Blameless
I was a freshman in college when I met the Whites. They were completely different from my own family, yet I felt at home with them immediately. Jane White and I became friends at school, and her family welcomed me like a long-lost cousin.
In my family, it was always important to place blame when anything bad happened.
“Who did this? ”my mother would scream about a dirty kitchen.
“This is all your fault, Katharine, ”my father would insist when the cat got out or the dishwasher broke.
From the time we were little, my sister, brothers and I told on each other. We set a place for blame at the dinner table.
But the Whites didn’t worry about who had done what. They picked up the pieces and moved on with their lives. The beauty of this was driven home to me the summer Jane died.
In July, the White sisters and I decided to take a car trip from their home in Florida to New York. The two older sisters, Sarah and Jane, were college students, and the youngest, Amy, had recently turned sixteen. Proud of having a new driver’s license（驾照），Amy was excited about practicing her driving on the trip. She showed off her license to everyone she met.
The big sisters shared the driving of Sarah’s new car during the first part of the trip, but when they reached less crowded areas, they let Amy take over. Somewhere in South Carolina, we pulled off the highway to eat. After lunch, Amy got behind the wheel. She came to a crossroads with a stop sign. Whether she was nervous or just didn’t see the sign no one would ever know, but Amy continued into the crossroads without stopping. The driver of a large truck, unable to stop in time, ran into our car.
Jane was killed immediately.
I was slightly injured. The most difficult thing that I’ve ever done was to call the Whites to tell them about the accident and that Jane had died. Painful as it was for me to lose a good friend, I knew that it was far worse for them to lose a child.
When Mr. and Mrs. White arrived at the hospital, they found their two daughters sharing a room. Sarah had a few cuts on the head; Amy’s leg was broken. They hugged（拥抱）us all and cried tears of sadness and of joy at seeing their daughters. They wiped away the girls’ tears and made a few jokes at Amy as she learned to use her crutches（拐杖）.
To both of their daughters, and especially to Amy, over and over they simply said, “We’re so glad that you’re alive. ”
I was astonished. No blame. No accusations.
Later, I asked the Whites why they never talked about the fact that Amy was driving and had run a stop sign.
Mrs. White said, “Jane’s gone, and we miss her terribly. Nothing we say or do will ever bring her back. But Amy has her whole life ahead of her. How can she lead a full and happy life if she feels we blame her for her sister’s death? ”
They were right. Amy graduated from the University of California and got married several years ago. She works as a teacher of learning-disabled students. She’s also a mother of two little girls of her own, the oldest named Jane. How did the accident occur?
| A．Amy didn’t know what to do when she saw the stop sign. |
| B．Amy didn’t slow down so their car ran into a truck. |
| C．Amy didn’t stop at a crossroads and a truck hit their car. |
| D．Amy didn’t get off the highway at a crossroads. |
The Whites did not blame Amy for Jane’s death because _____.
| A．Amy was badly injured herself and they didn’t want to add to her pain |
| B．they didn’t want to blame their children in front of others |
| C．they didn’t want Amy to feel ashamed and sorry for the rest of her life |
| D．Amy was their youngest daughter and they loved her best |
From the passage we can learn that _____.
| A．Amy has lived quite a normal life |
| B．Amy has never recovered from the shock |
| C．Amy changed her job after the accident |
| D．Amy lost her memory after the accident |
B
More and more young people enjoy having pets,but they don't like to keep them.At present in Changchun,people prefer to rent pets and play with them during weekends,regarding this as a fashionablelifestyle.
Mr.Feng,from Jilin Province,likes pet dogs.Last weekend he rented a Scottish shepherd dog from a localpet shop.He bathed the dog,and went walking with it.He said he could not keep pets in his spare time because he was busy everday except weekends.To rent pets during weekends seemsto be the most practical and economical way to relax himself.
A manager from a pet shop says his customers(主顾) are all like Mr.Feng,usually too busy to keeppets,and some of them have never kept any pets before. But they hope torent pets and learn to keep pets so that they can know whether they can be good pet masters or not.
It's reported that all pets for rent need to beimmunized(免疫).Before they are rented out,pet shops will teach their customers the ABCs of pet keeping and preparing pet food based on each pet's taste.
Shop assistants will also provide(提供)different konds of services for pets like health checkup if their customers want to rent pets for a longer period.
Dogs for rent are often not ordinary ones,so their rent is high,usually 200 - 500 yuan(US＄ 25-63) per day.Sometimes,you have to leave thousands of yuan with the owner before you can take a dog away.
60.Mr.Feng rents pets instead of keeping them mainly because _______.
A.it's cheaper B.it is more fun
C.he has little spare time D.he wants a new pet for each week
61.What do we know about those who rent pets?
