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。
(2012年沈阳模拟)They're so young! What sets apart (区别) the new TV adaptation (改编) of the classic novel A Dream of Red Mansions is the youthfulness of the players.
The producers made a great effort to bring in young actors. Most of them were born in the late 1980s and 1990s. At the same time, a team of 20somethings was given responsibility for adapting the novel for TV screens.
It is unusual for a director to pick a group of young people with little scriptwriting (写剧本) experience to take on such a big task. Most would expect the job to be given to more seasoned (经验丰富的) writers.
“I understand why director Li Shaohong has taken this unusual approach，” writes movie critic Raymond Zhou in China Daily. “She wants the drama to resonate (共鸣) with today's young people.”
Besides giving the remake a youthful flavor, Li also wanted to go back to the original. The popular 1986 adaptation left out many important parts of the novel that were considered superstitious (迷信的) back then. For this adaptation Li wanted strict faith to A Dream of Red Mansions, to make sure young audiences will get a real sense of the novel.
However, since people know the 1986 adaptation so well, they compare the old and new shows. The costumes, makeup and scenery in new drama are controversial (被争论的). Nie Lina, 16, of Yantai No.1 High School in Shandong Province, believes it is a bad idea for actors to have such strange hairstyles. The actors remind me of Peking Opera performers, not people living in Qing Dynasty time. Li Youran, 16, of Nanjing Foreign Language School, complains the music is strange and some scenes are scary. She also believes the actors are not playing in the spirit of the characters.
But Zhou defends (捍卫) the remake as an attempt at faithful adaptation. The value of the adaptation of a novel should be judged (评价) by how faithful it is to the novel—it shouldn't be judged against another adaptation. However, Zhou also argues that a director has the right to make his or her own work of art：an artist has the right to interpret (阐释) a classic based on his or her own understanding...You may not like it, but you cannot deny (否认) him or her that right.Which of the following statements is the difference between the new adaptation and the old one?
| A．The actors are very famous. |
| B．The actors are very young. |
| C．The director is very famous. |
| D．The producers are very young. |
According to Zhou，a movie critic，the director Li Shaohong picked young players because ________.
| A．she wanted today's young people love the new drama |
| B．she wanted to train young actors |
| C．she liked to attempt a new unusual approach |
| D．she thought the new drama is fit for young players to act |
Besides the youthfulness，the director wants to make the new adaptation ________.
| A．superstitious |
| B．sensible |
| C．faithful |
| D．unexpected |
What does the underlined word in the third paragraph mean，according to the passage?
| A．young |
| B．old |
| C．famous |
| D．experienced |
According to the audiences，which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Most audiences are satisfied with the new drama. |
| B．Lina believes the music in the drama is strange. |
| C．Zhou thinks it is right to be faithful. |
| D．Li Youran thinks it is wrong for players to have strange hairstyles. |
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，从每篇短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项，
并存答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
It was a Sunday and the heavy storm had lasted all night. The morning after the storm, though, was beautiful: blue skies, warm air and a calm, inviting sea touching the shore gently.
My father realised it was a good day for fishing and invited my sister and me to go with him. I was only 14 and fishing had never been my thing, but I decided to go all the same. I’m so glad I did.
On the road to the harbour we could see the terrible destruction on the coast, but the harbour itself was in fairly good shape. After all, it was protected by the arms of a bay that had only one tiny channel to the sea. As we got on board, we noticed two big humps (脊背) in the distance.
On approaching them, we saw it was a mother whale with her baby. We couldn’t believe it -- there aren’t any whales along the coast here. The storm must have driven them across the ocean into the bay, in which the still water was so badly polluted that nothing could survive.
The little baby whale —actually as big as our boat — was obviously stuck and could not move. The mother dived under the water and came up suddenly, making big whirlpools (漩涡) and waves. "She’s trying to help her baby, but on the wrong side," my father said. At this point, my father moved our
boat in a semicircle to the other side and, heading the boat towards the baby whale, pushed it gent
ly. With our several gentle pushes the big hump turned over and disappeared under water. Then it swam up right beside its mum. They struggled in their desperate attempts to escape but missed the exit and started heading in the wrong direction. We hurried up to the whales and tried to lead them towards the bay channel. Slowly, they let us lead them, sometimes rising from the water right beside us to breathe -- and to give us a trusting look with those huge eyes. Once they hit their first part of clean water flowing straight from the sea, the mum gave us a wave with her tail and off they swam into the distance.
