A
Fat and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team. "Football, tennis, cricket--- anything with a round ball, I was useless," he says now with a laugh. But back then he was the one always made fun of in school gym classes in Devonshire, England.
It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him. At first he went biking alone in a nearby forest. Then he began to ride the bike along with a runner friend. Gradually, Saunders set up his mind on building up his body, increasing his speed and strength. At the age of 18, he ran his first marathon.
The following year he met John Ridgway and was hired as an instructor at Ridgway's school of adventure in Scotland, where he learnt about Ridgway's cold-water exploits. Greatly interested, Saunders read all he could about North Pole explorers and adventures, the decided that this would be his future.
In 2001, after becoming a skillful skier, Saunders started his first long-distance expedition towards the North Pole. It took unbelievable energy. He suffered frostbite, ran into a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit, pulling his supply-loaded sled up and over rocky rice.
Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole, and he's skied more of the North Pole by himself than any other British man. His old playmates would not believe the change.
Next October, Saunders, 27, heads south from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, a 2900-kilometer journey that has never been completed on skis.
What change happened to Saunders after he was 15 years old?
| A．He became good at most sports. |
| B．He began to build up his body. |
| C．He joined a sports team |
| D．He made friends with a runner. |
The underlined word “exploits” (paragraph 3) is closest in meaning to ______.
| A．journeys | B．researches |
| C．adventures | D．operations. W |
What does the story mainly tell us abut Saunders?
| A．He is a success in sports. |
| B．He is the best British skier. |
| C．He is Ridgway's best student. |
| D．He is a good instructor at school. |
The Yukon Quest 1,000-mile International Sled Dog Race is a sled dog race run every February
between Fairbanks, Alaska, and Whitehorse, Yukon．Because of the harsh winter conditions, difficult trail, and the limited support that competitors are allowed, it is considered the “toughest race in the world”．
In the competition, first run in 1984, a dog team leader and a team of 6 to 14dogs race for 10 to 20days．The course follows the route of the historic 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, mail delivery, and transportation routes between Fairbanks, Dawson City, and Whitehorse．Players pack up to 250pounds of equipment and provisions for themselves and their dogs to survive between checkpoints．They are permitted to leave dogs at checkpoints and dog drops, but not to replace them．Sleds may not be replaced and players cannot accept help from non-racers except at Dawson City, the halfway mark．Ten checkpoints and four dog drops, some more than 200miles apart, lie along the trail．Dcotors are present at each to ensure the health and welfare of the dogs, give advice, and provide veterinary (兽医)care for dropped dogs．
The route runs on frozen rivers, over four mountain ranges, and through isolated northern villages．Racers cover 1,016miles or more．Temperatures commonly drop as low as −60°F, and winds can reach 50miles per hour at higher elevations．Sonny Lindner won the first race in 1984 from a field of 26teams．The fastest run took place in 2009, when Sebastian Sch nuelle finished after 9days, 23hours, and 20minutes．The 2009 competition also had the closest one-two finish, as Sch nuelle beat second-place Hugh Neff by just four minutes．The longest race time was in 1988, when Ty Halvorson took 20days, 8hours, and 29minutes to finish．To allow participation in both the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod, the 2010 Yukon Quest will begin in Fairbanks one week earlier than usual–on February 6．
1．What is the Yukon Quest particular in?
A．The difficulty the competition has to face．
B．The special team and the special weather．
C．The limitation of time and support in the run．
D．The way the competition is valued．
2．The competitors can do the following except ______．
A．pack less then 250 pounds of equipments and provisions
B．drop any dogs at the checkpoints
C．replace dogs which are worn out
D．get medical care for dogs in any checkpoint
3．Who keeps a new record in the Yukon Quest in terms of speed?
