, taking the human traffic signal for granted．
So why does he do it? Before Timoteo volunteered to direct the traffic, he had been a driver．Then one day he was driving a lorry load of bananas when he came off the road at a bend and fell three hundred metres down the mountain．Somehow he survived, but was in hospital for months．Then, a few years later, he was called out in the night to help pull people out of a bus crashed at the Devil's Bend．This last experience had a profound effect on Timoteo．He realized that he was lucky to be alive himself, and felt that it was his mission in life to help others．So every morning, week in, week out, from dawn to dusk, Timoteo takes up his place on the bend．
60．Where does Timoteo work?
A．In a small mountainous village． B．At the busiest part of a road．
C．On a farm growing bananas． D．At the side of a dangerous road．
61．The road is so dangerous mainly because ______．
A．it is steep and in bad condition B．it is high up in the mountain
C．there is heavy traffic D．it is often very foggy
62．What does Timoteo get for his job?
A．No payment at all．
B．A small salary from the government．
C．A small amount of money from some drivers．
D．An award from the local people．
63．Why does Timeteo voluntarily direct the traffic?
A．He loves to be a traffic policeman．
B．He feels it his duty to help the drivers．
C．He isn't qualified to do anything else．
D．He can't drive the lorry any more．