In the excitement it had felt like only a few minutes, but we had been with those wonderful animals for almost an hour and a half. That was the simple and lasting beauty of the day. Nearly four decades later, I still look back fondly to that golden day at sea.
51. The author says “I’m so glad I did.” (in Para. 2) because ____________.
A. he witnessed the whole process of fishing
B. he enjoyed the beauty of the calm sea
C. he experienced the rescue of the whales
D. he spent the weekend with his family
52. The harbour survived the storm owing to __________.
A. the shape of the harbour
B. the arms of the bay
C. the still water in the channel
D. the long coast line
53. The mother whale failed to help her baby because ___________.
A. she had stayed in the polluted water for too long
B. the whirlpools she had made were not big enough
C. she had no other whales around to turn to for help
D. the waves pushed her baby in the wrong direction
54. What is the theme of the story?
A. Saving lives brings people a sense of happiness.
B. Fishing provides excitement for children.
C. It’s necessary to live in harmony with animals.
D. It’s vital to protect the environment.
The huge explosion at Krakatau was the result of two different factors. One was that the volcano had not broken out for some time and so at the very center of the volcano there was an huge plug of lava, this acted like a cork(塞子) in a bottle, stopping the pressure below from being released(释放). The second factor was that ocean water entered the very centre of the volcano as the explosions became more violent. This caused superheated steam to build up enormous pressure and this was finally released in the largest explosion of all on August 27, 1883. The sudden release of the pressure sent huge amounts of ash, rock and dust into the sky. Some of the ash rose 80km into the air and traveled around the Earth causing brightly coloured sunsets for several years.
Krakatau almost disappeared; for many years after this explosion, it remained very quiet. However, there was still activity going on under the sea and on 25 January, 1925, a small volcanic cone appeared above the surface of the water. This new volcano was named Anak Kmkatau, or Child of Krakatau. Over the following years, the size of the island grew larger, by 1959, the island was 300 metres above the surface of the sea. The volcanic activity has continued and the latest eruptions were in 1995.
There is no doubt Krakatar will continue to grow and there is also strong evidence that at some point in the future there will be another violent explosion. Krakatau is in a part of the world where the surface of the Earth is unstable and is always moving and cracking. If, in the future, another “cork” becomes fixed in the centre of the volcano, the pressure will build up. A series of a smaller explosions will allow sea-water into the centre of the volcano and once again the result will a terribly destructive explosion.
66. The latest eruptions were in_______.
A.1925B. 1959 C. 1995D. 1983
67. The pressure under the volcano can not be released because _______
the plug looks like a cork in a bottle
the volcano hasn’t broken out for some time
the center of the volcano is blocked(堵塞) by lava
the temperature of the steam is not high enough.
68. We can infer from the article that Krakatau volcano________
A. has broken out three times B. never dies but continues to be active
C. will kill many people again in the future D. is always moving and growing above sea.
69. All of the following results are caused by the explosion at Krakatau EXCEPT that_____
A. ash, rock and dust was thrown high into the air
B. others small volcanoes were soon produced.
C. The island of Kratau was destroyed
D. People saw beautiful sunsets for some years
70. The article is mainly about________
A. the cause of the Krakatau volcano B. the danger of the Krakatau volcano
C. the history of the Krakatau volcano D. the future of the Krakatau volcano
If you’re looking for the place that has everything, there’s only one place to visit, and that’s New York. It’s a whole world in a city.
The World of Theatre: All of New York is a stage. And it begins with Broadway. Where else can you find so many hit shows in one place? Only in New York!
The Worm of Music: Spend an evening with Beethoven at Lincoln Center. Swing to the great jazz of Greenwich Village. Or rock yourself silly at the hottest dance sports found anywhere.
The World of Art: From Rembrandt to Picasso. From Egyptian tombs to Indian teepees. Whatever kind of art you like, you’ll find it in New York.
The World of Fine Dining: Whether it’s a roast Beijing duck (北京烤鸭) in Chinatown, lasagna in Little Italy, or the finest French coq au vin found anywhere, there’s a world of great taste waiting for you in New York.
The World of Sights: What other city has a Statue of Liberty (自由女神像)? A Rockefeller Center? Or a Bronx Zoo? Where else can you take a horse-drawn carriage through Central Park? Only in New York!
61. Why does the author think New York is a whole world in a city.
A. Because of The World Of Theatre. B. Because there is a roast Beijing duck
C. Because you can find this place has everything.
D. Because of the Statue of Liberty
62. New York is a stage means_________.
A. There are a lot of hit shows in New York B. There are many actors in New York
C. The world of art. D. The great jazz of Greenwich Village.
63. Which of the following programmes can a visitor have only in New York?
To enjoy roast Beijing duck.
