The young boy saw me, or rather, he saw the car and quickly ran up to me, eager to sell his bunches of bananas and bags of peanuts. Though he appeared to be about twelve, he seemed to have already known the bitterness of life. “Banana 300 naira. Peanuts 200 naira.”
He said in a low voice. I bargained him down to 200 total for the fruit and nuts. When he agreed, I handed him a 500 naira bill. He didn’t have change, so I told him not to worry.
He said thanks and smiled a row of perfect teeth.
When, two weeks later, I saw the boy again, I was more aware of my position in a society where it’s not that uncommon to see a little boy who should be in school standing on the corner selling fruit in the burning sun. My parents had raised me to be aware of the advantage we had been afforded and the responsibility it brought to us.
I pulled over and rolled down my window. He had a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts ready. I waved them away. “What’s up?” I asked him. “I…I don’t have money to buy books for school.” I reached into my pocket and handed him two fresh 500 naira bills.
“Will this help?” I asked. He looked around nervously before taking the money. One thousand naira was a lot of money to someone whose family probably made about 5,000 naira or less each year. “Thank you, sir,” he said. “Thank you very much.”
When driving home, I wondered if my little friend actually used the money for school-books. What if he’s a cheat? And then I wondered why I did it. Did I do it to make myself feel better? Was I using him? Later, I realized that I didn’t know his name or the least bit about him, nor did I think to ask.
Over the next six months, I was busy working in a news agency in Northern Nigeria. Sometime after I returned, I went out for a drive. When I was about to pull over, the boy suddenly appeared by my window with a big smile ready on his face.
“Oh, gosh! Long time.”
“Are you in school now?” I asked.
He nodded.
“That’s good,” I said. A silence fell as we looked at each other, and then I realized what he wanted. “Here,” I held out a 500 naira bill. “Take this.” He shook his head and stepped back as if hurt. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “It’s a gift.”
He shook his head again and brought his hand from behind his back. His face shone with sweat. He dropped a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts in the front seat before he said, “I’ve been waiting to give these to you.”What was the author’s first impression of the boy?
| A．He seemed to be poor and greedy. |
| B．He seemed to have suffered a lot. |
| C．He seemed younger than his age. |
| D．He seemed good at bargaining. |
The third time the author met him, the boy ______.
| A．told him his purpose of selling fruit and nuts |
| B．wanted to express his thanks |
| C．asked him for money for his schoolbooks |
| D．tried to take advantage of him |
Why did the author give his money to the boy?
| A．Because he had enough money to do that. |
| B．Because he had learnt to help others since childhood. |
| C．Because he held a higher position in the society. |
| D．Because he had been asked by the news agency to do so. |
Which of the following best describes the boy?
| A．Brave and polite. | B．Kind and smart. |
| C．Honest and thankful. | D．Shy and nervous. |
.
Are you carrying too much on your back to school? Lots of kids of your age are. Not only are students in China suffering from the problem, but kids in the United States are puzzled by heavy school bags.
Experts are starting to worry that young students are having back and neck problems as a result of school bags being too heavy for them. It is hard for me to get up the stairs with my bag because it's so heavy, said Rick Hammond, an 11-year-old student in the US.
Rick is among the students who have regular backpacks(背包) with two straps (带子) to carry them, but a number of other students choose rolling backpacks. But even with rolling backpacks, getting up stairs and buses with them is still a problem for kids. Many of them have hurt their knees, backs or necks because of heavy school bags.
But how much is too much? Experts say students should carry no more than 10 to 15 percent of their own body weight. Scott Bautch, a Wisconsin back doctor, said kids under 4th grade should stay with 10 percent, but it’s also important that older kids don’t go beyond (超出) 15 percent, because their bones are still growing.
Bautch explained that there are other injuries caused by backpacks. Kids are losing their balance and falling down with these backpacks, he said.
Parents and teachers are starting to tell kids to only take home library books they will be reading in the evening. Some teachers are using worksheets (作业单 ) or thin workbooks for students to take home.
One of the best answers is, as some kids suggest, to have no homework at all!
