Many of us have heard stories about teachers who can “see” into a student’s future. Even if a student is not performing well, they can predict success. We are convinced that this ability, this gift, is evidence that they were “called to teach.” If the gift of sight is evidence, how greater must be the gift of touch. I have a story.
I grew up in the fifties in a poor African American neighborhood in Stockton, California, that had neither sidewalks nor an elementary school. Each day, always in groups at our parents’ insistence, my friends and I would leave home early enough to walk eight blocks to school and be in our seats when the bell rang. For four blocks, we walked on dusty roads. By the fifth block, we walked on sidewalks that led to lovely homes and to Fair Oaks Elementary School. It was at Fair Oaks, in a sixth grade English class, that I met Ms. Victoria Hunter, a teacher who had a huge influence on my life.
During reading periods, she would walk around the room, stop at our desks, stand over us for a second or two, and then touch us. Without saying anything to us (nothing could break the silence of reading periods), she would place two fingers lightly on our throats and hold them there for seconds. I learned many years later when I was a student at Stanford University that teachers touch the throat of students to check for sub-vocalization (默读), which slows down the reading speed. I did not know at the time why Ms. Hunter was touching our throats, but I was a serious and respectful student and so, during silent reading period, I did what Ms. Hunter told us to do. I kept my eyes on the material I was reading and waited for her to place her fingers lightly on my throat.
One day, out of curiosity, I raised my head from my book — though not high — so that I could see Ms. Hunter, a white woman from Canada, moving up and down the rows, stopping at the desks of my classmates. I wanted to see how they reacted when she touched their throats. She walked past them. I was confused. Did she pass them by because they were model students? What did we, the students who were touched, not do right? I sat up straighter in my chair, thinking that my way of sitting might be the problem. I was confused. Several days later, I watched again, this time raising my head a little higher. Nothing changed. Ms. Hunter touched the same students. Always, she touched me.
She touched me with her hands. She also touched me with her belief in my ability to achieve. She motivated me by demanding the best from me and by letting teachers I would meet in junior high school know that I should be challenged, that I would be serious about my work. I am convinced that she touched me because she could “see” me in the future. That was true of all of us at Fair Oaks who sat still and silent as Ms. Hunter placed her fingers lightly on our throats. We left Fair Oaks as “best students,” entered John Marshall Junior High School, finished at the top of our high school class, and went on to earn graduate degrees in various subjects. Ms. Hunter saw us achieving and she touched us to make certain that we would.
I was not surprised that she came to my graduation ceremony at Edison High School in Stockton or that she talked to me about finishing college and earning a Ph. D. She expected that of me. She gave me a beautifully wrapped box. Inside was a gift, the beauty of which multiplies even as it touches me: a necklace to which I can add charms for each stage of my life. According to the writer, what is a special ability many good teachers possess?
| A．The ability to make all students behave well. |
| B．The ability to treat different students in the same way. |
| C．The ability to discover a student’s potential to succeed. |
| D．The ability to predict the near future of a poor student. |
When she saw Ms. Hunter walk past some students without touching their throats, the writer felt ______.
| A．disturbed | B．puzzled | C．ashamed | D．annoyed |
According to the passage, how did Ms. Hunter motivate the writer?
| A．By correcting the way she sat. |
| B．By having high expectations of her. |
| C．By sending her a valuable necklace. |
| D．By communicating with her parents often. |
What does the writer mean by “a necklace to which I can add charms for each stage of my life” (paragraph 6)?
| A．A gift which encourages me to do well on the journey of my life. |
| B．A gift which becomes more and more valuable as time goes by. |
| C．A necklace which I wear on all important occasions in my life. |
| D．A necklace which suits me and adds to my charm. |
The writer’s attitude towards Ms. Hunter might be described as _____.
| A．disappointed | B．grateful |
| C．doubtful | D．sympathetic |
Which of the following serves as the best title for the story?
| A．Ms. Hunter’s Surprise | B．Ms. Hunter’s Challenge |
| C．A Teacher’s Touch | D．A Teacher’s Memory |
D
| Ticket Types |
Regulations |
Notes |
| Single Day Admission |
* For all visitors * On any Standard Day other than Peak Day * One ticket per person, valid for one entry on the day of admission |
Standard Day tickets refer to the tickets for all visiting days (167 days in total) except for Peak Days during the Expo. |
| Special Admission |
* For tile disabled * For people bom in or before 1950 * For students with valid IDs * For children above 1.2 m * For Chinese military personnel on active duty * Valid IDs are required upon ticket purchase and entry * On any Standard Day other than Peak Day * One ticket per person, valid for one entry on the day of admission |
|
| 3 Day Admission |
* For all visitors * Valid for any three days except Peak Days * One ticket per person, valid for one entry per day |
The tickets are designed to meet the multi-entry demand of visitors. |
| 7 Day Admission |
* For all visitors * Valid for any seven days except Peak Days * One ticket per person, valid for one entry per day |
48. ____________can get a Special Admission ticket for himself/herself.
