阅读理解。阅读下列四篇短文，从每小题后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。
Papa’s jaw dropped when Mama told him that Sister had cheated on her final exams—not to succeed but to fail. “It’s unbelievable!” he said. “Sister has always been so proud of her good grades!”
“Yes, she has,” said Mama. “But it’s not unbelievable. It just shows how badly she wanted off the swimming team.”
“She never said anything about that to me.” said Papa.
“Of course she didn’t,” said Mama. “She was afraid you’d blow your top. You already had her getting a swimming scholarship to college and winning gold medals at the Olympics. Can you imagine how much pressure she must have felt?”
“Oh, my gosh!” Papa said, “I’ve been so stupid! I just thought she’d want to be a champion swimmer because she’s so good at it.”
“It’s like anything else, dear,” said Mama, “No matter how good at it you are, if it stops being fun, you won’t want to do it anymore.”
“She must be really mad at me,” he mumbled (嘟哝). “Maybe I should say sorry to her.”
Sister’s footsteps could be heard on the stairs. She came into the kitchen and looked hopefully up at her parents.
“Honey,” said Mama with a smile, “Your papa and I have decided that there’s no reason for you to be on the swimming team if you don’t want to.”
Sister’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. She ran to Papa and jumped into his arms, giving him a big hug. “I’m going to play cards with Lizzy!” she said. “See you later!”
From the kitchen window, Mama and Papa watched their daughter run down the sunny road toward Lizzy’s house.
“It’s good to see her happy again,” said Mama.
“Well, it’s not too late, anyway.” Papa said.Mama insisted that the child should do ________.
| A．what she felt easy to | B．what she was willing to |
| C．what she felt right to | D．what she was able to |
The underlined expression “blow your top” probably means “________” in the text.
| A．change your opinion | B．become very excited |
| C．get very angry | D．fall down with fear |
Which of the following words best describes Papa?
| A．Foolish. | B．Patient. |
| C．Stubborn. | D．Considerate. |
What might be the best title for the text?
| A．Better Late Than Never |
| B．Easier Said Than Done |
| C．Never Too Old To Learn |
| D．No Pleasure Without Pain |
Four years ago my sweet mom went to be with her Lord．She did it her way．
I got the call at work, and I headed home quickly．Mom and Dad lived on a small farm that they had owned since I was seven．I hated going there every weekend．There was nothing for a young girl to do but watch the one station on the old TV set, if the weather allowed reception．
My mom, on the other hand, loved the peace and quiet of the land．The place was rustic, with no indoor plumbing or heat．We had a big wood stove in the kitchen that did its best to heat the little farmhouse, but it always seemed cold and too quiet to me．
In the evenings, my mom and I would sit for hours singing in the little kitchen．I sang the melody and Mom harmonized．Her favorite song was "Moon River" and we sang it over and over．Mom told me stories about how when I was a little girl, I could sing before I could talk．
As time passed, I had my own children and went to visit them every week or two．The kids loved the farm and the tractor rides with my dad．Me, well, I still hated the silence of the farm．While my mom loved to sit at her kitchen table and look out at her garden and flowers and retell all the old stories, I missed the hustle and bustle（喧闹）of my life at home．But I sat there listening quietly as she reminisced．
Now, I sat back in the silence and the silence was deafening so I finally leaned over to turn on an old radio．Music always comforted me．
My heart skipped a beat．"Moon River" was playing on the radio．I sat there stunned, with a tear running down my cheek, as I listened to every familiar note．From the first paragraph, we know that the writer’s mother ________．
| A．left the small farm with Lord |
| B．passed away four years ago |
| C．left for Lord to live her own way |
| D．preferred to be with Lord |
The underlined word reminisced in the fifth paragraph probably means ________．
| A．shouted | B．comforted |
| C．recalled | D．sighed |
The writer didn’t like staying in the farm for the following reasons except that ________．
| A．she could only sing one song in the small farm |
| B．it was too cold and quiet |
| C．there was nothing more that could make her excited |
| D．the place was rustic, with no indoor plumbing or heat |
Which of the following would be the best title for this passage? _______
| A．Cherish（珍惜） life | B．My happy childhood |
| C．Our small farmhouse | D．Mom’s music |
Just 25 years ago，the top three career hopes for young people in Britain were teacher，banker and doctor. Now，they want to be sports star，pop star and actor，according to a survey by the Guardian newspaper.
Rachel，a character in the popular TV show Glee，may be said to speak for British teenagers. “Nowadays being nobody is worse than being poor，” he said.
Emma Brockes，a reporter from Guardian，believes it is “the bad influence of celebrity(名人) culture” that is to blame. “When children wanted to be doctor，it wasn't because they were really more interested in the functions of human organs than they are now；you go where the respect is，”she wrote.