60. According to experts, a primary student in Grade 6, who is 4
0 kilograms, should carry a bag weighing ______ kilograms at most.
A. 4 B.6 C.8 D.10
61. As school bags are too heavy for younger students to carry, they ______.
A. show no interest in studying at s
chool.
B. often fall ill
C. are having back and neck problems
D. usually ask their parents for help
62. The author wrote the passage to _____.
A. seek(寻找) ways to solve the problem of heavy bags
B. appeal (呼吁) to teachers for caring for the students
C. criticize(批评) the government for having done nothing to help students
D. tell us that heavy bags are bad for students’ health
63. Parents and teachers are starting to tell kids to take home only library books they will be reading in the evening to ______.
A. make students more interested in reading than watching TV
B. give them more free time to play
C. make their bags easier to carry
D. let them sleep early at night
.
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。
第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
At Harton College—an English boarding school for boys —there are many rules. 15-year-old Bob Sanders often breaks them.
The boys can go into the town in the afternoon after class. But they must return to the school at six o’clock. One afternoon Bob walked to the town. He looked at the shops and then went to the cinema. After the film, he looked at his watch. It was after eight o’clock. He was a little worried. He walked back to Harton College as fast as possible.
When he arrived, he ran quickly to the main entrance. It was locked. He went round the school building to another door, which was locked too. He looked up at the window of his dormitory on the third floor. The window was open. But it was quite dark, and he could not climb up the wall easily. Then he saw another open window on the ground floor. It was the window of the headmaster’s study.
He looked into the room—no one was there. Bob quickly climbed on to the window sill（窗台）and jumped into the room. Just then he heard a noise. Then someone turned on a light in the corridor（走廊）. Bob looked around and then hid under the sofa. One minute later, Mr. Mannering, the headmaster, came in. He turned on the light on his desk, and sat down on the sofa. Then he opened a book and began to read.
Bob lay under the sofa as quietly as possible. He couldn’t move. The floor was cold and uncomfortable. He looked at the headmaster’s shoes and socks for an hour.
“Why doesn’t he get up and go to bed ?” Bob thought.
Mr. Mannering read his book for another hour. Finally, the headmaster closed his book and stood up. He put the book on a shelf and walked towards the door.
“Thanks heavens, he didn’t find me under the sofa,” thought Bo .
Then Mr. Mannering stopped and spoke towards the sofa. “ Would you turn off the light when you l
eave ?” He said, and left the study.
56. Bob returned to the school more than two hours late because_______.
A. he enjoyed himself too much B. he did not catch the bus
C. he hated the rules D. he ran into an old friend
57. Bob didn’t go to his dormitory because _______.
A. the gate was locked B. the window was shut
C. it was quite dark D. the wall was too high for him to climb up
58. It’s obvious that _______.
A. the headmaster didn’t notice Bob
B. the headmaster thought a thief had broken into his study
C. the headmaster found Bob under the sofa
D. there was a third man in the study
59. From the passage we know that the headmaster is _______.
A. kind B. strict C. gentle D. humorous
.
Louis Armstrong had two famous nicknames(绰号).Some people called him Bagamo. They said his mouth looked like a large bag. Musicians often called him Pops, as a sign of respect for his influence(影响) on the world of music.
Born in 1901 in New Orleans, he grew up poor, but lived among great musicians. Jazz was invented in the city a few years before his birth. Armstrong often said, “Jazz and I grew up together.”
Armstrong showed a great talent(天赋) for music when he was taught to play the cornet(短号) at a boy’s home. In his late teens, Armstrong began to live the life of a musician. He played in parades, clubs, and on the steamboats that travelled on the Mississippi River. At that time, New Orleans was famous for the new music of jazz and was home to many great musicians. Armstrong learned from the older musicians and soon became respected as their equal.
In 1922 he went to Chicago. There, the tale of Louis Armstrong begins. From then until the end of his life, Armstrong was celebrated and loved wherever he went. Armstrong had no equal when it came to playing the American popular song.
His cornet playing had a deep humanity(仁爱) and warmth that caused many listeners to say,“Listening to Pops just makes you feel good all over.”He was the father of the jazz style(风格) and also one of the best-known and most-admired people in the world. His death, on July 6,1971,was headline news around the world.
