My grandmother Adele loved culture and was generous with its gifts. When I was a child, she took me to museums, restaurants, dances. She showered me with gifts from her travels around the world. But I can only remember her giving me one book ― a book that, to this day, I have not read. She presented me with her own favorite childhood book: Hans Brinker. My grandmother was happy to share this book with me. She even decorated the title page with her proud writing.
I tried to read it. I adored reading, and would dive into a new pile of books from the library all at once. But something about Hans Brinker just wouldn’t let me in. The story was set in Holland, a long time ago. It felt dull and unfamiliar ― even though I was a fan of classics of other times and places. I simply read the first pages over and over. I could not progress.
Standing on a bookshelf in our living room, the book was like something I avoided. It scolded me for not being interested, for not trying hard enough, for disappointing my grandmother.
The book started to fit in, almost forgotten, until Adele asked. Had I read it? Did I like it? Always determined, she wanted to know the answer. I would make some kind of excuse, feel bad, and open it again, hoping for a new reaction. The book weighed on me.
Years passed and finally Adele and I both accepted that I would never read Hans Brinker. Eventually I cleared the book from the shelf. The Hans Brinker experience led me to set a rule that I’ve lived by ever since: Do not ask about a book given as a gift. Don’t ask, despite your desire to discuss it to grow closer. The desire for such connection is what gives book-giving with special meaning ― and increases the owner’s possibility to be a letdown.
Guilt is basically the same as for all gifts, though. If the giver doesn’t have the pleasure of seeing or hearing about the gift being enjoyed, and asks whether it is, then the owner ― unless she can truthfully say “yes” ― either has to admit to not liking the present, or else lie on the spot. Neither is pleasant. So, don’t ask.When the author was a kid, his grandmother ________.
| A．took him to travel around the world a lot |
| B．loved to take him to museums and stores |
| C．shared her childhood stories with him |
| D．gave him many gifts |
What does the author think about the book his grandmother gave him?
| A．Boring. | B．Interesting. |
| C．Puzzling. | D．Disappointing. |
The underlined sentence “The book weighed on me” in Paragraph 4 probably means
________.
| A．the book is too heavy for the author to carry |
| B．the author feels stressful facing the book |
| C．the book is full of powerful viewpoints |
| D．the author keeps reading the book |
The author learns from the Hans Brinker’s experience that never ________.
| A．give others books as gifts |
| B．lie to people who give you gifts |
| C．get close to others through gifts |
| D．talk about the books given as gifts |
第二部分：阅读理解（共25小题；每小题2分，满分50分）
第一节阅读下列短文，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。
Ever since she was a baby, Heather, aged 5, has watched her parents regularly turn off lights
that aren’t needed and put the day’s newspapers cans, bottles, jars, and other recyclables into a big, yellow bin — that is, if they can't find a second life for the discarded items in their own home first. Plastic packaging, pieces of cardboard, scraps of colored paper, bits of yarn, and small pieces of broken toys are typically dropped into a basket that the whole family rummages through whenever they need supplies for an art project. Recently, after spying a bit of shiny paper on the floor, Heather picked it up and said, "This is pretty. I'll put it in the art basket." Already, like parents, like daughter.
Heather's effort to recycle a scrap of paper rather than throw it away is a tiny gesture with a big message. It shows that even young children can learn about conserving materials and resources, and by extension, protecting the planet, in age-appropriate ways. It also shows that your child is so tuned in to your ways that it is easy to become an environmental role model. But because children are more apt to want to care for something they have a personal stake in, it's as important to expose your child to the natural world as it is to teach her ways to protect it.
This doesn't require week-long camping trips into the wilderness — although those can be fun, enlightening experiences for the whole family. Children can explore, appreciate, and learn about nature literally in their own backyard, in a park, in a community garden, and on trips to the beach or mountains. There's more good news: Giving your child opportunities to connect with nature can also help her develop crucial literacy, language, math, science, social studies, art, problem-solving, and research skills.
41．The underlined word “discarded” (Paragraph 1) probably means “___________.”
A．waste B．important C．small D．dirty
42．Which of the following statements is true according to the text?
A．The family is quite poor.
B．The family members don’t waste any money.
C．The parents are proud of saving materials.
D．The parents set an example to the daughter.
43．The text mainly suggests that children___________.
A．love recycling things B．are curious about things
C．can learn to protect nature D．should act the way as their parents
44．What’s the author’s suggestion about introducing a child to the natural world?
A．Going on a camping trip. B．Traveling to the wilderness.
C．Learning from their parents. D．Playing in such places as a park.
