When I was young I wanted to be a model,so when a national contest was staged,I convinced my parents to take me for an audition(试演). I was selected and told I had potential.They said that for only$900 I could attend a weekend event which dozens of the most prestigious(有声望的)modeling agencies from around the world would attend.At l 3,my hopes of fame and fortune clouded all judgment and I begged my parents to let me go.We have never been rich,but they saw my enthusiasm and agreed.
I imagined being signed by some famous model companies.For months,any boredom or disappointment I faced was pushed aside because I knew I would soon have the chance to be a real model.I thought I would grace the covers of famous magazines!
Of course,I wasn’t signed,but what hurt the most was being told that if I grew to 5'9”(about 1.75metres)I could be a success.I prayed for a growth spurt(冲刺)because I could not imagine giving up my dream.I made an appointment with a local modeling agency and the agent demanded$500 for classes.$500 for a photo shoot and $300 for other expenses.My parents only agreed after hours and hours of me begging.
The agency sent me out on a few auditions,but with every day I didn’t receive a call,I grew more depressed.The final straw came in July after I had decided to focus on commercial modeling.There was an open call in New York City.We spent hours driving and another few hours waiting.only to be told that I was too short.I was devastated(极度不安的).
Years later,I realized that the trip to New York was good as it made me notice I didn’t actually love modeling,just the idea of it.I wanted to be special and 1 was innocently determined to reach an impossible goal.The experience has made me stronger and that will help me in the future.What’s the main reason why the author wanted to be a model?
A.She won a national contest. |
B.She wanted to get reputation and wealth. |
C.She was urged by some modeling agencies. |
D.She had full potential to be a successful model. |
What’s the author’s parents’attitude toward her dream?
A.Encouraging. | B.Worried. |
C.Doubtful. | D.Enthusiastic. |
What was it that made the author end her attempt to become a model?
A.Her parents were strongly against it. |
B.She realized that it was impossible for her. |
C.Even a local modeling agency turned her down. |
D.She realized that she didn’t actually love the idea of modeling. |
The underlined phrase‘'The final straw”probably means __________ .
A.the last in a series of bad things that happen to make someone very upset, angry, etc |
B.the final result that she was admired by the model company |
C.the final audition given by the famous agency |
D.the decision that she made at last not to be a model any more |
If you look for a book as a present for a child. You will be spoiled for choice even in a year when there is no new Harry Patten J.K Rowling’s wizard is not alone: the past decade has been a harvest for good children’s books ,which has set off a large quantity of films and in turn led to increased sales of classics such as The Lord of the Rings.
Yet despite that ,reading is increasingly unpopular among children .According to statistics, in 1997 23% said they didn’t like reading at all . In 2003, 35% did . And around 6% of children leave primary school each year unable to read properly.
Maybe the decline is caused by the increasing availability of computer games. Maybe the books boom has affected only the top of the educational pile . Either way , Chancellor Cordon Brown plans to change things for the bottom of the class .In his pre-budget report , he announced the national project of Reading Recovery to help the children struggling most.
Reading Recovery is aimed at six-year-olds ,who receive four months of individual daily half-hour classes with a specially trained teacher . An evaluation earlier this year reported that children on the scheme made 20 months’ progress in just one year, whereas similarly weak readers without special help made just five months’ progress ,and so ended the year even further below the level expected for their age.
International research tends to find that when British children leave primary school they read well ,but read less often for fun than those elsewhere .Reading for fun matters because children who are keen on reading can expect lifelong pleasure and loving books is an excellent indicator of future educational success . According to the OECD, being a regular and enthusiastic reader is of great advantage.
46.Which of the following is true of Paragraph 1?
A.Many children’s books have been adapted from films.
B.Many high-quality children’s books have been published .
C.The sales of classics have led to the popularity of films.
D.The sales of presents for children have increased.
47.Statistics suggested that _______.
A.the number of top students increased with the use of computers
B.a decreasing number of children showed interest in reading
C.a minority of primacy school children read properly
D.a large percentage of children read regularly
48.What do we know about Reading Recovery?
A.An evaluation of it will be made sometime this year.
B.Weak readers on the project were the most hardworking.
C.It aims to train special teachers to help children with reading.
D.Children on the project showed noticeable progress in reading.
