Hundreds of great books are published in America every year. And every year, editors, critics and other readers try to choose a list of favorites.
A few books showed up on list after list of the best fiction from this year. One of them was Ann Patchett's State of Wonder. Publishers Weekly described the novel as one "readers will hate to see end." The story centers on a drug researcher from Minnesota named Maria Singh. She travels to Brazil to investigate the death of a co-worker. Her search takes her deep into the Amazon area and danger. But she also goes deep into her own soul for a close look at who she is, what she has lost in her life and how she wants the future to look. Ann Patchett lives in Tennesee. She told Publishers Weekly magazine that the state is dense and leafy, like the Amazon jungle. She visited that area while doing research for the novel.
Chad Harbach's name was also all over the critics' best lists this year for his first book, The Art of Fielding. The New Yorker magazine praised the novel for the easy way it joins a love of baseball with a love of literature. The book is about a college baseball star. He suffers a mental crisis and begins to fail on the playing field as a result. But the book is about much more than the sport of baseball. It also is a story of love, loss, friendship and growing up. Chad Harbach says his own upbringing influenced the book.
The Marriage Plot also got a lot of attention this year. It is the third book from Pulitzer Prize winner Jeffrey Eugenides. He spent almost ten years writing it. The Marriage Plot is also a story about becoming an adult. It follows the lives of three students in their final year of college and beyond. Leonard struggles with manic depression, Mitchell, with religious belief and Madeleine struggles with her feelings for both men.The underlined words "readers will hate to see end" mean _______.
| A．Readers don’t like Ann Patchett’s writing style. |
| B．Readers don’t like reading State of Wonder. |
| C．Readers love State of Wonder very much. |
| D．Readers don’t want to read the end of State of Wonder. |
What can we learn from the second paragraph?
| A．During the research Maris thinks a lot about her own thoughts and feelings. |
| B．The story focuses on a scientific research. |
| C．Maria Singh’s co-worker died of a serious illness. |
| D．The subject of Maria Singh’s study was supported by Publishers Weekly. |
It can be inferred that _______.
| A．Chad had mental problems in his childhood |
| B．Chad became famous for The Art of Fielding |
| C．more and more readers like Chad’s book |
| D．The Art of Fielding is only about the story of baseball. |
The following statements about The Marriage Plot are true except that ______.
| A．it took its author about 10 years to finish the book |
| B．it is about the lives of three college students |
| C．Mitchell in the story struggles with religious belief |
| D．its author’s character is similar to Madeleine’s |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．People’s reading preference. |
| B．Three famous writers. |
| C．The introduction of three well reviewed books. |
| D．The common features of interesting books. |
A volcanic eruption in Iceland has sent ash across northern Europe. Airlines have stopped or changed the flights across the Atlantic Ocean, leaving airport hundreds of passengers stuck in airports.
Grimsvotn is one of the largest and most active volcanoes in Europe. What makes Grimsvotn different is that it lies under a huge glacier(冰川) of ice up to 12 maters thick. The hot volcano heats up the ice above it, which then forms a layer of water between the glacier and the volcano. This layer of water puts pressure on the volcano, keeping it stable, As the water flows out from under the glacier, the pressure lifts. The lava(岩浆) from the volcano then comes up to the surface. This is exactly what happened today.
Now, airlines have to make changes to their flights so as not to fly through the clouds of
volcanic ash. According to KLM, one of Europe’s biggest airlines, airplanes cannot
go under the cloud or over it. Going through the cloud can result in ash getting stuck in
the airplane’s engines, causing damage to the plane.
The eruption has also caused problems for animals in Iceland. The volcano left ash and sharp, glass-like rocks all over the countryside. Farmers are keeping their animals inside to stop them from eating ash-covered grass or the sharp object.
1. What makes Grimsvotn different from other volcanoes?
A. It is below ice. B. It lies under the sea
C. It is the largest volcanoD. It is lava affects the airlines
2. What keeps Grimsvotn still?
A. The slow flow of water B. The low water temperature
C. The thick glacier D. The water pressure
3. Which of the following is the result of the volcanic eruption?
A. People stop traveling in Europe
B. Airlines suffer from the loss of planes
C. It becomes dangerous for animals to eat outside
D. Farmers have lost many of their animals
4. This text is most probably taken from_________.
A. a research paper B. a newspaper report
C. a class presentation D. a geography textbook.
第二部分阅读理解（共两节，满分50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。（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
A
Now, it’s time for some brief news items.
