I was puzzled! Why was this old woman making such a complaint about our way to deal with an old bush which was of no use to anybody? She had written letters to the local paper, even to a national to protest about our projected by-pass to her village, and, looking at a map, the route was nowhere near where she lived and it wasn’t as if the area was attractive. I was more than puzzled, I was intrigued. I wanted to know what it was that motivated her. So it was that I found myself knocking on a cottage door, being received by Mary Smith and then being taken for a walk to the woods.
“I’ve always loved this place”, she said, “it has a lot of memories for me, and for others. We all used it. They called it ‘Lovers lane’. It’s not much of a lane, and it doesn’t go anywhere important, but that’s why we all came here. To be away from people, to be by ourselves.” She added.
It was indeed pleasant that day and the songs of many birds could be heard. Squirrels gazed from the branches, quite bold in their movements, obviously few people passed this way and they had nothing to fear. I could imagine the noise of vehicles passing through these peaceful woods when the by-pass was built, so I felt that she probably had something there but as I hold strong opinions about the needs of the community over-riding the opinions of private individuals, I said nothing. The village was quite a distant and dangerous place because of the traffic especially for old people and children, their safety was more important to me than an old woman’s whims (怪念头).
“Take this tree”, she said pausing after a short while. “To you it is just that, a tree. Not unlike many others here”. She gently touched the bark. “Look here, under this branch, what can you see?”
“It looks as if someone has done a bit of carving with a knife” I said after a cursory (草率的) inspection.
“Yes, that’s what it is!” she said softly. “There are letters and a lover’s heart”.
I looked again, this time more carefully. The heart was still there and there was an arrow through it. The letters on one side were indistinct, but on the other an ‘R’ was clearly visible with what looked like an ‘I’ after it. “Some budding romance?” I asked, “Did you know who they were?”
“Oh yes, I knew them”, said Mary Smith, “it says RH loves MS”.
After a pause, she went on … “He had a penknife and I helped him to carve my initials. We were very much in love, but he was going away, and could not tell me what he was involved in the army. I had guessed of course. It was the last evening we ever spent together, because he went away the next day, back to his Unit.”
Mary Smith was quiet for a while, then she sobbed, “His mother showed me the telegram. ‘Sergeant R Holmes ... Killed in action in the invasion of France.’”
I realized that I could be getting out of my depth, and longed to be in my office, away from here and this old lady, snug, and with a cup of tea in my hand.
There was a further pause. Mary Smith gently touched the wounded tree, just as she would have caressed him. “And now they want to take our tree away from me.” Another quiet sob, then she turned to me. “I was young and pretty then, I could have had anybody, I wasn’t always the old woman you see here now. I could have had everything I wanted in life, a lovely man, health and a future to look forwards to”.
She paused again and looked around. The breeze gently moved through the leaves with a sighing sound. “There were others, of course, but not a patch on my Robin!” she said strongly. “And now I have nothing except the memories this tree holds. If only I could get my hands on that awful man who writes in the paper about the value of the road they are going to build where we are standing now, I would tell him. Has he never loved, has he never lived, does he not know anything about memories? We were not the only ones, you know, I still meet some who came here as Robin and I did. Yes, I would tell him!”
I turned away, sick at heart.Why was the by-pass to Mary Smith’s village to be built through these woods?
| A．The community wanted to explore the beauty of the woods as a way of tourism. |
| B．Many people passed these woods causing heavy traffic jam. |
| C．The traffic was inconvenient making the village a dangerous place to live in. |
| D．The village was quite far away and its economy needed improving. |
The underlined sentence “I felt that she probably had something there” means ________.
| A．I thought there might be something hidden in the woods by Mary Smith |
| B．I guessed there might be a story related with Mary Smith |
| C．I thought there might be some reason for Mary Smith’s protest |
| D．I guessed there might be a secret purpose of Mary Smith. |
The main purpose of this passage is to ________.
| A．draw attention to the damage that wars cause |
| B．persuade people to give up private interest |
| C．arouse the awareness of being environmentally friendly |
| D．introduce a touching but sad love story |
.
In China he’s known as “the Flying Fish”; in America they call him ‘the Baltimore Bullet’.
Whatever you call him, American swimmer Michael Phelps looks destined (命中注定) to become a household name across the world after breaking the Olympic record for most gold medals in a single Games.
Phelps’s total of eight gold medals in Beijing put him one ahead of Mark Spitz’s previous record set in 1972.
Now people are already calling him the greatest Olympian of all time. But whether he is or not, what is it that makes Michael Phelps so good?
A good place to start might be his physique. Phelps has the perfect body shape for a swimmer: his arm span is longer than his height, he has very flexible joints, huge lungs, and his incredibly large feet (size 14 in the US, size 49 in China) act like flippers in the water.
To feed his huge swimmer’s body, Phelps eats an astonishing 12,000 calories a day, six times the average for a man of his age.