49.Reading for fun is important because book-loving children _________.
A.take greater advantage of the project B.show the potential to enjoy a long life
C.are likely to succeed in their education. D.would make excellent future researchers
50.The aim of this text would probably be _________.
A.to overcome primary school pupils reading difficulty.
B.to encourage the publication of more children’s books
C.to remind children of the importance of reading for fun
D.to introduce a way to improve early childhood reading
Ⅲ阅读(共两节。满分40分)
阅读理解(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A、B、C和D项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
The evidence for harmony may not be obvious in some families. But it seems that four out of five young people now get on with their parents, which is the opposite of the popularly-held image (形象)of unhappy teenagers locked in their room after endless family quarrels.
An important new study into teenage attitudes surprisingly shows that their family life is more harmonious than it has ever been in the past. “We were surprised by just how positive today’s young people seem to be about their families,” said one member of the research team. “They’re expected to be rebellious(叛逆的)and selfish .but actually they have other things on their minds: they want a car and material goods, and they worry about whether school is serving them well. There’s more negotiation(商议)and discussion between parents and children, and children expect to take part in the family decision-making process. They don’t want to rock the boat.”
So it seems that this generation of parents is much more likely than parents of 30 years ago to treat their children as friends. “My parents are happy to discuss things with me and willing to listen to me," says 17-year-old Daniel Lazall. “I always tell them when I’m going out clubbing. As long as they know what I’m doing, they’re fine with it.” Susan Crome, who is now 21, agrees. “Looking back on the last 10 years, there was a lot of what you could call negotiation. For example, as long as I’d done all my homework, I could go out on a Saturday night. But I think my grandparents were a lot stricter with my parents than that.”
Maybe this positive view of family life should not be unexpected. It is possible that the idea of teenage rebellion is not rooted in real facts. A researcher comments, “Our surprise that teenagers say they get along well with their parents comes because of a brief period in our social history when teenagers were regarded as different beings. But that idea of rebelling and breaking away from their parents really only happened during that one time in the 1960s when everyone rebelled. The normal situation throughout history has been a smooth change from helping out with the family business to taking it over.”
41. What is the popular image of teenagers today?
A. They worry about school. B. They dislike living with their parents.
C, They have to be locked in to avoid troubles. D. They quarrel a lot with other family members.
42. The study shows that teenagers don’t want to__________ .
A. share family responsibilityB. cause trouble in their families
C. go boating with their family D. make family decisions
43. Compared with parents of 30 years ago, today’s parents__________ .
A. go to clubs more often with their children B. are much stricter with their children
C. care less about their children’s life D. give their children more freedom
44. According to the author, teenage rebellion__________ .
A. may be a false belief B. is common nowadays
C. existed only in the 1960s D. resulted from changes in families
45. What is the passage mainly about?
A. Negotiation in family. B. Education in family.
C. Harmony in family. D.Teenage trouble in family.
Until the 1980s, the American homeless population was made up of mainly older males. Today, homelessness strikes much younger part of society. In fact, a 25-city survey by the U. S. Conference of Mayors in 1987 found that families with children make up the fastest growing part of the homeless population. Many homeless children gather in inner cities; this transient(变化无常的) and frequently frightened student population creates additional problems, both legal and educational, for already overburdened urban school administrators and teachers.
Estimates of the number of homeless Americans range from 350,000 to three million. Likewise, estimates of the number of homeless school children vary radically. A U.S. Department of Education report, based on state estimates, states that there are 220,000 homeless school-age children, about a third of whom do not attend school on a regular basis, But the National Coalition for the Homeless estimates that there are at least two times as many homeless children, and that less than half of them attend school regularly.
One part of the homeless population that is particularly difficult to count consists of the “throwaway” youths who have been cast of their homes. The Elementary School Center in New York City estimates that there are 1.5 million of them, many of whom are not counted as children because they do not stay in family shelters and tend to live by themselves on the streets.
Federal law, the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987, includes a section that addresses the educational needs of homeless children. The educational provisions(规定) of the McKinney Act are based on the belief that all homeless children have the right to a free, appropriate education.