To taste the finest French coq au vin.
To spend an evening with Beethoven.
To see the Statue of Liberty.
64. From the text we know that “Rembrandt” is most likely the name of a famous_____.
A. singer B. painting C. play D. painter
65. What the writer really wanted to do is to ______.
try to persuade readers to pay a visit to New York.
give readers some information about New York.
supply readers with some wonderful programmes in New York.
help readers to get a better understanding of New York.
When I was small and my grandmother died, I couldn’t understand why I had no tears. But that night when my dad tried to cheer me up, my laugh turned into crying.
So it came as no surprise to learn that researchers believe crying and laughing come from the same part of the brain. Just as laughing has many health advantages, scientists are discovering that so, too, does crying.
Whatever it takes for us to reduce pressure is important to our emotional (情感的) health, and crying seems to work well. One study found that 85 percent of women and 73 percent of men report feeling better after crying.
Besides, tears attract help from other people. Researchers agree that when we cry, people around us become kinder and friendly and they are more ready to provide support and comfort. Tears also enable us to understand our emotions better; sometimes we don't even know we' re very sad until we cry. We learn about our emotions through crying, and then we can deal with them.
Just as crying can be healthy, not crying — holding back tears of anger, pain or suffering — can be bad for physical health. Studies have shown that too much control of emotions can lead to high blood pressure, heart problems and some other illnesses. If you have a health problem, doctors will certainly not ask you to cry. But when you feel like crying, don't fight it. It's a natural — and healthy — emotional response.
56. People can do benefit from crying except?
A. Reduce pressure B. Attract help from other people
C. Learn about our emotions through crying
D. Cause healthy problems
57. Why didn't the author cry when her grandmother died?
A. Because her father did not want her to feel too sad.
B. Because she did not love her grandmother.
C. Because she was too shy to cry at that time.
D. The author doesn’t give the explanation.
58. It can be inferred from the text that ______.
A. there are two ways to keep healthy
B. crying does more good to health than laughing
C. crying and laughing play the same roles
D. emotional health has a close relationship to physical health
59. According to the author, which of the following statements is true?
A. Crying is the best way to get help from others.
B. Fighting back tears may cause some health problems.
C. We will never know our deep feelings unless we cry.
D. We must cry if we want to reduce pressure.
60. What might be the most suitable title for the text?
A. Power of Tears B. How to Keep Healthy
C. Why We Cry D. A New Scientific Discovery
In the southern part of America, when somebody has a birthday, often family or friends, or both, will arrange a party. The party could be elaborate(精心准备的)and include a meal or may be simple with a birthday cake and drinks. One does not plan, nor give, one’s own birthday as is the custom in some cultures. At a party there is usually a decorated cake, often with the words “Happy Birthday” and with the name of the person written on the top of the cake. Sometimes there is also one candle for each year of the person celebrating the birthday before the cake is cut. While blowing out the candles, the person makes a wish for something pleasant.
Usually those invited to a birthday party will bring a gift for the person honored. Gifts given by friends do not have to be expensive, but the family of the birthday person will spend whatever they can afford on a gift.
Christmas parties also are very popular in the South. Often this is the only time during the year that some people see acquaintances(熟人). These parties can be elaborate or simple, ranging from a buffet(自助餐)to a reception called “open house (家庭招待会)”. If you are invited to one of these, you don’t need to take a Christmas gift, as it is not customary to take the hostess a gift every time you are invited to a party or a meal. However, if you wish to take a gift, it should only be something useful and inexpensive and should be given to the hostess at the door as you enter the party. Usually gifts of Christmas food treats are the most appreciated.
51. On one’s birthday, before blowing out the candles, he or she will______.
A. wear beautiful clothesB. eat birthday cake
C. invite friendsD. make a wish
52. This passage mainly tells us about __________.
A. two kinds of parties in the southern United States
B. how to arrange a birthday party
C. how to arrange a Christmas party
D. who will arrange a party
53. In southern America , birthday parties are often arranged by _________.
A. friends B. oneself C. family D. Both A and C
54. Which of the following is true?
A.For a birthday party, the cake is often cut before candles are blown out.
B.For a birthday party, neither friends nor the family will buy expensive presents.
C. It’s customary to take the hostess a gift when you are invited to a party.
D.If you take a gift to a Christmas party, you’d better take something useful and inexpensive.
55. What kind of gift is the best if someone is invited to a Christmas party?
A. Expensive things B. Candles C. Food D. Money