Almost every day we come across situations in which we have to make decisions one way or another. Choice, we are given to believe, is a right. But for a good many people in the world, in rich and poor countries, choice is a luxury, something wonderful but hard to get, not a right. And for those who think they are exercising their right to make choices, the whole system is merely an illusion, a false idea created by companies and advertisers hoping to sell their products.
The endless choice gives birth to anxiety in people's life. Buying something as basic as a coffee pot is not exactly simple. Easy access to a wide range of everyday goods leads to a sense of powerlessness in many people, ending in the shopper giving up and walking away, or just buying an unsuitable item that is not really wanted. Recent studies in England have shown that many electrical goods bought in almost every family are not really needed. More difficult decision-making is then either avoided or trusted into the hands of the professionals, lifestyle instructors, or advisors.
It is not just the availability of the goods that is the problem, but the speed with which new types of products come on the market. Advances in design and production help quicken the process. Products also need to have a short lifespan so that the public can be persuaded to replace them within a short time. The typical example is computers, which are almost out-of-date once they are bought. This indeed makes selection a problem. Gone are the days when one could just walk with ease into a shop and buy one thing: no choice, no anxiety. What does the author try to argue in Paragraph 1?
| A．The exercise of rights is a luxury. |
| B．The practice of choice is difficult. |
| C．The right of choice is given but at a price. |
| D．Choice and right exist at the same time. |
Why do more choices of goods give rise to anxiety?
| A．Professionals find it hard to decide on a suitable product. |
| B．People are likely to find themselves overcome by business persuasion. |
| C．Shoppers may find themselves lost in the broad range of items. |
| D．Companies and advertisers are often misleading about the range of choice. |
By using computers as an example, the author wants to prove _______.
| A．advanced products meet the needs of people |
| B．products of the latest design flood the market |
| C．competitions are fierce in high-tech industry |
| D．everyday goods need to be replaced often |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The variety of choices in modern society. |
| B．The opinions on people's right in different countries. |
| C．The problem about the availability of everyday goods. |
| D．The helplessness in purchasing decisions. |
Seeing a volcano erupt is a wonderful experience, and you can really feel the beat by climbing to the summit(山顶) of Pacaya for a close-up view. There are guided tours every day up this highly active volcano from Antigua, giving travelers a chance to see Mother Nature at her most powerful.
Pacaya is an easy drive from Antigua, a beautiful city with many colorful houses along its old streets that are turned into art-works during its Holy Week festival. No matter when you come to Antigua, you won’t miss the Pacaya-tour companies.
But climbing Pacaya is no easy job: it is 2560 metres high, and reaching the summit takes two to three hours of seemingly one-step-forward and two-step-back movements. As you climb, you hear the dull sounds of eruptions high above steaming. Hot remains from recent eruptions begin to line the path as you are near the active
summit; the McKenney Cone(火山锥).
Many tours are timed so when you arrive at the cone of the volcano there is plenty of time for sunset and the full contrast between the erupting red lava and the darkening sky. On a good day the view from the summit is extremely exciting. The active mouth boils, sending red lava over its sides, and once in a while shoots hot streams up to 100 metres into the air. There is a strong bad smell in the air even if you take care to be upwind of the cone. As evening turns deeper into the night, the burning lava quietly falls down the side of the volcano. For you, too, it is time to get down .
71. What is the main purpose of this passage?
A. To attract tourists to Pacaya. B. To describe the beauty of Pacaya.
C. To introduce guided tours to Pacaya. D. To explain the power of nature at Pacaya.
72. Antigua is a city .
A. where people can enjoy cultural festivals B. where the daring Pacaya tour starts
C. that gives a close-up view of Paraya D. that is famous for its tour companies
73. Climbing to the McKenney Cone, people will .
A. walk directly to the active summit
B. hear the continuous loud screams from above
C. make greater efforts than to other summits
D. see a path lined with remains of earlier eruptions
74. Many tours are timed for people to .
A. get down the mountain in time when night falls
B. avoid the smell from the upwind direction of the cone
C. enjoy the fantastic eruption against the darkening sky
D. appreciate the scenery of the 2560-metre-high mountain
75. The short passage probably comes from_
__________.
A.a travel journal B.a popular science magazine C. A novel D. an advertisement
Ⅲ 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和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I began to grow up that winter night when my parents and I were returning from my aunt＇s house, and my mother said that we might soon be leaving for America. We were on the bus then. I was crying, and some people on the bus were turning around to look at me. I remember that I could not bear the thought of never hearing again the radio program for school children to which I listened every morning.