A.None of them ever kept a pet before.
B.They'll become pet owners later.
C.They enjoy having pets.
D.They want to help protect animals.
62.The underlined phrase "the ABCs(of…)"in the 4th paragraph refers to "______(of…)".
A.the possible dangers B.the basic knowledge
C.the communicative language D.the rules set by the shops
63.The dogs' rent is high because___________.
A.the customers are rich B.there are few dogs to rent
C.their owners hate to leave them D.they are top - class dogs
第三部分阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）
第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30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，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Nearly a thousand people laugh heartily together for jalf an hour every morning in a park in Shenzhen.The Guangzhou Daily took a closer look at those happy people.
They are members of a group named Laughing Club,and when they get together,all they do is laugh.
Zheng Lixin,the fouder of the club and regarded as the "laugh leader",told the paper that laughing does him a lot of good.He started after he read some advice in a book and tried giggling afer quarrelling with his wife to relax.
After laughing for a few days,Zhang found himself more outgoing and relaxed.Soon his wife joined him,bringing the family more laughter and less bickering.
When he got to know a kind of "laughing yoga(瑜珈)" is good for the health,Zhang went to Bomday to learn from locals and developed what he learned into more than 30 ways of laughing.
The "lion bellow"is to shout with the fingers outstretched(伸开) near the ears.There is the "open mouth laugh".The "bow-pulling laugh",the "welcoming laugh" and evenn the "quarrelling laugh",with different arm movements of laugh style.
The "laugh movement" swept over Shenzhen in a matter of months,attracting tens of thousands of people to join,and has been followed in nearby cities such as Guangzhou.
Every morning at the lakefront and at 8 p.m.on every Monday,Wednesday and Friday at the mountain peak square in Linadhua Mountain Park,club members gather to laugh and shout loudly.
56.From the first paragraph we know that________.
A.the Guangzhou Daily is the source of the information
B.those happy people come from the Guangzhou Daily
C.there is a Guangzhou Daily office near the Laughing Club
D.the Guangzhou Daily supported the laughing movement
57.Which of the underlined words has a meaning similar to "laughing""
A.B.C.D.
58.What is the "lion bellow"?
A.It's a kind of "laughing yoga".
B.It's a bombay style of laughing.
C.It's one of the 30 ways of laughing.
D.It's not among the 30 ways of laughing.
59.What's the idea expressed by the last two paragraphs?
A.The Laughing Club is getting larger.
B.The laugh movement is becoming popular.
C.The laughing is done only in parks.
D.Lianhua Mountain Park also has a lake in it.
E
Thousands of people in the world are a hundred years old－or more and certain parts of the world are famous for the long lives of their inhabitants: the Vilacamba Valley in Ecuador, and the home of the Hunzas in the Himalayas．
Why do so many people live to a healthy old age in certain parts of the world? What is the secret of their long lives? Three things seem to be very important: fresh air, fresh food and a simple way of life．People work near their homes in the clean mountain air instead of travelling long distances to work by bus, car or train．They do not sit all day in busy offices or factories, but work hard outdoors in the fields．They take more exercise and eat less food than people in the cities of the West．For years the Hunzas of the Himalayas did not need policemen, lawyers or doctors．There was no crime, no divorce and not much illness in their society． They were a happy, peaceful people, famous all over India for their long, healthy lives．
Do you want to live to a hundred years old? Here are some rules for success．Firstly, choose your parents and grandparents carefully．If they lived or live to a good old age, so will you．Secondly, live in the right place．Thirdly, choose the right kind of job．Doctors, dentists and bus-drivers die young．Farmers, priests and orchestral conductors live much longer．If you are in the wrong kind of job, you can still improve your way of life．
An old man in the Caucasus was talking about his past life．"I was young then," he said, as he described his 87th year．His secret was: "Think young and stay young．" An old woman from Missouri, USA, gave this advice, "Drink a little whisky and some warm beer every day．" An English lady just said, "Take a cold bath every morning．" The shortest, simplest piece of advice came from Mr．Jim Chapman, aged 103．"Just keep breathing," he told reporters．
72．Who is most likely to live a long life?
A．A doctor．B．A bus-driver．C．A dentist．D．An orchestral conductor．
73．We can see from the passage that long-lived people avoid ____．
A．working hard B．drinking
C．eating too much D．taking cold baths
74．The passage indicates that we can change our _____to live a long life．
A．jobs B．places of living C．ways of living D．ways of thinking
75．What is mainly talked about in the last paragraph?
