EACH of us fails from time to time. If we are wise, we accept these failures as a necessary part of the learning process. But all too often we convey to our children either by words or by actions that failure is something to be ashamed of, that nothing but top performance meets our approval.
Donnie was my youngest third-grader. His fear of failure kept him from classroom games that other children played excitedly. He seldom answered questions – he might be wrong. He seldom finished his work because he repeatedly checked with me to be sure he hadn’t made a mistake.
I tried my best to build his self-confidence. But nothing changed until midterm, when Mary Anne, a student teacher, was assigned to our classroom. She was young and pretty, and she loved children. My pupils, Donnie included, adored her. But even enthusiastic, loving Mary was baffled by this little boy who feared he might make a mistake.
Then one morning we were working math problems. Donnie had copied the problems with painstaking neatness and filled in answers for the first row. Pleased with his progress, I left the children with Mary. But when I returned, Donnie was in tears. He’d missed the third problem.
Mary looked at me in despair. Suddenly her face brightened. From the desk we shared, she got a canister (小筒) filled with pencils.
“Look, Donnie,” she said, “I’ve got something to show you.” She removed the pencils and placed them on his desk. “See these pencils, Donnie?” she continued. “They belong to Mrs. Lindstrom and me. See how the erasers are worn? That’s because we make mistakes too. Lots of them. But we erase the mistakes and try again. That’s what you must learn to do, too.”
She kissed him and continued: “I’ll leave one of these pencils on your desk so you’ll remember that everybody makes mistakes, even teachers.” Donnie looked up with love in his eyes and just a glimmer (少许) of a smile.
The pencil became Donnie’s prized possession. That, together with Mary Anne’s frequent encouragement and praise for even Donnie’s small successes, gradually persuaded him that it’s all right to make mistakes – as long as you erase them and try again. The word “baffled” in Paragraph 3 most probably means __________.
| A．eased | B．confused | C．defeated | D．impressed |
Which of the following words best describe Mary Anne as she is shown in the article?
| A．Patient and inspiring. | B．Creative and modest. |
| C．Determined and strict. | D．Considerate and proud. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?
| A．Each of us should try our best to be a perfectionist. |
| B．Donnie rarely finished his work because he seldom answered questions and thus had difficulties. |
| C．The story was written mainly to sing high praise for Mary Anne. |
| D．The author seems to believe that failure is an opportunity to learn and make progress. |
B
Energy-saving Finns invented the first ice skate more than 5,000 years ago, as a practical method of transport to make getting across frozen lakes less of a struggle.
The earliest skates would have been blades made from bones and are one of the oldest means of transport ever discovered —they may even have been essential survival tools.
Researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University have calculated that ice skates would have saved energy by 10 percent, and suggest that they were developed for practical use and were not used for recreation, as they are today.
They think the most likely birthplace of skating is southern Finland, where there are many icy lakes.
The scientists have put their theory to the test and made replica（复制品） skates modeled after examples held at the British Museum and the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge.
Volunteers on ice rinks in the Alps had their heart rates, oxygen intake and skating speeds measured while they skated with the replica skates. From this experiment, re-searchers were able to calculate energy consumption and the efficiency of their skating. They discovered that skating over the land in ancient Fin-land would have saved 10 percent of people’s energy. The result is based on the fact that Finland has the highest concentration of lakes in the world. The ancient Finnish people could benefit more than others from developing this tool for transport.
In a time and environment in which the balance between energy taken from food and energy required to live was crucial; the least cost of energy might have helped humans survive in extreme conditions.
45. The first ice skate invented by the Finns was used for _____.
A. recreation B. transportation across lakes
C. saving energy D. sports
46. The birthplace of skating might be southern Finland because _____.
A. there are many icy lakes there
B. people need more oxygen to breathe in there
C. people feel tired easily there
D. transportation there is more difficult
47. Scientists have experimented with replica skates and found that with those skates the ancient
Finnish people would have _____.
A. crossed a lot of lakes
B. saved 10 percent of energy when crossing the lakes
C. climbed the Alps easily
D. otherwise wasted a lot of food and energy
48. It can be inferred from the story that _____.
A. the Finnish people were clever enough to invent the practical skates
B. there were a lot of lakes in ancient Finland
C. the living conditions were very hard for the ancient Finnish people
D. it was very cold in ancient times in Finland
III、阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项。
A
Do dogs understand us?
Be careful what you say around your dog. It might understand more than you think.
A border collie named Rico recognizes the names of about 200 objects, say researchers in Germany. The dog also appears to be able to learn new words as easily as a 3-year-old child. Its word-learning skills are as good as those of a parrot or chimpanzee(黑猩猩).
