Bissel is a small village of the West Sahara. It lies next to a 1. 5square-kilometer oasis (绿洲), from where three days and nights are generally required to go out of the desert. However, before Ken Levin discovered it in 1926, none of the Bissel villagers had ever walked out of the desert. Reportedly, they were not unwilling to leave this barren land. Many had previously tried but failed, always somehow finding themselves back at the oasis after several days of trying to walk out.
When interviewed by Ken Levin, an expert at the British Royal College of Sciences, the villagers explained that no matter which direction they walked it always brought them back to the village.
Why couldn't the Bissel villagers walk out of the desert? Levin was very puzzled. He had, by himself, managed to walk north from the village and reach the nearest town in three and a half days. He decided to carry out an experiment to solve the mystery. He and a Bissel villager called Argutel, would walk out of the desert together. They prepared enough water for a half-a-month journey and two camels. But this time Ken Levin didn't bring his compass. Levin would follow Argutel.
Ten days later, they had walked for about 500 miles but were still in the desert. On the 11th morning, an oasis came into their view. They were back at Bissel. Levin now understood why the Bissel people couldn't escape the desert. They had no knowledge of the North Star, which had for centuries provided sailors and other travelers with a point of direction. In the desert, if a person goes forward relying only on their senses, they will not be able to travel in a straight line. Rather they will travel in a very large circle and eventually track back to where they began. Levin explained to Argutel the function of the North Star and said, "As long as you rest in the daytime and walk towards the brightest star at night, you would be able to walk out of the desert. " Argutel did as he was told. Three days later, he came to the edge of the desert.
Now in the West Sahara, Bissel has become a bright pearl, where tens of thousands of tourists come every year. Argutel's bronze statue stands in the center of the town. On its base are the words: __________.Villagers in Bissel had never walked beyond the desert because __________.
| A．they had no method to find their way out |
| B．they were discouraged by their failures |
| C．they had a fear of the outside world |
| D．they had no desire to leave the oasis |
Ken Levin asked Argutel to walk to the north in order to __________.
| A．see how far away Bissel was to the edge of the desert |
| B．prove that people could walk out of the desert |
| C．tell people not to walk in circles |
| D．show Argutel was a great person |
According to the passage, Ken Levin __________.
| A．knew Argutel before he came to the village |
| B．came to Bissel to do experiments on behalf of his college |
| C．became the first man to walk out of the desert from Bissel Village |
| D．taught Bissel villagers knowledge of the North Star when he first arrived |
It can be inferred from the passage that __________.
| A．Ken Levin didn't walk south because it would take more days |
| B．the use of a compass was necessary to walk out of the desert |
| C．tourism in Bissel has been greatly developed and improved |
| D．Argutel became the leader of Bissel after his return |
Which of the following can most probably be found at the base of Argutel's statue?
| A．Two heads are better than one. |
| B．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
| C．A long journey starts with the first step. |
| D．A new life starts from the fixed direction. |
After my husband died suddenly from a heart attack，my world crashed around me．My six children were all under 10，and I was burdened with the responsibilities of earning a living，and caring for the children．I was fortunate to find a wonderful housekeeper to care for the children during the week，but from Friday nights to Monday mornings，the children and t were alone．
One Friday evening I came home from work to find a big pretty German shepherd off our doorstep．This dog seemed to intend to enter the house．The children liked “German” immediately and begged me to let him in．I agreed to let him sleep in the basement．That night I slept peacefully for the first time in many weeks．
The following morning we made phone calls and checked lost-and-found ads for German’s owner, but with no results．
On Sunday I had planned to take the children on a picnic．Since I thought it best to leave German behind in case his owner came by，we drove off without him．When we stopped to get gas, we were amazed to see German racing to the gas station after us．No way was he going to be left behind．
Monday morning I let him out for a run．He didn’t come back and we were all disappointed．
We were convinced that we would never see him again．We were wrong．The next Friday evening,
German was back on other doorstep．Again he stayed until Monday morning，when our housekeeper arrived．
This pattern repeated itself every．weekend for almost 10 months．We grew more and more fond of German．We took comfort in his strong，warm presence，and we felt safe with him near us．
As German became part of the family，he considered it his duty to check every bedroom to be sure each child was cozy in bed．
Each week，between German’s visits，I grew a little stronger，a little braver and mole able to cope；every weekend we were no long alone and enjoyed his company．Then one Monday morning we patted him on his head and let him out for what turned out to be the Iast time．We never saw German again．
64．The dog first came when．
A．it was needed most B．the mother became strong enough
C．her father died suddenly D．she was busy on the weekday
65．Which of the following can’t be used to describe the dog?