A．Whose advice is the best．
B．Who is the most long-lived person in the world．
C．Lifestyles of long-lived people．
D．How long-lived people think of their life．
D
For jet-setters, a new way to get a restful night
Many people hate the idea of having to sleep on a plane. But Swedish entrepreneur Oscar Dios thinks they can be persuaded otherwise and he has created a new kind of hotel to prove it.
Dios says it is the world’s first jumbo jet hostel, an actual jet-plane at’ Sweden’s main airport outside Stockholm which has been converted into a 25-robin guesthouse that sleeps as many as 72 people.
“I learned abo0t this plane that was-standing abandoned at Arlanda airport and I’ve been trying the concept of hostels in many different houses and buildings,” he told reporters. “I thought, ‘Why not a plane?’”
Jumbo Hostels opened for business on Thursday, giving customers the chance to check in and sleep in a room that can best be described as cozy.
“The most challenging part with this project is trying to build something inside a metal hull -- it’s just really, really tight.”
The jet, which was originally produced for Singapore Airlines, was taken out of service in 2002.
One thing the hostel has. going for it is price-a room starts al 35.0 Swedish crowns (about $4.1% which is a lot less than hotel rooms outside of major airports.
Another feature: customers can get married on the wing of the plane and reside in the plane’s more luxurious honeymoon room situated in the cockpit.
Instead of walking down the aisle, lovebirds can take what Jumbo Hotel calls the “wing walk,” where they can be joined in bliss at the wing tip. The hostel has someone ready to perform the ceremony.
But in some respects, this hostel remains a plane-most clients have to share the jet’s nine bathrooms and staff only wear air steward and stewardess outfits. The only room that has its own bathroom is the honeymoon suite.
68. Why does Oscar Dios make jet plane hotel?
A. Because he is fond of plane very much.
B. Because he is very curious
C. Because he wants to earn more money.
D. Because he likes trying the concept of hotel in many different things.
69. Which of the following statement is not true about the plane?
A. The plane was in service before 2002 .
B. Now the plane as hostel is at Arlanda airport.
C. The plane was first produced for Singapore Airline.
D. The metal of the plane is very hard.
70. For the customers who get married on the plane, _________.
A. they can live in the room situated in the cockpit.
B. They will have their own bathroom
C. They can walk down the aisle
D. The wedding ceremony will be performed by the person prepared by the hotel.
71. Which of the following is the disadvantage of the Jumbo Hotel?
A. It’s price is too high.
B. It hasn’t enough rooms.
C. Sleeping on it is not comfortable.
D. Most clients don’t have their own bathroom.
C
Some people worry about being the target of laughter. These people are frightened. They suffer from an emotional disorder called gelotophobia. That long name comes from the Greek language. The word Gelos means laugh, while photos means fear.
Victor Rubio is an expert on human behavior at the Autonomous University of Madrid. He says people laugh at others for many different reasons. He says being laughed at causes a fear response in the victim. That fear leads the victim to avoid social situations. Sadly, gelotophobia limits the way they lead their lives.
Victor Rubio was among researchers in a huge international study about laughter. The researchers wanted to understand the difference between normal shyness and true gelotophobia. Another goal was to measure the fear of being laughed at within different cultures.
A team from the University of Zurich led ninety-three researchers from many countries in search of answers.
The researchers surveyed more than twenty-two thousand people. They used questions provided in forty-two languages. Their findings were reported in the scientific publication Humor.
Some of the people questioned said they felt unsure of themselves in social situations. But they hid their feelings. Others said they avoided social situations where they had been laughed at before. People also admitted to differing levels of fear that they themselves were the targets of other people’s laughter. The researchers measured and compared all these reactions.
Fear of being laughed at, being made fun of, is a common emotion. But the researchers learned that these feelings differed from nation to nation.
For example, the study found that people in Turkmenistan and Cambodia are likely to hide insecure (不安) feelings when they are around others’ laughter. But people in Iraq, Egypt and Jordan who feel they have been victims before may avoid such situations.
People in Finland were the least likely to believe that people laughing in their presence were making fun of them. Only eight and a half percent of Finns said they would – compared to eighty percent of those questioned in Thailand.
64. The passage is mainly about______________.
A. a common emotion B. laughter
C. shyness D. gelotophobia
65. In which country are people most likely to avoid social situations where they have been laughed at before?
A. Turkmenistan B. Iraq C. Finland D. Thailand
66. According to the text the following is true EXCEPT that ________.
A. people suffer from gelotophobia because they are shy
B. not all the people questioned hid their feelings in social situations
C. perhaps Humor is a magazine
D. people in Finland are the least likely to suffer from gelotophobia
67. A person who suffers from gelotophobia will probably ______.
A. be active in social activities B. be easily laughed at
C. like to laugh at others D. like to stay alone