67.Armstrong was called Pops because he ______.
A. looked like a musician B. was a musician of much influence
C. showed an interest in music D. travelled to play modern music
68.The third paragraph is developed ______.
A. by space B. by examples C. by time D. by comparison
69.Which statement about Armstrong is true?
A. His tale begins in New Orleans. B. He was born before jazz was invented.
C. His music was popular with his listeners.D. He learned popular music at a boy’s home. 70.Which would be the best title for the text?
A. The Invention of the Jazz Music B. The Father of the Jazz Style
C. The Making of a Musician D. The Spread of Popular Music
.
As a professor at a large American university, there is a phrase that I hear often from students:“I’m only a 1050.”The unlucky students are speaking of the score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test(SAT),which is used to determine whether they will be admitted to the college or university of their choice, or even if they have a chance to get a higher education at all. The SAT score, whether it is 800,1100 or 1550,has become the focus at this time of their life.
It is obvious that if students value highly their test scores, then a great amount of their self-respect is put in the number. Students who perform poorly on the exam are left feeling that it is all over. The low test score, they think, will make it impossible for them to get into a good college. And without a degree from a prestigious university, they fear that many of life’s doors will remain forever closed.
According to a study done in the 1990s,the SAT is only a reliable indicator of a student’s future performance in most cases. Interestingly, it becomes much more accurate when it is set together with other indicators-like a student’s high school grades. Even if standardized tests like the SAT could show a student’s academic proficiency(学业水平)，they will never be able to test things like confidence, efforts and willpower, and are unable to give us the full picture of a student’s potentialities(潜力).This is not to suggest that we should stop using SAT scores in our college admission process. The SAT is an excellent test in many ways, and the score is still a useful means of testing students. However, it should be only one of many methods used.
63.The purpose of the SAT is to test students’ ______.
A. strong will B. academic ability C. full potentialities D. confidence in school work
64.Students’ self-respect is influenced by their ______.
A. scores in the SAT B. achievements in mathematics
C. job opportunities D. money spent on education
65.“A prestigious university” is most probably ______.
A. a famous university B. a technical university
C. a traditional university D. an expensive university
66.This passage is mainly about ______.
A. how to prepare for the SAT B. stress caused by the SAT
C. American higher education D. the SAT and its effects
.
Many animals recognize their food because they see it. So do humans. When you see an apple or a piece of chocolate you know that these are things you can eat. You can also use other senses when you choose your food. You may like it because it smells good or because it tastes good. You may dislike some types of food because they do not look, smell or taste very nice. Different animals use different senses to find and choose their food. A few animals depend on only one of their senses, while most animals use more than one sense.
Although there are many different types of food, some animals spend their lives eating only one type. The giant panda（大熊猫）eats only one particular type of bamboo（竹子）. Other animals eat only one type of food even when given the choice. A kind of white butterfly（蝴蝶）will stay on the leaves of a cabbage, even though there are plenty of other vegetables in the garden. However, most animals have a more varied diet（多样化饮食）. The bear eats fruits and fish. The fox eats small animals, birds and fruits. The diet of these animals will be different depending on the season.
Humans have a very varied diet. We often eat food because we like it and not because it is good for us. In countries such as France and Britain, people eat foods with too much sugar. This makes them overweight, which is bad for their health. Eating too much red meat and animal products, such as butter, can also be bad for the health. Choosing the right food, therefore, has become an area of study in modern life.
59. We can infer from the text that humans and animals _________.
A. depend on one sense in choosing food B. are not satisfied with their food
C. choose food in similar ways D. eat entirely different food
60. Which of the following eats only one type of food?
A. The white butterfly. B. The small bird. C. The bear. D. The fox.
61. Certain animals change their choice of food when ___________.
A. the season changes B. the food color changes
C. they move to different places D. they are attracted by different smells
62. We can learn from the last paragraph that __________.
A. food is chosen for a good reason B. French and British food is good
C. some people have few choices of food D. some people care little about healthy diet