On a cool November afternoon in Fleming Island, Florida, Melissa Hawkinson, 41, was driving her five-year-old twins home from school when she saw a sudden splash in Doctors Lake just ahead. What was that? She thought. As she drove up to the scene, she saw a half-submerged car sinking about 30 yards offshore. “It was going down pretty quickly,” Hawkinson recalls. She stopped the car near the boat ramp and ran toward the water. Water is going to be cold, she thought.
She took off her vest and leather boots, got into the icy water, and swam to the car, where she found Cameron Dorsey, five, trapped into his car as the swirling water rose around him.
Hawkinson tried to open the door, but it was locked. So she pushed and pulled hard on the partially open window until she could reach through and unlock the door. She pulled the boy free, swam to shore, and handed him off to onlookers who were only watching them on a dock. The driver, the boy’s suicidal father, swam back to land on his own. Afterward, Hawkinson sat on the shore wrapped in a blanket. “For ten or 15 minutes, I couldn’t stop shaking,” she said.
There’s nothing visibly extraordinary about Melissa Hawkinson, an energetic stay-at-home mom with brown hair and a sweet smile. Yet something made her different from the dockside onlookers that day. Why do some people act quickly, willing to take a risk for a stranger? What makes them run toward danger rather than away from it? Hawkinson, the Granite Mountain Hotshots (能手，高手)---19 of whom lost their life this past summer in Arizona--- every hero who puts his or her life on the line to save another: what makes them brave?
Moreover, can bravery be learned, or is it a quality with which you are born? The answer is complex. Bravery taps the mind, brain and heart. It comes from instinct, training and sympathy. Today, neurologists, psychologists and other researchers are studying bravery, trying to uncover the mystery.It can be learned from the passage that _______.
| A．Melissa Hawkinson was a 41-year-old nurse |
| B．it was spring when the accident happened |
| C．Melissa Hawkinson was picking up her five-year-old son |
| D．Melissa Hawkinson was kind and courageous. |
What conclusion can we draw from the third paragraph?
| A．Not everyone was ready to risk saving the five-year-old boy.. |
| B．The father committed suicide because of the divorce. |
| C．The father was saved in the end by Melissa Hawkinson. |
| D．No one else was available except Melissa Hawkinson. |
How does the writer find other people on the dockside?
| A．Warm and ready to help | B．Thoughtful |
| C．Kind of cold-blooded | D．Not skillful at swimming |
What is the writer’s purpose of writing this passage?
| A．To set us thinking what makes people brave. |
| B．To call on us to learn from such people as Hawkinson. |
| C．To remind people of risk while saving others. |
| D．To show people bravery can be learned. |
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。
The city of Rome has passed a new to prevent cruelty to animals. All goldfish bowls are no longer allowed and dog owners must walk their dogs.
This comes after a national law was passed to give prison sentences to people who desert cats or dogs.
“The civilization of a city can be measured by this,” said Monica Carina, the councilor (议员) behind the new law.
“It’s good to do whatever we can for our animals who in exchange for a little love fill our existence with their attention,” she told a Rome newspaper.
The newspaper reported that round bowls don’t give enough oxygen for fish and may make them go blind.
“Rome has tried to protect fish more than anywhere else in the world .It stands out for recognizing that fish are interesting animals who deserve（值得）over respect and compassion every bit as much as dogs and cats and other animals,” said Karin Robertson, a director of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Last year a law was passed in Italy that gives people who desert pets big fines （罚款）and prison sentences. Since then local governments have added their own animal protection rules.
The northern city of Turin passed a law in April to give pet owners fines of up to ＄598 if they do not walk their dogs three times a day.
The new law in Rome also says that owners mustn’t leave their dogs in hot cars or cut their dogs’ tails to make them look lovelies. The law also gives legal recognition to the “cat ladies” who feed homeless cats. The cats live all over the city from ancient ruins to modern office car parks.
1．The new law passed in Rome will __________.
A．help improve fishing environment
B．guarantee better conditions for goldfish
C．stop people from catching goldfish
D．discourage keeping goldfish at home
2．People in Rome believe that the civilization of a city can be judged by its __________.