A．Loyal． B．Beautiful． C. Lovely． D．Wild．
66．The wriier was very the German shepherd．
A．afraid of B．grateful to C．cruel to D．annoyed with
67．The family planned to go on a picnic without the German shepherd because．
A．German was too wild to control B．German was too young to walk so far
C．the owner might come by to look for it D．it might spoil the trip
My dad also taught me，by example，that a healthy lifestyle is important．He was hardly ever sick．But I don’l think my dad ever even had a cup of coffee．He barely touched alcohol．
He would say，“Boonnie，your voice is a reflection of your overall physical well-being．So if you want to sing well，take better care of yourself.” If I became hoarse(嘶哑)or caught a cold，he didn’t blame me directly：“Well，Bonnie，you know，if you’d get to sleep a little earlier，that would probably be a good idea．”When I decided to get unexcitable about 18 years ago，he told me．“See，
Bonnie，it's so great to see you in such strong voice all the time．”
He just did not complain，even when he was uncomfortable toward the end，from the pneumonia that eventually took his life．He simply made a choice to be positive and not negative．
I am so glad that we had the chance to perform together．I was touched that he tried singing my music，even though the bluesy style didn’t come naturally to him．Then，when I had so much
Grmnmy success with my album Nick of Time in 1990，I realized. Hey，I have one of the greatest singers of all time in my family．I was very nervous about doing the Boston Pops show on TV with my dad．To calm me，he said，“Bonnie，a beautiful song is a beautiful song．Just believe it．”I looked in my dad’s eyes，and there we were singing the Irving Berlia song with the lvric．Of all the duets I've done．that one wiU always be a highlight．
60．the second paragraph shows that．
A．the author’s father had a loving, in-the-moment and joyful approach
B．the author’s father had a very healthy lifestyle
C．the author’s father was very strict with his son
D．the author’s father devoted himself to his son
61．The author。father died because of．
A．coffee B．alcohol C．pneumonia D．tire
62．The underlined word “inexeitable” means
A．heated B．silent C．angry D．amused
63．From the last paragraph we may learn that．
A．the father and his son often performed together
B．playing blues is the father' s favourite
C．The author was good at orchestral music
D．the father and his son are both musicians
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，从每题所给的A、B、c、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
China news，Beijing，July．29—Housing price in China has always aroused heated discussions among property developers and ordinary Chinese．To many property developers and local government officials，housing price in China is still low compared with many developed countries．However, the average housing price in the United States is only 8,000 yuan per square meter，while in China，it is even higher than in the United States．This shows that there are some bubbles(泡沫)in Chinese real estate market, the International Finance News reported．
Although the average price of residential houses in the United States，after convened to Re Renminbi，is about 8,000 yuan per square meter，the houses in US are not sold in terms of building area，as most Chinese property developers do when they sell their houses．If US property developers sell their houses according to the building area，then the housing price will be even lower than 8,000 yuan per square meter．In most big Chinese cities，such as Beijing，Shanghai, and Shenzhen，houses are sold at a price even higher than those in the US．
The high housing sales price in large cities in China proves that Chinese real estate market does have some bubbles．Moreover，Chinese houses can not be compared with houses in US in terms of building quality，environment and supporting facilities．Furthermore，it should be noted that American people’s average income is several dozen times higher than that of Chinese people．
How Can the Chinese afford to buy a house which is even more expensive than that sold in US?
At the beginning of 2007，Chinese government issued a set of policies that aimed to benefit the public．Now in order to reduce the high housing prices．the government Call regulate the real estate market by raising tax on property industry and controlling the release of loans and lands to property developers．At the same time，the government should allow, people to build more houses through various fund-raising channels．such as funds collected from buyers or raised by working units．By applying these multiple means，it is expected that the high housing prices can be lowered．
56．What is the average housing price per source meter in China?
A．8,000 yuan． B．10，000yuan．
C．7,000 yuan． D．It’s not mentioned here．
57．Which of the following does NOT support the idea that the average housing price in China is even higher than in the United States．
A．Chinese houses can not be Compared with houses in US in terms of building quality，environment and supporting families．
B．American people’s average income is several dozen times higher than that of Chinese people．
C．The houses in US are not sold in terms of building area，as most Chinese property developers do when they sell their houses．
D．The population who need houses in China is larger than in the United States．
58．How many measures are mentioned in the last paragraph in order to reduce the high housing prices?