I do not remember myself crying for that reason again. In fact, I think I cried very little when I was saying goodbye to my friends and relatives. When we were leaving I thought about all the places I was going to see—the strange and magical places I had known only from books and pictures. The country I was leaving never to come back was hardly in my head then.
The four years that followed taught me the importance of optimism, but the idea did not come to me at once. For the first two years in New York I was really lost—having to study in three schools as a result of family moves. I did not quite know what I was or what I should be. Mother remarried, and things became even more complex for me. Some time passed before my stepfather and I got used to each other. I was often sad, and saw no end to “the hard times. ”
My responsibilities in the family increased a lot since I knew English better than everyone else at home. I wrote letters, filled out forms, translated at interviews with Immigration officers, took my grandparents to the doctor and translated there, and even discussed telephone bills with company representatives.
From my experiences I have learned one important rule: Almost all common troubles eventually go away! Something good is certain to happen in the end when you do not give up, and just wait a little! I believe that my life will turn out all right, even though it will not be that easy.
66. How did the author get to know America?
A. From her relatives B. From her mother
C. From books and picturesD. From radio programs
67. Upon leaving for America the author felt .
A. confused B. excited C. worried D. disappointed
68. For the first two years in New York, the author .
A. often lost her wayB. did not think about her future
C. studied in three different schools D. got on well with her stepfather
69. What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 4?
A. She worked as a translator
B. She attended a lot of job interviews
C. She paid telephone bills for her family
D. She helped her family with her English
70. The author believes that .
A. her future will be free from troubles
B. it is difficult to learn to become patient
C. there are more good things than bad things
D. good things will happen if one keeps trying
C
Recently the World Health Organization announced that the disease of
smallpox（天花）had almost been wiped out in most parts of the world, thanks to widespread vaccination（种牛痘）. Most people are vaccinated at least once in their lives and if they wish to travel from one country to another they must be able to prove that they have had a recent vaccination. In this way the disease has been prevented from spreading and today one seldom hears of it at all.
This is mainly because of the great discovery made by a village doctor, Edward
Jenner, in about 1798 when he published his report of his new experiment called vaccination (from the word ‘vacca’ meaning a cow). Jenner discovered that people who worked with cattle often suffered from a harmless disease which they caught from the cattle, but these people never seemed to get smallpox. So he experimented by putting the disease into a small opening on the arms of healthy people, and though their arms became painful for a day or two, they soon recovered and none of these people ever got smallpox.
So the news of the wonderful discovery spread to other countries and people
rushed to their doctors to be vaccinated. In many countries the simple way to deal with the arm was done on thousands of people, and the terrible smallpox be
gan to disappear.
71．Vaccination against smallpox has been so successful that _________ .
A．the discoverer made a large amount of money
B．Dr Jenner was given a prize by the World Health Organization
C．smallpox has almost disappeared in most countries
D．smallpox was no longer in existence on earth
72 ．Smallpox has been prevented from spreading through the following measures EXCEPT that ________.
A．most people were vaccinated against the disease at least once
B．people going abroad should promise not to spread the disease
C．people travelling from one country to another must prove they are vaccinated
D．people must be vaccinated shortly before going to foreign countries
73 ．What led Dr Jenner to experiment with vaccination was that ________ .
A．he wanted to make a great discovery and publish it
B．vaccination could make people's arms safe
C．he tried to cure the farmers of some disease caught from the cattle
D．those who worked with cattle seemed free from getting smallpox
74．The doctor's new discovery was called ‘vaccination’ for the reason that ________ .
A．he discovered smallpox near a farm
B．he experimented with a disease from the cattle
C．he was working with cattle in the countryside
D．people got the disease of smallpox from the cattle
75．The news of the discovery ________.