A. A 56-year-old bus driver B. A school girl with her valid student card C. A policeman in his forties D. A U.S. army officer on active duty
49. If you want to enter the Expo Park once every week in one month and don’t want to bother to buy the ticket each time, you can buy a _______ticket.
A. Single Day Admission B. Special Admission
C. 3 Day AdmissionD. 7 Day Admission
50. The function of the table is to___________
A. remind the public of the difficulty buying the Expo tickets
B. show which groups of people can get admission into the Expo Park
C. provide information about the Expo tickets and regulations
D introduce all the visiting regulations in the Expo Park
C
Jim Carrey is one of the most recognized faces in the world—and certainly because of his rubbery face.
Born in Ontario, Canada on January 17th, 1962 to a poor family, young Jim Carrey led a tough life, yet one good thing came out of it: He developed a great sense of humor to cope with life. At 15, he started performing at a Toronto comedy club. later he moved to LA and soon came to the attention of Rodney and went on his tour.
Jim Carrey got his big break in 1990 oil the comedy show la Living Color. There Carrey perfected many characters, most widely-known one "Fire Marshal Bill", who always went up in flames. The show stopped when critics claimed that it encouraged kids to play with fire. This argument put Carrey' s name in the headlines for the first time.
He broke into feature films in one single successful year, 1994, making it the Year of the Funny Face. First there was Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, a surprise hit showing Carrey’s wacky (古怪) style. Next came The Mask, tailor-made for him and a hit with audiences. There was still Dumb and Dumber, which ended up on top of the box office.
Carrey has slowed down, but his films have continued to make waves if not quite of the previous quality. There was Batman Forever, then a sequel to Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, which didn’t quite retake the sparkle (光彩) of the earlier one. Next came Liar, Liar, a terrific success everywhere, putting him back on top. Then came The Truman Show, a film which proved Jim Carrey was more than just a funny face. Snubbed (冷落) by the Oscars, he was clearly considered golden by the fans.
44. All of the following films are considered of excellent quality EXCEPT______.
A. Liar, LiarB. Dumb and Dumber
C. The Truman ShowD. Ace Ventura : When Nature Calls
45. Which of the following statements about Jim Carrey is TRUE?
A. He has achieved his fame completely due to his face.
B. His hard early life helped develop his style of humor.
C. He received universal praises for his part in In Living Color.
D. Not many people like his performing style.
46. The underline word "sequel" in Paragrah 5 probably refers to_______.
A. an adapted film of the original
B. a film that continues a story
C. a comedy show of a strange style
D. a comment on a funny film
47. What can be the best title of the passage?
A. Jim Carrey—More Than a Funny Face
B. Jim Carrey—Famous "Fire Marshal Bill"
C. Jim Carrey’s Great Films
D. Jim Carrey’s Acting Career
B
Sir Richard Branson today offered a $ 25,000,000 prize for scientists who find a way to save the planet from the effects of climate change.
Supported by the former US vice-president A1 Gore and other environmentalists, the boss of Virgin Atlantic airlines called for scientists to come up with a way to take greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.
“What we are doing is making sure we get the most carbon dioxide-friendly planes. We promise that 100% of profits we make from our transportation business are put into things like the prize we've offered today. We shall convince people that we are facing a threat which is urgent and there’s no superhero. We have no hope of a meaningful solution unless we find a way to work together.” he said.
Mr Gore said global warming was man-made and was like to the planet suffering from a “fever”. He said, "Humans had slipped into a way of thinking that was centered on ‘short term satisfaction’, and now meet the challenge of ‘transforming ourselves and changing the structures of everything we do’," he said.
Reacting to the launch of the prize, Tony Jupiter, the Friends of the Earth's director, warned against wasting time waiting for new inventions. He said, "Sir Richard' s initiative (初衷) may encourage inventors to develop a wonder technology to deal with carbon dioxide of the atmosphere. But many of the ways, such as energy efficiency and renewables, already exist, and it is essential that these be put into practice as soon as possible. Moreover, Sir Richard must also look at his business activities and the contribution they make to climate change. The world will find it very difficult to settle climate change if air travel continues to expand and space tourism is developed."