1 China wins women's 3,000m short track relay, S. Korea disqualified
VANCOUVER, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Twice Olympic champion Wang Meng led the Chinese short track speed skating team to the top podium of women's 3,000m relay with a world record at the Vancouver Winter Games here on Wednesday, as South Korea was later disqualified. Canada took the silver, with the United States picking up the bronze. South Korea's skaters had already started waving flags in joy after crossing the line but later the juges decided Kim Min-jung had impeded(阻碍) during an exchange push.
2 Severe drought cracks Airport's runway
China Daily(2010-03-18)-- Severe drought continues to plague southwestern China's Yunnan Province.
In the provincial capital Kunming, the surface of Wu Jiaba International Airport's only runway has been fractured(断裂的). Repairs have been going on since Tuesday. The airport is closed every day from midnight to seven-thirty in the morning. Airport authorities say the severe drought is the cause of the damage. The airport also needs to repair its plane taxiing and parking area. Chen Zhiwei, Security Dept., Kunming International Airport, said, "The drought has greatly lowered the underground water level. And this has affected the runway foundations. The damage to its surface is severe."
3 School Soldiers
Russian school students will have to do basic military training in their final year of school,
the government has decided. The lesson will include learning to fire guns, marching drills
and how to deal with a chemical, nuclear or biological attack. The activity is seen as part of
a drive toward the education of their love for their country.
4____________
Is it hard for you to get up early and get ready for classes? Some students at Winter Park High School just roll out of bed in their pajamas(睡衣)and go to class in their own bedrooms, Of course, their teachers and classmates do not see them because all their class work is on the computer. The Florida High School, the state’s only online program take classes in algebra, American government, chemistry, computer, economics, and web-page design. They also have to go to regular school to attend other classes.
1. Which country ranks fourth in the women's 3,000m short track relay according to the first news?
A. S. Korea. B. Canada. C. The USA. D. Not known.
2.Which of the following is correct according to the second news?
A. The airport has been closed since Tuesday.
B. Drought caused the trouble for repairs.
C. The underground water level became lower, and that’s why the Airport's runway cracked.
D. Wu Jiaba International Airport had another runway, and flights were not really stopped during the day.
3.Why will Russian school students have basic military training?
A. To get ready for a military parade. B. To learn to protect themselves.
C. To gain some military knowledge. D. To develop their love for the country.
4.The news from Florida can be given a title “________”.3
A. Get up Late B. Online School
C. The special pajamas D. The popular subjects
Parkour is a sport with the aim of moving from one point to another as smoothly, efficiently and quickly as possible using chiefly the abilities of the human body. It’s more similar to martial arts (武术) than to a sport. Parkour focuses on how any obstacle is dealt with, whether the obstacle is either physical or mental.
Inspiration for parkour came from the “Natural Method of Physical Culture” developed by Georges Hebert in the early twentieth century. French soldiers in Vietnam were inspired by Heber’s work and created what is now known as parcours du combatant (障碍训练课程). David Belle, who was introduced to this method by his father Raymond Belle, a Vietnamese soldier who had practiced it, had taken part in activities such as martial arts and gymnastics, and sought to apply his athletic skill in a manner that would have practical use in life.
After moving to Lisses, David Belle continued his journey with others. “From then on we developed,” says Sebastien Foucan, who helped to spread parkour, “and really the whole town was there for us; there for parkour.”
Over the years as devoted practitioners (实践者) improved their skills, their moves continued to grow in scale, so that building-to-building jumps and drops of over a storey(楼层) became common in media description, causing much misunderstanding on the nature of parkour.”
Although many practitioners say parkour isn’t an extreme sport, it does carry risk with it. The practice of running, jumping, and leaping from a variety of urban structures (roof tops, staircases, raised surfaces, walls, etc.) and landing on concrete, of course, carries the potential for injury. Some of the most common injuries include sprained (扭伤的) ankles and injuries to the knees.
According to one practitioner, “One of the biggest differences between parkour and other so-called ‘extreme’ sports is that it is not concerned only with physical skills, but also with one’s mental and spiritual pleasure.”
1. The second paragraph is mainly about _______.
A. Belle’s devotion to parkour B. the origin of parkour
C. the use of parkour during wartime D. the practical use of parkour in life
2. What do we know about David Belle?
A. He used to be a French soldier in Vietnam.
B. His attitude toward Hebert’s work was negative.
C. He and Foucan held different views on parkour.
D. He attempted to make full use of his athletic skill in life.
3. What do we infer from the passage?
A. The practitioners think parkour is worth the risk.
B. Parkour needs specially designed training places.
C. The practitioners are often blamed by the media.
D. Parkour was developed in the early twentieth century.
4. Parkour requires _______.
A. only the abilities of human body
B. move from one point to another
C. the ability to deal with mental problems
D. the ability to remove obstacles physically and mentally
5. According to the passage, which of the following is parkour?
A. 