Scientists in the United States have developed a method that may help to predict earthquakes earlier. They say it could give people who live in deadly earthquake areas enough warning to leave before an earthquake occurs.
Currently, the most modern systems for predicting earthquakes find them only a short time before the event. Like most strong earthquakes, Wenchuan earthquake in 2008 and Haiti earthquake in 2010 were not identified early enough for people to flee the area, killing hundreds and thousands of people.
But scientists who study earthquakes are reporting that new technology could measure very small changes in the Earth’s surface.
Scientists performed experiments along California’s San Andreas Fault, an area famous for its earthquakes. Highly sensitive electrical
devices are placed about one kilometer below ground in two di
fferent places. The devices were able to measure even small changes in air pressure o
n the Earth’s surface. The scientists say such changes are caused when rocks pushed together, forcing air out of small cracks in the rock.
Two earthquakes hit the area in late 2005. The first took place on Dec.25. A smaller earthquake struc
k five days later. The scientists noted changes in the earth’s surface about ten hours before the first quake struck. That quake measured three in intensity(强度). They then found similar changes taking place two hours before the other quake struck five days later.
If additional tests confirm the changes are linked to earthquakes, the scientists believe their equipment could be used for early warning systems. A system that provides a warning signal ten hours before a major earthquake could help move people from the area and save lives.
The scientists now hope they can find earthquakes with even greater intensity by placing their equipment deeper in the ground.
71. What’s the best title for the passage?
A.A new way to help predict earthquakes.
B.The earthquakes in the world
C.A better understanding of earthquake
D.Scientists and modern systems of earthquakes
72.If the new method does work, _______.
A.fewer earthquakes will break out
B.rescue workers can save more buried people in ruins
C.a warning can be given at least ten days before the major earthquake
D.fewer people will be killed in an earthquake
73.According to the passage, the devices can predict the earthquake by______
reaching the center of the earthquake
detecting the temperature changes in the earth’s crust
measuring changes in air pressure on the Earth’s surface
recording sound waves under the ground
74.We can infer from the passage that ______.
the equipment is perfect enough to be used in practice
it’s unknown if greater earthquake can be predicted by the equipment
the deeper the equipment is placed, the more accurate the measurement is
the equipment has helped save many lives in the earthquake in Haiti .
75.How many earthquakes are mentioned in the passage?
A. One B. Two C. Three D. Four
The Take
By Martina Cole
Hardcover; 448 pages
Publisher: Headline Book Publishing Ltd.
ISBN: 0747269718
Price : ￡85
Jackie Jackson, who lives in Essex, UK, is preparing a party. Friends and family gather for the party to welcome her husband Freddie.
But it’s not your typical welcome back event. After six years in prison, Freddie thinks he is the Essex equivalent to the Godfather. And he’s going to make sure everyone knows it.
Lovers and Players
By Jackie Collins
Hardcover; 512 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0743268024
Price: ￡97
Amy is a pretty young New York heiress（女继承人）, she is engaged to an older man—Max Diamond, a powerful real estate(房地产) businessman.
At the party before the wedding, she runs into Jett, Max’s younger half-brother. Jett is just back from Italy, where he is a successful model. They have no idea who each other are. One night of romance leads to big complications.
Angels and Demons
By Dan Brown
Hardcover; 768 pages
Publisher: Random 
House
ISBN: 037543318X
Price: ￡128
Robert Langdon, the hero of the best-selling history thriller Da Vinci Code, makes his original appearance in Angels and Demons. In this book, Langdon tried to solve the mystery of a century-old underground organization and save the Vatican from a tomb.
66. Which of the following statements about The Take is NOT true?
A. It’s published by Headline Book Publishing Ltd.
B. It’s the cheapest one of the three books mentioned.
C. Jackie Jackson and Freddie are husband and wife.
D.
Jackie Jackson was in prison for six years
67. Which of the followin
g descriptions about Max and Jett are TRUE?
A. They are twins. B. They share one common parent
C. They are businessmenD. They are models
68. If you are interested in mysterious stones, you will probably read______.
A. The Take B. Lovers and Players C. Da Vinci Code D. Angels and Demons
69. It’s possible that Da Vinci Code was written by ______.
A. Jackie Collins B. Martina Cole C. Dan Brown D. Robert Langdon
70. In which column of the newspaper will you read the passage?
A. Best-selling UK Fictions
B. Best-selling US Essays
C. Best-selling French Fictions
D. Best-selling Romantic Love Stories
Youth volunteers from Beijing University visited Songtang Hospital, a care clinic for the aged and dying patients, on April 21, the second Global Youth Service Day.