A．exchanges with other cities
B．protection for ancient ruins
C．awareness of animal protection
D．recognition of animal lovers
3．The underlined word “compassion” in Paragraph 6 is the closest in meaning to _______.
A．pity
B．praise
C．support
D．popularity
4．People may break the law in Turin if they _________.
A．keep their dogs or cats in cars
B．feed homeless animals in car parks
C．raise their cats near ancient ruins
D．shut their dogs home all day long
The year was 1932．Amelia Earhart was flying alone from North America to England in a small single—engined aeroplane．At midnight, several hours after she had left Newfoundland, she ran into bad weather．To make things worse, her altimeter (高度表) failed and she didn't know how high she was flying．At night, and in a storm, a pilot is in great difficulty without an altimeter．At times, her plane nearly plunged (冲) into the sea.
Just before dawn, there was further trouble．Amelia noticed flames (火焰) coming from the engine．Would she be able to reach land? There was nothing to do except to keep going and to hope.
In the end, Amelia Earhart did reach Ireland, and for the courage she had shown, she was warmly welcomed in England and Europe．When she returned to the United States, she was honored by President Hoover at a special dinner in the White House．From that time on, Amelia Earhart was famous.
What was so important about her flight? Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly the Atlantic Ocean alone, and she had set a record of fourteen hours and fifty—six minutes.
In the years that followed, Amelia Earhart made several flights across the United States, and on each occasion (时刻) she set a new record for flying time．Amelia Earhart made these flights to show that women had a place in aviation (航空) and that air travel was useful.
Which of the following statements is NOT the difficulty which Amelia Earhart met in her flight from north America to England?
| A．She was caught in a storm． | B．The altimeter went out of order. |
| C．Her engine went wrong． | D．She lost her direction. |
When Amelia Earhart saw flames coming from the engine, what did she do?
| A．She did nothing but pray for herself. |
| B．She changed her direction and landed in Ireland. |
| C．She continued flying. |
| D．She lost hope of reaching land. |
According to the passage, what was Amelia Earhart’s reason for making her flights?
| A．To set a new record for flying time. |
| B．To be the first woman to fly around the world. |
| C．To show that aviation was not just for men. |
| D．To become famous in the world. |
Which of the following statements was NOT mentioned?
A．She was the first woman who succeeded in flying across the Atlantic Ocean alone.
B．She showed great courage in overcoming the difficulties during the flight.
C She was warmly welcomed in England, Europe and the United States.
D．She made plans to fly around the world.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Amelia Earhart—First Across the Atlantic. |
| B．Amelia Earhart—Pioneer in Women’s Aviation. |
| C．A New Record for Flying Time. |
| D．A Dangerous Flight from North America to England. |
Matt grow the best vegetables in the village．He grows fruit too--big , sweet apples and oranges．And what else ? Well , the biggest and the prettiest flowers．Things grow in Matt' s garden all through the year．He cuts some flowers for his sitting room table ; and of course , he eats some fruit and vegetables．But he sells everything else in the market．Matt is not a poor man．
He knows a few other gardens ; but he does not have any friends．You might ask , " What is that ? Why doesn ' t he have friends ? "
I will tell you．People do not understand him．And they do not understand his garden, " Why not ? " you will ask．" It' s a very good garden , isn' t it ? "
It is a wonderful garden．Matt plants things in spring , summer and autumn and winter ．After that he does very little work．He sits in the garden with his small radio ．And everything grows ．
People ask , " How does Matt grow these wonderful things ? He waters the plants sometimes , but he doesn' t do anything else ．He just sits under an orange tree with his radio ．He listens to music nearly all day ! " And that is all quite true , people cannot understand it , and so they don' t like it very much ．
Matt likes music ．But what about the garden ? Who does the work ? I will tell you another true thing : the music does the work ．All plants love music ; and Matt knows that .