64. What can be implied from the first paragraph?
A. Before the 1980s, the homeless population mainly consists of children.
B. Urban schools are seriously short of academic facilities.
C. Many homeless children gather in inner cities.
D. Homeless children are deprived of the opportunity to receive free education
65. The National Coalition for the Homeless believes that the number of homeless children is ___
A. 350,000 B. 440,000 C. 3,000,000 D. 220,000
66. The reason why one part of the homeless population is difficult to estimate might be that ___
A. the homeless children are usually making a living by themselves
B. the homeless population is growing very fast.
C. some homeless children are abandoned by their families
D. the homeless children usually don’t attend school regularly
67. The McKinney Act is mentioned in this passage in order to show that ____________.
A. all homeless people are allowed to receive a good education
B. there is an increasing number of homeless children in America
C. it is necessary for homeless children to be counted as children
D. the educational problems of homeless children are being recognized
When I was about 12, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to be point out my shortcomings(缺点). Sometimes she said I was thin. Sometimes she said I was lazy. Sometimes she said I wasn’t a good student. Sometimes she said I talked too much, and so on. I tried to put up with(忍受) her as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes.
He listened to me quietly, and then he asked, “Are the things she said true or not? Mary, didn’t you ever wonder what you’re really like? Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said.”
I did as he told me and to my surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true.
I brought the list back to my dad. He refused to take it. “That’s just for you,” he said. “You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. When something said about you is true, you’ll find it will be helpful to you. Don’t shut your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you think is right.”
Many years have passed. The situation often appears in my mind. In our life we often meet with some trouble and we often go to someone and ask for advice. For some advice you will treasure all your life!
60. What did the writer’s father do after he heard her complaints(抱怨)?
A. He agreed with her “enemy”.
B. he let her continue to put up with her “enemy”.
C. He told her to write down all her “enemy” had said about her.
D. He told her not to pay attention to what her “enemy” had said.
61. The writer felt________ when she did the things as her father had told her.
A. surprised B. angry C. disappointed D. sad
62. Which of the following can we know from the passage?
A. The “enemy” thought the writer was pretty.
B. The “enemy” thought the writer studied hard.
C. The writer and her “enemy” became best friends at last.
D. The writer is grateful to her father.
63. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
A. My Parents
B. A Serious Criticism(批评)
C. What People Say About You Is Always Right
D. The Best Advice I Ever Had
第三部分:阅读理解(共15小题;每小题2分,满分30分)
Gloria is a famous hostess of a TV station. When she was 15, she happened to walk into a bookstore in her hometown and began looking at the books on the shelves. The man behind the counter, John Smith, asked if she'd like a job. She needed to start saving for college, so she said yes.
Gloria worked after school and during summer vacations, and the job helped pay for her first year of college. During college she would do many other jobs: she served coffee in the student union, was a hotel cleaner and even made maps for the Forest Service. But selling books was one of the most satisfying jobs.
One day a woman came into the bookstore and asked Gloria for books on cancer. The woman seemed anxious. Gloria showed her practically everything they had and found other books they could order. The woman left the store less worried, and Gloria has always remembered the pride she felt in having helped her customer.
Years later, as a television hostess, Gloria heard about a child who was born with problems with his fingers and hand. His family could not afford an operation, and the boy lived in shame, hiding his hand in his pocket all the time.
Gloria persuaded her boss to agree to let her do the story. After the story was broadcast, some doctors called, offering to perform the operation for free.
Gloria visited the boy in the hospital after the operation. The first thing he did was to hold up his repaired hand and say, "Thank you. " What a sweet sense of satisfaction Gloria felt!
At Smith's bookstore, Gloria always realized she was working for the customers, not the store. Today it's the same. The TV station pays her, but she feels that she should work for the people who watch the programmes, helping them understand the world better.
56. When did Gloria get her first job?
A. A few years before college. B. Several years after college.
C When she was studying at college. D. When she was working in the TV station.
57. In which part-time job did Gloria feel the happiest?
A. Cleaning in the hotel. B. Selling books in the bookstore.
C. Serving coffee in the student union. D. Making maps for the Forest Service.
58. How did Gloria help the child get the operation he needed?
A. Her boss agreed to raise money. B. She paid for the operation herself.
C She allowed the boy to show on TV. D. Her news report affected some doctors.
59. What particularly gives her the feeling of pride?
A. Helping people through her work. B. Reporting interesting stories.
C Being able to do different jobs well. D. Paying for her college education herself.