He then owes it to a swimsuit which has been making waves in the world of swimming. Designed by NASA, the American space agency, the suit is made of a special material which is said to help athletes swim 2% faster.
Michael Phelps should spare a thought for his mum, who first pushed him into swimming as a way of making friends, and who believed in him when one teacher said he would never be a success.
Whatever the reason for his success, Phelps admits there was perhaps also a bit of luck involved in winning his eight medals.
“I guess eight is a lucky number for me, too, now. The opening ceremony started on 8/8/08. Maybe it was meant to be.” he said.
45. How many gold medals did Mark Spitz's won?
A. 6 B. 7 C. 8 D. 9
46. What makes Michael Phelps so popular?
A. He has broken the Olympic record for most gold medals in a single Games.
B. He is equipped with the best swimsuit which is said to help athletes swim 2% faster.
C. He is a very lucky person and he has the perfect body shape for a swimmer.
D. He has a very good appetiteand he eats an astonishing 12,000 calories a day.
47. According to the passage, how many calories does a man need a day on average?
A. 4,000 B. 3,000 C. 2,000 D. 6,000
48. Which of the following is the reason for his success, in Phelps’ opinion?
a. his physique b. the swimsuit designed by NASA
c. his mother’s encouragement d. good luck e. his confidence
A. a, c, d, e B. a, b, c, e C. a, b, d, e D. a, b, c, d
.
第二部分阅读理解（共分两节,满分45分）
阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C、D中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Nate suffered a hard blow when he lost his job. His boss had spoken rudely, “Your services are no longer needed.”Nate left the building filled with despair. By the time he reached home, he was in deep sadness. When he entered his house, he blurted out to his wife Sophia,“I lost my job. I am a complete, utter failure.”A tense silence followed. Then a smile crept across Sophia’s face.“What great news!”she responded.“Now you can write the book you have always wanted to write.”
“But I have no job and no prospect of a job,”he objected, completely without hope. “If I struggle to be an author, then what will we live on? Where will the money come from?”
Sophia took her husband by the hand and led him to the kitchen. Opening a drawer, she took out a box that was full of cash.“Where on earth did you get this?” Nate gasped.“To whom does it belong?”
“It’s ours!” Sophia replied.“I always knew that one day you would become a great writer if only you were given the chance. From the money you gave me for housekeeping every week, I have saved as much as I could so you would have your chance. Now there is enough to last us a whole year.” ^*
What a surprise! What encouragement! What a wife! The unemployed husband did concentrate on writing that year, and the novel he wrote became a literary masterpiece（文学名著）. The book is The Scarlet Letter. Sophia had an even greater achievement, and she turned Nathaniel Hawthorne from a poor clerk into a world famous master.
41. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Sophia’s achievement B. A great writer’s struggle to success
C. Great encouragement in hard times D. Failure is the mother of success
42. The underlined sentence in the first paragraph seems to tell us that __________.
A. Sophia was very disappointed to hear the news
B. Nate was too sad to speak any more
C. Sophia was thinking of how to encourage Nate
D. both husband and wife had no idea what to do
43. Sophia saved money because __________.
A. she knew her husband would lose his job one day
B. she knew their life would be in difficulty
C. she was very careful with money
D. she was trying to help her husband in every possible way
44. From the passage we learn that Sophia was __________.
A. kind and brave B. careful and encouraging
C. helpful and warm-hearted D. clever and determined
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Among the four skills in learning English, which of these is the “Odd-Man-Out”? The answer is speaking. The other three you can do alone on your own. But you can't really speak alone! Speaking to yourself can be “dangerous” because men in white coats may come and take you away !
Where can you find people to speak English? And how can you practise speaking when you are alone? At school if you pay to go to a language school, you should use the chance to speak .If your teacher asks you to speak in pairs or groups with other students, try to say as much as possible. Don't worry about your mistakes. Just speak!
Conversation Clubs Many cities around the world have conversation clubs where people can exchange one language for another . Look in your local newspaper to find a conversation club near you .They are usually free although some may charge a small entrance fee.
Shopping Even if you don't want to buy anything ,you can ask questions about products that interest you in a shop. “How much does this cost?” “Can I pay by cheque?” Often you can start a real conversation—and it costs you nothing!
Cafe and Bars There are often American, Britain, Irish and Australian bars in many large cities .If you can find one, you'll probably meet many people speaking English as a first or second language.
Language is all around you Everywhere you go, you find language .Shop names, street names ,advertisements ,notices ,and car numbers....When you walk down the street , practice reading the words and numbers that you see .Say them to yourself .It's not exactly a conversation ,but it will help you to “think” in English .But don't speak too loud!
Songs and Video Repeat the words of an English-language song singing with the music until it becomes automatic. It's good practice for your memory and for the mouth muscles that you need for English.
Above all, speak as much as possible! Make as many mistakes as possible! When you know that you have made a mistake, you know that you have made progress!