In one experiment, the researchers took all 200 items that Rico is supposed to know and divided them into 20 groups of 10 objects. Then the owner told the dog to go and fetch one of the items and bring it back. In four tests, Rico got 37 out of 40 commands right. As the dog couldn't see anyone to get clues, the scientists believe Rico must understand the meanings of certain words.
In another experiment, the scientists took one toy that Rico had never seen before and put it in a room with seven toys whose names the dog already knew. The owner then told Rico to fetch the object, using a word the dog had never heard before.
The correct object was chosen in seven out of l0 tests, suggesting that the dog had worked
out the answer by process of elimination(排除法). A month later, Rico remembered half of the new names, which is even more impressive.
Rico is thought to be smarter than the average dog. For one thing, Rico is a border collie, a breed (品种)known for its mental abilities. In addition, the 9-year-old dog has been trained to fetch toys by their names since the age of nine months.
It's hard to know if all dogs understand at least some of the words we say. Even if they do, they can't talk back. Still, it wouldn't hurt to sweet-talk your dog every now and then. You might just get a big, wet kiss in return!
41. From paragraph 3 we know that _________.
A. animals are as clever as human beings
B. dogs are smarter than parrots and chimpanzees
C. chimpanzees have very good word-learning skills
D. dogs have the same learning abilities as 3-year-old children
42. Both experiments show that .
A. Rico is smart enough to get all commands right
B. Rico can recognize different things including toys
C. Rico has developed the ability of learning mathematics
D. Rico won't forget the names of objects once recognizing them
43. Which of the following statements is true?
A. The purpose of the experiments is to show the border collie's mental abilities.
B. Rico has a better memory partly because of its proper early training.
C. The Border collie is world-famous for recognizing objects.
D. Rico is born to understand its owner's commands.
44. What does the writer want to tell us?
A. To train your dog. B. To talk to your dog.
C. To be friendly to your dog. D. To be careful with your dog.
E
When most people think of tropical islands, lined with white sandy beaches and bright blue seas, it is often the Caribbean or South Pacific that comes to mind. But for Chinese tourists who want a taste of paradise on Earth there is new place to consider. Mauritius, an island lying off the southeast of Africa in the Indian Ocean, has just been added to China’s list of tourist destinations. Rich in history, natural beauty and culture, the island has been a popular destination for the world’s tourists for many years.
On December 15 a total of eight African countries were added to the list. The others are Tunisia, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia and the Seychelles.
The island has passed through the controlling hands of a number of European powers, including Dutch, French and British. In 1968, Mauritius won its independence.
At present, over half the population of Mauritius is Hindu and another fifth is Muslim (穆斯林). Both groups are descendants (后裔) from workers brought to the island from India by the British. Some Chinese were also brought over to work. There are also descendants of African slaves and Franco Mauritians, the original settlers of the island. One of the best things about the island is the food. There is a mouth watering mix of European, Chinese and Indian flavours and seafood is very popular. A typical Mauritian dinner might have Indian chicken curry, Chinese pork, British roast beef and French style vegetables. Boiled rice is served with just about everything. All that is washed down with a plentiful supply of local beer and rum (浪姆酒).
The pleasant tropical climate and scenery provide the perfect setting to enjoy everything. The sea is full of colorful life that lives around the coral reef (珊瑚礁). This makes Mauritius a wonderful place for swimming and diving. The large number of interesting fish means it is also an exciting place for those who like to go fishing.
（）72. Which group of the following topics is NOT discussed in the text?
A. Food and history. B. Scenery and population.
C. Location and sports. D. Natural resources and agriculture.
（）73. Which of the following is TRUE?
A. Mauritius has something similar to the Caribbean or South Pacific.
B. Mauritius has a history of less than 40 years.
C. Mauritius has been a popular destination for Chinese tourists for many years.
D. The main food in Mauritius is local beer and rum.
（）74. The underlined word "This" in the last paragraph refers to "______".
A. pleasant tropical climate B. beautiful scenery
C. the sea with colorful life D. the coral reef
（）75. The text is mainly written to_______.
A. attract more Chinese to travel to Mauritius.
B. introduce some information about Mauritius.
C. give some advice on how to visit Mauritius.
D. help the visitors understand more about Mauritius.
D
Who takes care of the elderly in the United States today? Many people wrongly believe that when people reach old age, their families place them in nursing homes. They are left there in the hands of strangers for the rest of their lives. Their grown-up children visit them only occasionally, but more often, they do not have any regular visitors. Actually this is not true. In fact, family members provide over 80 percent of the care that elderly people need.