Do you want big vegetables and the loveliest flowers ? Well , just give your plants a lot of music , There are not only vegetables and flowers , but also ______ in Matt' s garden ．
| A．plants | B．fruit trees | C．ants | D．crops |
Matt makes a living by _______.
| A．selling his vegetables , fruit and flowers |
| B．growing trees in his garden |
| C．working in the market |
| D．helping other people growing plants |
Everything in Matt' s garden grows well because _____
| A．he has a good garden |
| B．he is good at growing things and likes listening to the radio |
| C．music helps his plants a lot |
| D．he is very hardworking |
People think that ______ .
| A．Matt' s garden is better than theirs |
| B．Matt works harder than they |
| C．Matt knows how to grow vegetables well |
| D．the radio helps Matt to grow veveything well in his garden |
People don' t like Matt because ____.
| A．he doesn' t give thim any vegetables or fruit |
| B．he listens to the radio too much |
| C．they are jealous（嫉妒的） of him |
| D．Matt doesn' t let them listen to his radio |
When Dean Arnold got his first job, he was miserable (痛苦的), Each time he went to work, he coughed and he couldn’t breathe．Working in a bakery(面包房) when you are allergic to (对…过敏) flour can be painful.
But Arnold stayed with the National Biscuit Company for ten years．He was a businessman and he helped them improve production．At last his health problems became too serious．He left and formed his own company.
With his wife and mother, he founded Arnold Bakery．They tried new recipes (配方)．changing the kind and amount of flour used．This enabled Arnold to work there without too much pain．The bread, made with unbleached flour (标准粉), was baked in a brick oven (烘炉).
They began by baking two dozen loaves．The bread was sold door to door for fifteen cents a loaf．Winning customers to his unusual, old-fashioned bread took time．But Arnold, struggling against his allergy, built his bakery into one of the largest in the United States.A good title for this passage would be.
| A．A Sick Baker | B．A Brick-oven Bread Baker |
| C．An Old-fashioned Baker | D．How to Overcome Allergy |
Dean left the National Biscuit Company because he _______．
| A．suffered from allergy to flour | B．didn’t like the job |
| C．wanted to make more money | D．wanted to form his own company |
During his stay in the National Biscuit Company, _______.
| A．he founded Arnold Bakery |
| B．he tried a new method of baking |
| C．he helped the company improve their production |
| D．he became successful in his business |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．Arnold’s bread was baked in a brick oven. |
| B．Arnold’s bread was made with unbleached flour. |
| C．Arnold’s bread was sold at a low price. |
| D．Arnold’s bread was of poor quality. |
From the passage we can conclude that Arnold was ________.
| A．determined | B．brave | C．usual | D．unhealthy |
One day a few years ago a very funny thing happened to a neighbour of mine．He is a teacher at one of London’s big medical schools, He had finished his teaching for the summer term and was at the airport on his way to Russia to give a lecture.
He had put a few clothes and his lecture notes in his shoulder bag, but he had put Rupert, the skeleton (人体骨骼) to be used in his lecture, in a large brown suitcase (箱子)．At the airport desk, he suddenly thought that he had forgotten to buy a newspaper．He left his suitcase near the desk and went over to the shop.
When he got back he discovered that someone had taken his suitcase by mistake．He often wonders what they said when they got home and found Rupert.Who wrote the story?
| A．Rupert’s teacher. | B．The neighbour’s teacher. |
| C．A medical school teacher. | D．The teacher’s neighbour. |
Why did the teacher put a skeleton in his suitcase?
| A．He needed it for the summer term in London. |
| B．He needed it for the lecture he was going to give. |
| C．He wanted to take it to Russia for medical research. |
| D．He wanted to take it home as he had finished his teaching. |
What happened at the airport?
| A．The skeleton went missing. | B．The skeleton was stolen . |
| C．The teacher forgot his suitcase. | D．The teacher took the wrong suitcase . |
Which of the following best tells the teacher’s feeling about the incident?
| A．He is very angry . | B．He thinks it rather funny . |
| C．He feels helpless without Rupert. | D．He feels good without Rupert . |
Which of the following might have happened afterwards?
| A．The teacher got back the suitcase but not Rupert. |
| B．The teacher got back neither the suitcase nor Rupert. |
| C．The teacher got back Rupert but not the suitcase. |
| D．The teacher got back both the suitcase and Rupert. |