57．What does “Odd-Man-Out” probably mean according to the passage?
A. Someone or something appearing different from others.
B. Someone or something standing out of the group.
C. Someone or something arranged in pairs.
D. Someone or something easily mistaken for another.
58．What might happen if you speak to yourself loudly in public?
A. The police will take you away and punish you.
B. The doctors will force you to stay in hospital.
C. You will have to pay to escape being punished.
D. You will be forbidden to be member of the club.
59．Why does the writer say “Make as many mistakes as possible”? Because _______.
A. everyone will make mistakes in learning English
B. everyone will meet people speaking English with some mistakes
C. making mistakes is a must in making progress in learning English
D. making mistakes can make one realize the importance of speaking
60．According to the passage, which way is not likely to be accepted by English beginners?
A .Recite poems loudly along the riverside.
B. Listen to some English pop songs and video.
C. Find an Englishman to speak English with.
D. Take to the TV showing programmes at home.
.
It is natural that children are curious about the world around them. For example, they want to know how their hearts beat. They want to know why the ocean water tastes salty.
As children grow up, they become curious about different kinds of things. When they are babies, they are interested in the parts of their bodies and in the smiles of their mothers. They become interested in the physical world around them: the plants, the animals, the sky. Later, they become interested in the things that people have made: wheels, bicycles, cars. And when they are adults, their curiosity continues. Sometimes this curiosity leads to a career (生涯、职业) in science.
Scientists spend their lives trying to find out about the world．Those who work with the earth sciences study the earth, the oceans, and the skies. Other scientists who study living things work with the biological sciences. A third group of scientists study the physical sciences, e. g. physics, chemistry .
These scientists have already discovered a lot about our world．For example, they tell us why your heart beats faster when you run. They say that when you are quiet, your heart normally beats sixty-five or seventy-five times a minute. Your heart is a pump (泵) that pumps blood to all parts of the body. The blood carries oxygen and nutrition. When you run, your muscles work very hard and use the nutrition that the blood carries to them. The muscles need oxygen, too . So your brain sends a signal to the heart. The signal means that the muscles need more nutrition and oxygen. Then the heart beats fast and sends blood quickly to the muscles. It may beat 90 to 140 times a minute.
Of course, scientists cannot answer all of our questions. If we ask, “Why does the ocean water taste salty” scientists will say that the salt comes from rocks. When a rock gets very hot or very cold, it cracks. Rain falls into cracks. The rain then carries the salt into the earth and into the rivers. The rivers carry the salt into the ocean. But then we ask , “What happens to the salt in the ocean? The ocean does not get saltier every year.” Scientists are not sure about the answer to this question.
We know a lot about our world, but there are still many answers that we do not have, and we are curious.
53．According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
A．People are curious in the same way.
B．People in different countries are interested in different things.
C．Men and women are curious about different things.
D．People of different ages are interested in different things
54．Scientists who work with the biological sciences study ____.
A．the earth , the oceans and the sky B. man-made things
C．plants and animals D. ocean water
55．When you run, your muscles need ____.
A．more nutrition and oxygen B．more signals C．more salt D．water
56．A rock cracks _____.
A．in wet regions B．in dry regions
C．at very high or very low temperaturesD．when salty water falls in
.
When coal is burned in a boiler, two kinds of ash by-products are produced: a heavy bottom ash and a fine-as-powder fly ash. About 10 to 15 percent of the coal by-product is bottom ash which is used like sand on streets and highways covered with ice, and also on highways as paving material.
It is the fly ash, however, that is receiving much attention. Once considered a waste, fly ash is now regarded as a natural resource in the United States. It can be placed in some lower places, where it is compacted（压实） and covered with soil, for the seeds of various grasses and plants to be placed in the soil to make the land productive.
Fly ash may be added to concrete (混凝土）to build roads and other kinds of buildings, taking the place of the cement(水泥) up to 20 percent. As a by-product of burned coal, fly ash requires no extra energy to be produced, while cement production requires great amounts of energy.
Besides, the technology is able to take out some useful minerals from the fly ash, which is still a very expensive process today. But the time may come when it is cheaper to take out these products from ash than to mine new supplies.
49. The bottom ash can be put on icy streets________.
A. in order to rebuild them B. in order to make them colorful
C. so that people can walk on them D. so that cars can run faster
50. The fly ash can be used to________.
A. grow various plants B. take the place of soil
C. cover productive land D. make more productive land
51. Which of the following is right?
A. To produce fly ash, some extra coal is to be burned.
B. Fly ash is made while producing cement.
C. It takes less energy to produce fly ash than cement.
D. Fly ash is a costless by-product.
52. The word “mine” in the last sentence of the passage means_______.
A. to buy things from other countries
B. to search for useful materials in the mountains
C. to dig deeply into the ground to get useful materials
D. to take out certain materials from other things