A．caught people's attention from all corners of the world
B．spread far and near in the western countries
C．made people rush to Dr Jenner for vaccination
D．helped to get rid of the terrible disease of smallpox
B
China is going green．In order to reduce air pollution and oil shortages, carmakers have announced their plans to develop hybrid vehicles (混合燃料汽车) for the Chinese market．Toyota’s hybrid car Prius will be ready to drive in China this week．Let’s have a look at the new car．
Any vehicle is a hybrid run on a rechargeable battery and gas．Hybrid cars have special engines, which are smaller than traditional gas engines．The gasoline engine provides 99 percent of the power when the car is going at a steady speed. A specially designed battery motor provides extra power for running up hills or when it needs to speed up．
Step into a Prius, and turn on the engine．The first thing you notice is that it is quieter than a traditional car．At this point, the car’s gas engine is at rest．The electric motor will provide power until the car reaches about 24km/h．If you stay at a low speed, you are effectively driving an electric car, with no gas being used, and no waste gas given off．
The computer decides when to use the gas engine, when to go electric, and when to use a combination of the two．If you go over 24km/h, when you step on the gas pedal (油门), you are telling the computer how fast you want to go．
The electric motor recharges automatically using a set of batteries．And when driving at a high speed, the gas engine not only powers the car but also recharges the batteries．When you use the brake, the electric motor in the wheels will work like a generator (发电机) to produce electricity to recharge the batteries．As a result, the car’s batteries will last for around 200,000 miles．
66．The underlined sentence probably means ________.
A．there will be more and more green land in China
B．China’s new cars are combinations of different green models
C．China is still young and lacking in experience
D．the environment is getting better in China
67. What is the most important feature of hybrid cars?
A. They are powered by both a rechargeable battery and gas.
B. They have smaller engines than traditional gas ones.
C. They only use 99 percent of their power to run up hill.
D. They are much quieter than traditional cars.
68. We can know from the story that ________.
A. the gas engine recharges the batteries as well as powering the car
B. using the brake suggests that the gas engine should work
C. the car’s batteries will last for around 200,000 miles without being recharged
D. the batteries can be recharged at any time you want
69. The author writes the passage mainly to________.
A. announce plans to develop hybrid vehicles for the Chinese market
B. let people know how to save their gas when driving a car
C. teach people how to drive a hybrid car
D. introduce a new kind of “green” car
70．Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?
A．The hybrid car is environmentally friendly．
B．The hybrid car is unable to get itself recharged．
C．The hybrid car has been made in mass．
D．The hybrid car can decide what power to use
III. 阅读 (共两节，满分35分)
第一节阅读理解 (共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
“Can I see my baby?” asked the happy new mother. The bundle (婴儿包) was placed in her arms and when she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped--the baby had been born without ears. Time, however, proved that the baby’s hearing was perfect except his appearance．
One day when he rushed home from school and threw himself into his mother’s arms, he cried out bitterly，“A boy, a big boy…called me－a f... freak.” She sighed, knowing that his life was to be endless of heartbreaks．
He grew up，handsome for his misfortune．A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that．He developed a gift for literature and music．
The boy’s father had a talk with the family doctor．Could nothing be done? “I believe we could graft (移植) on a pair of outer ears，if they could be donated (捐献) ,” the doctor decided．So the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice (牺牲) for a young man．Two years went by．Then, “You’re going to the hospital，son．Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need．But it’s a secret.” said the father．
The operation was a brilliant success．His talents blossomed into genius．School and college became a series of successes．Later he married and entered the diplomatic (外交) service．“But I must know!” he urged his father．“Who gave so much for me? I could never do enough for him.”
“I do not believe you could,” said the father，“but
the agreement was that you are not to know…not yet.” The years kept the secret, but the day did come...one of the darkest days that ever passed through a son．He stood with his father over his mother’s casket(棺材)．Slowly and tenderly，the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick，reddish-brown hair to let out the secret．
61．The story is mainly about________．
A．how a boy had new ears through an operation
B．what a devoted parent privately did for the child
C．how a disabled boy turned into a useful person
D．why a donator made a sacrifice to a bright boy
62．From the first paragraph we know that the mother ________．
A．was determined to donate her ears to perfect her son
B．kept her husband unknown about the baby’s situation
C．felt shocked and disappointed to see her new baby
D．complained of her bad luck to have a disabled child
63．The underlined word “freak” in Paragraph 2 is the closest in meaning to “________”．
A. slow-acting person B．ugly-looking child
C．badly-behaved student D．strangely-shaped creature
64．What can be inferred from the passage?
A．The agreement was between the donator and the family．
B．The boy was so popular that he was made class president．
C．Finally the boy came to know who the donator was．
D．The mother donated her ears to her son after she died．
65. What moral (道德的) lesson can we draw from this reading?
A. Real love lies in what is done unknown rather than what is done known.
B. It is parents’ responsibility to help their children heart and soul.
C. True beauty lies only in the heart not in appearance.
D. Young generations should learn to be grateful.