An old man was fishing by a river. A child was watching him. The old man was really good at fishing and it didn’t take him much time to catch a basket of fish. The old man saw that the child was cute, and he wanted to give her the whole basket of fish. But the child shook her head.
The old man was surprised and asked ,“Why don’t you want the fish?”
The child replied,“I want the fishing rod(竿) in your hands.” The old man asked, “Why do you want the rod?”
“It won’t take long to eat up all the fish in the basket. But if I have the fishing rod, I can go fishing by myself and I won’t be afraid of not having any fish to eat.” the girl answered.
I think you will certainly say that the child is very smart. Wrong! If she doesn’t know how to fish, she can’t have fish to eat, even though she has the fishing rod. It’s useless only having a fishing rod. Fishing skills are the most important, not the fishing rod.
Too many people think that if they have a “fishing rod”, they will no longer fear the difficulties in life. They are just like the child, who thought that if she had a fishing rod, she would have the fish to eat.What was the child doing when the old man was fishing?
| A.She was talking with him. |
| B.She was playing by the river. |
| C.She was watching the old man. |
| D.She was helping the old man. |
Where did the old man put the fish?
| A.In a basket. | B.In a bag. |
| C.In a glass. | D.In a box. |
Why did the child refuse to get the fish?
| A.Because she wanted to get the old man’s fishing rod. |
| B.Because the fish was not enough. |
| C.Because she didn’t like eating fish. |
| D.Because the fish was too small. |
The writer thinks the child is__________.
| A.hard-working | B.lazy |
| C.clever | D.silly |
The story mainly tells us_______.
| A.the “fishing rod” is harder to get than “fishing skills”. |
| B.if we have a “fishing rod”, we’ll have a lot of fish to eat. |
| C.if we have a “fishing rod”, we won’t have to fear anything |
| D.“fishing skills” are more important than the “fishing rod” in life. |
People with disabilities make up a large part of the population. It is estimated that over 35 million Americans have physical, mental, or other disabilities. About half of these disabilities are “developmental", i.e., they occur before the individual's twenty-second birthday, often from genetic conditions, and are severe enough to affect three or more areas of development, such as mobility, communication, employment, etc. Most other disabilities are considered “adventitious", i.e., accidental or caused by outside forces.
Prior to the 20th century, only a small percentage of people with disabilities survived for long. Medical treatment for these disabilities was unavailable. Advancements in medicine and social services have created a climate in which people with disabilities can expect to have such basic needs as food, shelter, and medical treatment. Unfortunately, these basics are often not available. Civil liberties such as the right to vote, marry, get an education, and gain employment have historically been denied on the basis of disability.
In recent decades, the disability rights movement has been organized to fight against these infringements(违反;侵犯)of civil rights. Congress responded by passing major legislation recognizing people with disabilities as a protected class under civil rights statutes.
Still today, people with disabilities must fight to live their lives independently. It is estimated that more than half of qualified Americans with disabilities are unemployed, and a majority of those who do work are underemployed. About two-thirds live at or below the official poverty level.
Significant barriers, especially in transportation and public awareness, prevent disabled people from taking part in society. For example, while no longer prohibited by law from marrying, a person with no access to transportation is effectively excluded from community and social activities which might lead to the development of long-term relationships.
Only when public attitudes advance as far as laws have will disabled people be fully able to take their rightful place in society.
36. A “developmental" disability ______.
A. develops very slowly over time
B. is caused by forces
C. occurs in youth and affects development
D. is getting more and more severe
37.Most disabled people used to die early because ______.
A. disabilities destroyed major bodily functions
B. they were not very well looked after
C. medical techniques were not available
D. they were too poor to get proper treatment
38. In the author's opinion, to enable the disabled people to take their rightful place in society, ______.
A.more laws should be passed
B.public attitudes should be changed
C.government should provide more aids
D.more public facilities should be set up
39. Which of the following cannot be inferred(推断)from the passage ?
A.Many disabled people may remain single for their whole life.
B.The public tends to look down upon the disabled people.
C.The disabled people feel inferior to those surrounding them.
D. Discriminatory laws prevent the disabled from mixing with others.
40. The best title for this passage might be ______.
A.Handicaps(不利条件;障碍;)of People with Disabilities
B.The physical difficulties of the Disabled
C.The Causes for Disabilities
D.Medical Treatments for Disabilities
Few laws are so effective that you can see results just days after they take effect. But in the nine days since the federal cigarette tax more than doubled----to $1.01 per pack---smokers have jammed telephone ‘quit lines’ across the country seeking to kick the habit.
This is not a surprise to public health advocates. They’ve studied the effect of state tax increases for years, finding that smokers, especially teens, are price sensitive. Nor is it a shock to the industry, which fiercely fights every tax increase.
The only wonder is that so many states insist on closing their ears to the message. Tobacco taxes improve public health, they raise money and most particularly, they deter people from taking up the habit as teens, which is when nearly all smokers are addicted. Yet the rate of taxation varies widely.
In Manhattan, for instance, which has the highest tax in the nation, a pack of Marlboro Light Kings cost $10.06 at one drugstore Wednesday. In Charleston, S.C., where the 7-cent-a-pack tax is the lowest in the nation, the price was $4.78.
The influence is obvious.
In New York, high school smoking hit a new low in the latest surveys----13.8%, far below the national average. By comparison, 26 % of high school students smoke in Kentucky, Other low-tax states have similarly depressing teen-smoking records.
Hal Rogers, Representative from Kentucky, like those who are against high tobacco taxes, argues that the burden of the tax falls on low-income Americans “who choose to smoke.”
That’s true. But there is more reason in keeping future generations of low-income workers from getting hooked in the first place. As for today’s adults, if the new tax drives them to quit, they will have more to spend on their families, cut their risk of cancer and heart disease and feel better.
31. The text is mainly about___________.
A the price of cigarettes
B the rate of teen smoking
C the effect of tobacco tax increase
D the differences in tobacco tax rate
32. What does the author think is a surprise?
A Teen smokers are price sensitive.
B Some states still keep the tobacco tax low.
C Tobacco taxes improve public health.
D Tobacco industry fiercely fights the tax rise.
33. The underlined word "deter" in Paragraph 3 most probably means .
A. discourage B. remove C. benefit D. free
34. Rogers’ attitude towards the low-income smokers might be that of .
A. tolerance B. unconcern C. doubt D. sympathy
35. What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. The new tax will be beneficial in the long run.
B. Low-income Americans are more likely to fall ill.
C. Future generations will be hooked on smoking.
D. Adults will depend more on their families.
II 阅读(共两节,满分40分)
第一节:阅读理解(共15小题;每小题2分,满分30分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳答案。