A．Sonny Lindner． B．Sebastian Schnuelle．C．Hugh Neff． D．Ty Halvorson．
4．The underlined word “harsh” in the first paragraph might most probably mean “______”．
A．happy B．important C．difficult D．unforgettable
三．阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
请阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项的标号涂黑。
When the research on the effect of electric fields on E．coli was begun in 1962, it was essential that a biologist–specifically, a microbiologist–contributed to the project．She does not want her name used because she did not become a scientific researcher for fame, but rather for the challenge of putting pieces of a scientific puzzle together．
As a girl, she was inspired by the work of great scientists: she read the story of the cure of malaria in the Panama Canal; she also read a biography of Madame Curie．These accounts inspired her to pursue a career in scientific research．After high school, she worked for the Michigan Department of Health, where she did research in biology and microbiology．There, her colleagues saw 
her talent and encouraged her to pursue science as a career．She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University in 1948 in medical technology．
When she began working at Michigan State in the early 1960s,
she was balancing the demands of scientific research with the needs
of her family．At that time both of her children were in school．She would work in the lab in the morning while they were at school, go home to see them at lunch, return to the lab for the afternoon, go home for dinner, and return to the lab in the evening, if necessary．At that time, there were fewer women scientists working than there are today, but she encountered several in her career．At the Michigan Department of Health, many of her colleagues were women and, consequently, she did not feel isolated because of her gender–nor did she feel that she was treated differently because she was a woman．
While working at Michigan State, she also felt that she was treated with respect by her peers．Her colleagues, among them doctors and Ph．D．chemists, all treated her as an equal．On the whole, she believes that there is not a great deal of difference between men and women in science．
1．Why does the woman scientist refuse to let out her name?
A．Because she is a shy lady．
B．Because she doesn’t mind her fame．
C．Because she never takes pride in her research．
D．Because she never works for her fame．
3．What is the noble lady scientist really interested in?
A．The life stories of other women scientists．
B．Biology and microbiology．
C．The secret of the success of the other scientists．
D．The difference between men and women scientists．
3．Who helped and encouraged her to carry on her scientific research?
A．Her family and friends． B．Madame Curie．
C．Her colleagues and other scientists． D．Some of the officials．
4．What is the whole passage mainly about?
A．The life story of a famous woman scientist with great success．
B．A brief introduction about an unknown great woman scientist．
C．The new development of a special woman scientist．
D．The secret of an infamous woman scientist．
HONG KONG, Feb 2 (Reuters Life!) – They’ll huff, they’ll puff – and Hong Kong Disney hopes. The Three Little Pigs will bring the house down this Chinese New Year.
The pigs, who last the Big Bad Wolf in Disney’s 1933 hit cartoon, will parade around the park in a bid to attract visitors during the lunar new year holiday, which this year falls on Feb 18. This year has been dubbed the “Year of the Pig.”
With funny caps and oversized bow ties the porky trio will make their first appearance before Sleeping Beauty’s castle. Millions of mainland Chinese visitors are expected to visit Hong Kong during the extended break.
Hong Kong Disney will be decked out in splendid golds and reds in the run up to this important holiday. The park will also have firecrackers and peach blossoms to ward off bad luck.
Mickey, Goofy, Donald and the gang will wear traditional Chinese clothing during the festivities which run from February 2 to March 4 th.
The pigs are part of a marketing campaign aimed at restoring the park’s reputation which was ruined last Chinese New Year when overcrowding made officials lock the doors, barring scores of mainland tourists with valid tickets from entering.
1．The underlined phrase “bring the house down” in the first paragraph probably has the same meaning as .
A．pull down the house B．be warmly welcomed
C．be on stage D．be brought in to Hong Kong
2．We can infer from the passage that the three little pigs are .
A．special pigs to be raised in Hong Kong B．imported from Europe
C．lovely cartoon characters D．specially prepared for the festival dinner
3．Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A．There were too many people from Hong Kong to visit the park last year.
B．Many people from mainland China could not enter the park although they had the right ticket.
C．Many people from mainland China could not enter the park because they did not have the right ticket.
D．The officials looked the doors in order not to ruin the reputation of the park.
In a moment of personal crisis (危机), how much help can you expect from a New York taxi driver? I began studying this question and found the answers interesting.
One morning I got into three different taxis and announced: “Well, it’s my first day back in New York in seven years. I’ve been in prison.” Not a single driver replied, so I tried again. “Yeah, I shot a man in Reno,” I explained, hoping the driver would ask me why, so I could say casually, “Just to watch him die.” But nobody asked. The only response came from a Ghanaian driver: “Reno? That is in Nevada?”
Taxi drivers were uniformly (一致地) sympathetic when I said I’d just been fired. “This is America,” a Haitian driver said. “One door is closed. Another is open.” He argued against my plan to burn down my boss’s house: “If you do something silly and they put you away, you cannot look for another job.” A Pakistani driver even turned down a chance to profit from my loss of hope: He refused to take me to the middle of the George Washington Bridge, a $20 trip. “Why you want to go there? Go home and relax. Don’t worry. Take a new job.”