Thirty student volunteers from the university’s School of International Studies sat at the beds of the patients in their specially-decorated “care huts”. They talked with them and gave messages to patients kept in their beds.
“I felt sorry that I could not offer more to these people except talking with them and trying to cheer them up”, said Deng Yetao, a third-year student, “But it occurred to me that they need more care and love than babies. They are afraid of the coming deat
h. Their loneliness is worse than physical p
ains.”
“Even though they are suffering a lot, the majority of the elderly people want to talk to us. Each of them has a lot of life experiences and philosophies to share. Instead of doing them a favor, I felt I was gaining a valuable lesson,” said Mao Xiaohua, another third-year student.
Mao talked with two elderly patients for a whole afternoon. The fact that most of the patients in the 80-room clinic are aged people with diseases which will lead to death soon made the volunteers’ hearts heavy.
Ninety-one percent of the patients will spend the last days of their lives in the clinic, according to a survey by the hospital.
Daily visits and services by social workers and youth volunteers are a very important part of their programme. A total of 330,000 Beijing students from 119 universities and colleges have visited the hospital. Many continue to offer services in their spare time. Some of them volunteer to hold the hands of dying patients during the last minutes of their lives.
Yin Hang, a student from Beijing Medical College, said he felt “the glory of life” as he saw the fading smile on the face of the old man who slipped into a deep unconsciousness while he was holding his hands.
61. Youth volunteers from Beijing University went to Songtang Hospital to ______.
A. pay a visit to the woundedB. talk with the aged
C. offer services to the aged D. learn something from the aged
62. What the aged most suffered from is ______.
A. loneliness B. death C. physical pain D. disease
63. According to what Mao Xiaohua said, we know that_____.
A. the elderly taught him a good lesson when he talked to them
B. he learned something important from the elderly instead of only helping them
C. he only wanted to get something rather than do them a favor
D. he was glad to have given them a favor
64. When volunteers know most of the aged people in the clinic are dying patients, they feel _____.
A. sad B. disappointed C. hopeless D. worthless
65. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The youth are fond of doing popular things.
B. The Second Youth Service Day is started by the Chinese government.
C. 91% of the aged in China are facing death.
D. The volunteers are taking an active part in the activity
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，从题中所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Scientists in Canada say big ocean fish have almost disappeared from the world since the start of
industrial fishing in the 1950s. The scientists found the populations of large fish like tuna(金枪鱼), swordfish and cod（鳕鱼） have dropped by ninety percent in the past fifty years.
The study took ten years. The researchers gathered records from fishing businesses and governments around the world. The magazine Nature published the findings.
The scientists say the common method called long line fishing is especially damaging to populations of large fish. This method involves many fishing lines connected to one boat. These wires can be nearly one hundred kilometers long. They hold thousands of sharp metal hooks to catch fish.
Long line fishing is especially common in the Japanese fishing industry. Records showed that Japanese boats used to catch about ten fish for every one hundred hooks. But long line fishing boats now might only catch one fish per hundred hooks.
The scientists say industrial fishing can destroy groups of fish much faster than in the past. The study suggests that whole populations can disappear almost completely from new fishing areas within ten to fifteen years.
Ransom Myers and Boris Worm of Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia led the study with the University of Kiel in Germany. Worm says the destruction could lead to a complete reorganization of ocean life systems. Meyers says the decreased numbers of large fish are not the only worry. He says even populations that are able to reproduce do not get the chance to live long enough to grow as big as their ancestors. He says not only are there fewer
big fish, but also they are smaller than those of the past.
American government scientists say even with the best efforts to protect fish populations, decreases are to be expected.
56. Which one can be the best title for the passage?
A. Discoveries Canadian scientists have made B. Japan fishing industry
C. Losses of big fish D. Modern fishing methods
57. When did the researchers begin to survey the decrease of large fish?
A. in the 1960s B. in the 1970s C. in the 1980s D. in the 1990s
58. The underlined word “sharp” in Para 3 means _________.
A. having a fine edge or point that can cut or make a hole in something
B. sudden or rapid change in something
C. quick to react or to understand things
D. loud, sudden and often high in tone
59. Which of the following statements can show the fact that the populations of large fish have dropped?
A. Today’s “large” fish are smaller th
an those of the past.
B. Long line fishing boats now might catch ten fish for every one hundred hooks.
C. Fish able to reproduce don’t have the chance to live longer.
D. Long line fishing boats now might catch one fish for every one hundred hooks
60. Where is the passage probably taken from?
A. A story book B. A business magazine C. An environmental report D. An economic survey