Prof. Samuel Preston, a sociologist at the University of Pennsylvania, studied how the American family is changing. He reported that by the time the average American couple reaches 40 years of age, they have more parents than children. This statistic (统计) shows the change in life-styles and responsibilities of aging Americans. The average middle-aged couple can look forward to caring for elderly parents some time after their own children have grown up. Moreover, because people today live longer after an illness than people did years ago, family members must provide long-term care. These facts also mean that after care-givers provide for their elderly parents, who will eventually die, they will be old and may require care too. When they do, their spouses (配偶, 指夫或妻) will probably take care of them.
Because Americans are living longer than ever, more psychologists and social workers have begun to study care-giving to improve care of the elderly. They have found that all caregivers share a common characteristic: all caregivers believe that they are the best person for the job, for different reasons. One caregiver said that she had always been close to her mother. Another was the oldest child. In other words, they all felt that they could do the job better than anyone else. Social workers interviewed caregivers to find out why they took on the responsibility of caring for an elderly, dependent relative. They discovered three basic reasons. Many caregivers believed that they had the responsibility to help their relatives. Some stated that helping others made them feel more useful. Others hoped that by helping someone now, they would deserve care when they became old and dependent.
（）68. It can be inferred that a middle-aged couple in the US _______.
A. spend more time with their children than with their parents
B. depend on their children’s assistance in caring for the elderly
C. don’t pay more attention to their children than to their parents
D. spend more time taking care of their parents than before
（）69. The most common characteristic of caregivers is ______.
A. they all have professional qualifications in care-giving
B. they all believe themselves to be the best caregiver
C. they are the eldest child in the family
D. they are close to their parents
（）70. Which of the following is NOT a basic reason for care-giving?
A. Respect from other members of the family.
B. Prepayment for the care they will get in old age.
C. A feeling of being needed and helpful.
D. A strong sense of duty to the elderly.
（）71. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Most old people in the US are living a happy life.
B. Most old people in the US live longer today after an illness than people did years ago.
C. Most elderly people in the US are taken care of by their families, who often find the experience satisfying.
D. Most elderly people in the US prefer living with their families to living nursing houses.
C
I spotted (发现;认出) him at the checkout counter, bagging at No.14. His arms shook violently as he placed a carton (纸板箱;纸盒) of eggs into a plastic bag. He wore a yellow plastic name tag on which he had written “Jerry” in kindergarten penmanship (书法). He looked middle-aged but his mental age must have been about 12.
Ever since I smiled at him the first time he bagged my groceries at my local supermarket, Jerry has followed me around like an adoring fan. His lack of boundaries makes me uncomfortable. I don’t know how to avoid being noticed by him. I don’t want to speak to the manager — my complaint could get him fired. So I start avoiding him.
There are other grocery stores, but I choose this one because it employs people with disabilities, from which my brothers have also suffered.
Last Wednesday after I finished choosing what I wanted, I turned around and drove my cart to Checkout No.3, hoping Jerry would not notice me and stay at No.14.
“Paper or plastic, ma’am?” Jerry’s soft voice surprised me from behind. “Paper, please.” I noticed that the checkout stand created plenty of space between Jerry and the clerk. In this situation, he knew where to stand. The clerk said to me: “＄27.30, please.” I handed my own cart, signed my receipt and stepped around the counter, where Jerry was holding my last packet of biscuits. He came towards me, stopping an inch from me. He was too close. I wanted to dash out of the store and leave behind the packet. Instead, I stood with my hand frozen on the cart. His eyes looked lonely — I knew they would follow me after I left the store. I wanted to apologize for my coldness. “I’m …I’m sorry.” A tiny voice inside me said. I tapped my head with my hand as if I had forgotten something. “Forgive me. I’m from New York City. I’m not used to people being so helpful.”
He laughed. I laughed. His eyes brightened. “It’s my job, ma’am. I like it.” he said. When he offered to push my cart, I didn’t care but nodded deeply.
（）64. The author feels uncomfortable because _______________ .
A. Jerry is like an adoring fan to her
B. Jerry is mentally younger
C. Jerry’s handwriting is terrible
D. Jerry is too close to her without proper distance
（）65. At the checkout stand, _______________ .
A. Jerry offered to pay my biscuits
B. Jerry was left behind with a packet of biscuits.
C. Jerry knew the social importance of distance.
D. Jerry was not close to me.
（）66. From the passage we can infer that _______________ .
A. Jerry liked his job
B. the author was afraid of Jerry
C. the author’s brothers were disabled
D. Jerry saw the author as his close friend
（）67. What would be the best title for this passage?
A. Too Close for Comfortable
B. Don’t Look Down upon the Disabled
C. How to Keep a Good Relation
D. Don’t Smile at Strangers