One very hot weekday in July, while wearing a red ski mask (面具) and holding a stuffed (塞满的) pillowcase with the word “BANK” on it, I tried hailing (招呼) a taxi five times outside different banks. The driver picked me up every time. My ride with Guy Caaude Theve – nain, a Haitian driver, was typical of the superb (一流的) assistance I received.
“Is anyone following us?”
“No.” said the driver, looking in his rearview mirror at traffic and me.
“Let’s go across the park,” I said. “I just robbed the bank there. I got $ 25,000.”
“$ 25,000?” he asked.
“Yeah, you think it was wrong to take it?”
“No, man. I work 8 hours and I earn just $ 70. If I can do that, I do it too.”
As we approached 86, Lexington Street, I pointed to the Chemical Bank.
“Hey, there’s another bank.” I said. “Could you wait here a minute while I go inside?”
“No, I can’t wait. Pay me now.” His reluctance may have something to do with money – taxi drivers think the rate for waiting time is too low, but I think he wanted me to learn that even a bank robber can’t expect unconditional support.
1．From the Ghanaian driver’s response, we can infer that .
A．he was not caring about the killing
B．he was frightened to hear what the writer said
C．he thought the writer was a criminal
D．he thought the writer was crazy
2．Why did the Pakistani driver refuse to give the writer a ride?
A．He didn’t want to help the writer get over his career crisis.
B．He was in a hurry to go home and relax.
C．The place was far away.
D．He thought the writer was going to kill himself.
3．The underlined word “reluctance” in the last paragraph most probably means .
A．anger B．unwillingness C．opportunity D．eagerness
4．What does the passage mainly discuss?
A．Honesty of taxi drivers in New York.
B．Taxi riders’ awareness of possible dangers.
C．Taxi drivers’ attitudes towards riders.
Once home to the world’s largest trading port , East London is a lovely and cultural place to visit . Here are some of the places of interest there .
Aquarium (水族馆)
Beachfront , Esplanade , East London
Tel : 705 2637
Open daily ：9 a. m.— 5 p.m.
Fish Feeding daily at 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Seal Show : daily at 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. (Performances are only 10 minutes long.)
Fees : adults-£9,, children (3—16years) —£5, schools/ groups£3 per person .
This is the oldest aquarium in the country . It is also a large office for Tourism in East London , supplying booklets an information to the public .
Border Birders Club is one of the programs here . This is a super birding club where the whole family can have a nice Saturday walk around , looking at different types of birds and talking with the friendly members along the way . For more information , look for the notice on the notice boards outside the Beacon Bay Library and at the Aquarium or call 7352195 .
Calgary Transport Museum
13km from East London on N6 to Stutterheim
Tel : 730 7244
Open daily : 9 a. m.—4 p.m.
Closed：Friday & Christmas Day
Fees ：adults—£5, children—£3
Fine collection of restored horse drawn vehicles , carts , wagons , buggies , a gypsy caravan and governess cart .
Museum—The East London Museum
Upper Oxford Street (Entrance and parking in Dawson Road )
Tel : 743 0686
Fax : 743 3127
Open : Monday-Friday 9:30 a.m. —5 p.m.；Saturday 2 p.m.—5p.m .；
Sunday & Public Holidays 11 a.m. —4 p.m.
Fees：Adults —£5 ,children—￡2, school groups & scholars in uniform are free .
Go on a wonderful adventure into the past . Best known as the home of the Coelacanth & world’s only Dodo Egg , the museum also has an excellent display about the rich and colorful culture of Xhosa , living in South Africa . There is also a Museum Cafeteria with refreshments .
1．How much would a couple with one child pay to go to the East London Museum ?
A．£7. B．£12. C．£13. D．£23.
2．If you want to have a nice Saturday walk , you can dial .
A．7430686 B．7433127C．7352195 D．7307244
3．We can learn from the passage that .
A．On Christmas Day , you cannot visit Calgary Transport Museum
B．you can enjoy the seal show at 4 p.m. every day
C．in Border Birders Club , you can see the worlds’ only Dodo Egg
D．people can go to the Beacon Bay Library in the East London Museum
4．If a person is interested in African culture , he should visit.
A．Border Birders Club B．the East London Museum
C．Aquarium D．Calgary Transport Museum