40. Sir Richard Branson is ________.
A. a scientist concerned for climate change B. a businessman working for A1 Gore
C. the boss of Virgin Atlantic airlinesD. the director of the Friends of the Earth
41. The purpose of using A1 Gore' s quotation was to_______。
A. ask people to change the way of thinking
B. compare global warming to an Earth's fever
C. show how serious and urgent the problem is
D. call for more attention to the launch of the prize
42. What is file main idea of the passage?
A. It is important for people to save our planet.
B. Humans are to blame for causing climate change.
C. Scientists are trying to take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
D. A prize was offered for solutions to global warming.
43. How was Tony Jupiter’s attitude to space tourism?
A. Negative. B. Positive. C. Optimistic. D. Neutral (中立).
第二部分 阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
A
Since it was published in 1818, Frankenstein, a classic horror story, has been in print in man
y languages. The monster from the novel by Mary Shelley is the result of man's uncontrolled desire to create and apply his knowledge.
The novel features Victor Frankenstein, a student who explores the secrets of life in his laboratory. Fearing that he has created a monster, Victor Frankenstein wants to stop but too late. The monster kills Victor Frankenstein's young brother and causes the murder to be blamed on an innocent girl. Victor and the monster meet in the frozen mountains. The monster asks Victor to create a female monster, promising to afterwards leave with her for the wilds. Victor begins the work and discovers the monster has followed him to watch the work. Victor regrets his decision to create a second monster and worries that together they will begin a species of monster. Victor destroys the monster's bride. The monster soon takes revenge (复仇) on Victor by killing his best friend, his father and finally, his bride, Elizabeth. Victor pursues (追赶) the monster across many places. On the point of death, Victor meets a ship and tells his story to the captain whose letters and diaries are then to form this novel. Victor Frankenstein's last words are, "Farewell, Walton! Avoid ambition, even if it is only the obviously innocent one of distinguishing yourself in science and discoveries."
Frankenstein’s conflicted ambition is with us always. And the Monster stands at our window, reminding us to take care of our creations against experimenting with things we don’t understand.
36. The passage was written to _______。
A. tell us the story from Frankenstein B. encourage us to explore the secret of life
C. entertain us with the monster D. show pity on Victor Frankenstein
37. According to the passage, Mary Shelley' s Frankenstein is made up of_________。
A. poems B. plays C. fairy tales D. letters and diaries
38. The correct order of the following events is_________。
a. The monster follows Frankenstein to watch his work.
b. Frankenstein runs after the monster across many places.
c. The monster kills Frankenstein's bride.
d. Frankenstein kills the monster's bride.
e. Frankenstein creates a monster in experiments.
A. e, b, a, c, d B. e, d, c, b, a C. e, a, c, d, b D. e, a, d, c, b
39. In the last paragraph, the writer of the passage points that_______。
A. the monster is still disturbing people
B. man's ambition in creations should never be allowed
C. man's risky experiments have created many monsters
D. creations in science should be carefully dealt with
E
I went on line to check my pay was in my bank account（账户）. To my amazement I discovered that not only had I been paid, a company I’d never worked for had also paid me! I know I would have been beside myself if my own salary was not in my account, so I tried to get the money back to the right person. Easier said than done.
The bank couldn’t help as it “wasn’t a bank problem.” The human-resource department at the company that paid me was unable to help as I didn’t have enough details. I rang the bank again. Thankfully I had a sympathetic call operator who gave me a name, so I again rang the company “Daniel” worked for.
I expected the bank would contact me to arrange to take the money from my account and repay Daniel. I heard nothing for a month and the money remained in my account when Daniel called, explaining he’d tried to get back his money but had been unsuccessful as neither the bank nor his company felt it was their error. He had rung to ask if I could speak to the bank, but after chatting for a few minutes we realized we could probably fix this problem ourselves.
We decided I would take the money from my account and he would pick it up from me. Due to my busy job I was unable to meet Daniel personally but he left me a lovely bottle of wine in exchange for what was rightfully his. I never had any intention of keeping Daniel’s pay but red tape（繁琐手续）made it difficult to do the right thing. It all came down to two people being able to do what a huge bank and a large company couldn’t do — admit a mistake has occurred and fix it.
52. What was the attitude of the author towards the extra money in his bank account?
A. He didn’t know what to do with it. B. He felt lucky to get it.
C. He thought of keeping it for himself. D. He wanted to return it to the right person.
53. The underlined phrase “beside myself” probably means _______.
A. very fortunate B. very angry C. really thankful D. at ease
54. How was the problem solved in the end?
A. The author and Daniel solved the problem themselves.
B. It cost Daniel a lovely bottle of wine to get back his money.
C. The author gave the money back to the company.
D. The call operator offered to solve their problem.
55. From the passage we can infer that _________.
A. the bank could solve the problem soon and easily with the red tape
B. some large organizations usually have troublesome official rules
C. Daniel didn’t know the error until he contacted the author
D. it was easy for a company to have a mistake which had occurred fixed