B. 
C. 
D. 
Indians are the world’s biggest bookworms, reading on average 10.7 hours a week, twice as long as Americans, according to a new survey.
The NOP World Culture Score Index surveyed 30,000 people in 30 countries from December 2004 to February 2005.
Analysts said self-help and desirable reading could explain India’s high figures.
Time spent on reading meant fewer hours watching TV and listening to the radio—India came fourth last in both.
The NOP survey of 30,000 consumers aged over 13 saw China and the Philippines take second and third place respectively in average hours a week spent reading books, newspapers and magazines.
Britons and Americans scored about half the Indians’ hours and Japanese and Koreans were even lower—at 4.1 and 3.1 hours respectively.
R. Sriram, chief executive officer of Crosswords Bookstores, a chain of 26 bookshops around India, says Indians are extremely entrepreneurial (有开创精神的) and reading “is a fundamental part of their being”.
“They place a great deal of emphasis on reading. That’s the reason why they do well in education at home and in universities abroad,” he said.
“People educate themselves and deal with change throughout their lives. And the way to do that is to update themselves with books.”
Mr. Sriram says social changes have also made a difference: “Earlier people could turn to their parents and grandparents for advice．Now they turn to books.”
1. According to the time spent on reading, which of the following answers is right?
A. Indians>Americans>Chinese>Koreans
B. Americans>Chinese>Philippines>Japanese
C. Chinese>Indians>Americans>Philippines
D. Indians>Chinese>Philippines>Americans
2. The sentence “India came fourth last in both.” in paragraph four means_____.
A. Indians have no time to watch TV and listen to the radio
B. Indians are busy with their work every day
C. Indians spent more time on reading so that they have fewer hours watching TV and listening to the radio
D. People in other countries spent more time watching TV and listening to the radio
3. The time that Chinese spent on reading may be______ a week.
A. 5.35 hours B. less than 10.7 hours but more than 5.35 hours
C. more than 10.7 hours D. 10.7 hours
4. The Indians do well in education and universities abroad because_____.
A. they have excellent teachers in every school
B. they have qualities that are needed to succeed
C. they put much emphasis on reading
D. they live in a developed country
5. Which of the following is not mentioned in this passage?
A. Indians live a very rich life in their homeland.
B. Indians are those who spend much time on reading or studying.
C. Indians are those who spend fewer hours watching TV and listening to the radio.
D. Now the Indians turn to books for advice.
People turn to magic chiefly as a form of insurance—that is, they use it along with actions that actually bring results. For example, hunters may use a hunting charm (咒语). But they also use their hunting skills and knowledge of animals. The charm may give hunters the extra confidence they need to hunt even more successfully than they would without it. If they shoot a lot of game (猎物), they credit the charm for their success. Many events happen naturally without magic. Crops grow without it, and sick people get well without it．But if people use magic to bring a good harvest or to cure a patient, they may believe the magic was responsible.
People also tend to forget magic’s failures and to be impressed by its surface successes. They may consider magic successful if it appears to work only 10 percent of the time. Even when magic fails, people often explain the failure without doubting the power of the magic. They may say that the magician made a mistake in reciting the spell or that another magician cast a more powerful spell against the magician.
Many anthropologists (人类学家) believe that people have faith in magic because they feel a need to believe in it. People may turn to magic to reduce their fear and uncertainty if they feel they have no control over the outcome of a situation. For example, farmers use knowledge and skill when they plant their fields. But they know that weather, insects, or diseases might ruin the crops. So farmers in some societies may also plant a charm or perform a magic rite (仪式) to ensure a good harvest．
1. From the passage, we can learn that the writer of the passage may be _______.
A. a hunterB. a farmer
C. a magician D. an anthropologist
2. Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?
A. Magic And Hunting.
B. Magic And Farming.
C. Why Magic Works?
D. Why People Believe in Magic?
3. The underlined word “spell” (Paragraph 2) most likely means ______.
A. magic words B. magic events
C. words or expressions D. magicians
4. People believe in magic because________.
A. magic powers are greater than natural powers
B. magic can turn dreams into reality
C. they are not sure of themselves
D. magic can bring good results
5. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Even though magic fails, believers in magic will explain the reason.
B. Believers in magic usually overstate the power of magic.
C. People use magic to reduce their uncertainty and give them extra confidence.
D. Magic can solve problems people can’t deal with in a natural way.