A．Four． B．Three． C．Two．D．One．
59．What is the main idea of this passage?
A．The housing price in China is so high that the government should do something useful to prevent it．
B．There are some bubbles in Chinese real estate market．
C．The average housing price in China is even higher than in the United States．
D．Chinese government issued a set of policies that aimed to benefit the public．
As the pace of life continues to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation．Once you are in the habit of rushing through lift, being on the go from morning till night, it is hard to slow down．But relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body．
Stress is a natural part of everyday life and there is no way to avoid it．In fact, it is not the bad thing it is often supposed to be．A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation and give purpose to life．It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health．
The amount of stress a person can withstand depends very much on the individual．Some people are not afraid of stress, and such characters are obviously prime material for managerial responsibilities．Others lose heart at the first signs of unusual difficulties．When exposed to stress, in whatever form, we react both chemically and physically．In fact we make choice between “fight” or “flight” and in more primitive days the choice made the difference between life or death．The crises we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme, but however little the stress is, it involves the same response．It is when such a reaction lasts long, through continued exposure to stress, that health becomes endangered．Such serious conditions as high blood pressure and heart disease have established links with stress．Since we cannot remove stress from our lives （it would be unwise to do so even if we could）, we need to find ways to deal with it．
71．People are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because ____．
A．they do not know how to enjoy themselves
B．they do not believe that relaxation is important for health
C．they are travelling fast all the time
D．they are becoming busier with their work
72．According to the writer, the most important character for a good manager is his _____．
A．not fearing stress
B．knowing the art of relaxation
C．high sense of responsibility
D．having control over performance
73．Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A．We can find some ways to avoid stress．
B．Stress is always harmful to people．
C．It is easy to change the habit of keeping oneself busy with work．
D．Different people can withstand different amounts of stress．
74．In Paragraph 3, “such a reaction” refers to ____．
A．“making a choice between ‘flight’ or ‘fight’”
B．“reaction to stress both chemically and physically”
C．“responding to crises quickly”
D．“losing heart at the signs of difficulties”
75．In the last sentence of the passage, “do so” refers to ____．
A．“expose ourselves to stress”
B．“find way to deal with stress”
C．“remove stress from our lives”
D．“establish links between diseases and stress”
Thousands of people in the world are a hundred years old－or more and certain parts of the world are famous for the long lives of their inhabitants: the Vilacamba Valley in Ecuador, and the home of the Hunzas in the Himalayas．
Why do so many people live to a healthy old age in certain parts of the world? What is the secret of their long lives? Three things seem to be very important: fresh air, fresh food and a simple way of life．People work near their homes in the clean,
mountain air instead of travelling long distances to work by bus, car or train．They do not sit all day in busy offices or factories, but work hard outdoors in the fields．They take more exercise and eat less food than people in the cities of the West．For years the Hunzas of the Himalayas did not need policemen, lawyers or doctors．There was no crime, no divorce and not much illness in their society． They were a happy, peaceful people, famous all over India for their long, healthy lives．
Do you want to live to a hundred years old? Here are some rules for success．Firstly, choose your parents and grandparents carefully．If they lived or live to a good old age, so will you．Secondly, live in the right place．Thirdly, choose the right
kind of job．Doctors, dentists and bus-drivers die young．Farmers, priests and orchestral conductors live much longer．If you are in the wrong kind of job, you can still improve your way of life．
An old man in the Caucasus was talking about his past life．"I was young then," he said, as he described his 87th year．His secret was: "Think young and stay young．" An old woman from Missouri, USA, gave this advice, "Drink a little whisky and some warm beer every day．" An English lady just said, "Take a cold bath every morning．" The shortest, simplest piece of advice came from Mr．Jim Chapman, aged 103．"Just keep breathing," he told reporters．
67．Who is most likely to live a long life?
A．A doctor． B．A bus-driver．
C．A dentist． D．An orchestral conductor．
68．We can see from the passage that long-lived people avoid ____．
A．working hard B．drinking
C．eating too much D．taking cold baths
69．The passage indicates that we can change our _____to live a long life．
A．jobs B．places of living
C．ways of living D．ways of thinking
70．What is mainly talked about in the last paragraph?
A．Whose advice is the best．
B．Who is the most long-lived person in the world．
C．Lifestyles of long-lived people．
D．How long-lived people think of' their life．