It could explain why there has been such an increase in levels of anxiety and depression. Dr. Carlo Strenger，of Tel Aviv University，studied the sense of self for his new book The Fear of Insignificance：Searching for Meaning in the 21st Century. He told Daily Mail that young people now are affected by the close connection to the global entertainment network，which has turned ranking and rating people according to wealth and celebrity into an obsession(痴迷)．
“As humans，we naturally measure ourselves against those around us，but now we live in a global village. We are comparing ourselves with the most ‘important’ people in the world and finding ourselves wanting，” he said. Today，even high achievers constantly fear that they are insignificant when they compare themselves to success stories in the media.
The way out？Simply stop measuring your achievements through a fantasy of wealth and celebrity. Dr. Strenger said that it is a process called “active self-acceptance through a constant search for self-knowledge through life”．
“The fear of insignificance can only be overcome through strong individual and cultural identity over and above measurable achievements，” he said.Nowadays，young people in Britain want to ________.
| A．choose jobs based on interests |
| B．become famous |
| C．be teacher，banker or doctor |
| D．earn more money |
According to Emma Brockes，what causes the increasing level of anxiety?
| A．The choice of future career. |
| B．The access to the global network. |
| C．The bad influence of celebrities. |
| D．The endless comparison with others. |
Which of the following is true of Dr. Carlo Strenger?
| A．He is a newspaper reporter. |
| B．He is a spokesman of teenagers. |
| C．He tells success stories on TV. |
| D．He is against ranking people by wealth. |
Dr. Carlo Strenger suggests that young people should ______.
| A．seek active self-acceptance |
| B．stick to their own dreams |
| C．make great achievements |
| D．search for the secret of wealth |
The text is mainly written to ________.
| A．talk about job choices |
| B．analyze a social phenomenon |
| C．encourage celebrity culture |
| D．introduce three famous people |
Most American students go to traditional public schools. There are about 88,000 public schools all over the US. Some students attend about 3,000 independent public schools called charter schools.
Charter schools are self-governing. Private companies operate some charter schools. They are similar in some ways to traditional public schools. They receive tax just as other public schools do. Charter schools must prove to local or state governments that their students are learning. These governments provide the schools with the agreement called a charter that permits them to operate.
Charter schools are different because they do not have to obey most laws governing traditional public schools. Local，state or federal governments cannot tell them what to teach. Each school can choose its own goals and decide the ways it wants to reach them. Class size is usually smaller than in traditional public schools.
Governments strongly support charter schools as a way to reorganize public schools that are failing to educate students. But some education agencies and unions oppose charter schools. One teachers' union has just made public the results of the first national study comparing the progress of students in traditional schools and charter schools.
The American Federation of Teachers criticized the government's delay in releasing the results of the study，which is called the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Union education experts say the study shows that charter school students performed worse in math and reading tests than students in regular public schools.
Some experts say the study is not a fair look at charter schools because students in those schools have more problems than students in traditional schools. Other education experts say the study results should make charter school officials demand more student progress.If a private company wants to operate a charter school，it must ________.
| A．try new methods of teaching |
| B．prove its management ability |
| C．obey all local and state laws |
| D．get the government's permission |
Charter schools are independent because ________.
| A．they make greater progress |
| B．their class size is smaller |
| C．they enjoy more freedom |
| D．they oppose traditional ways |
What's the governments' attitude toward charter schools?
| A．Doubtful. |
| B．Supportive. |
| C．Subjective. |
| D．Optimistic. |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．More students choose to attend charter schools. |
| B．Charter schools are better than traditional schools. |
| C．Students in charter schools are well educated. |
| D．People have different opinions about charter schools. |
It can be inferred from the text that ________.
| A．charter schools are part of the public education system |
| B．one-on-one attention should be paid to students |
| C．the number of charter schools will be limited |
| D．charter schools are all privately financed |
Why was Bastille important to the citizens of Paris? The building of the Bastille had been started in 1370 under Charles V. By the seventeenth century, it had stopped to be important for defense. Cardinal Richelieu turned it into a prison. It was not an ordinary prison to punish common crimes. Its huge doors closed only on enemies of the King. The Bastille's workings were secret. Prisoners were taken to it in closed vehicles. Soldiers on guard duty had to stand with their faces to the wall. No talking was allowed. Worst of all, a prisoner never knew if he would be there a day, a week, a year, or forever. Only the King's letter could set him free.
Over the years, the number of arrests by King's letter had become fewer. By the time of its fall, most of the prisoners were writers who had written against the corruptions(贪污腐败)of the government. Voltaire, the famous French writer, spent a year there in 1717-1718, and another 12 days in 1726.
For those who believed in free speech and free thinking, the Bastille stood for everything evil. The day it was captured, only seven prisoners were found inside. Still, the Bastille was hated by the people. It was a symbol of the King's complete power.The Bastille had been a prison ______.
| A．since the time of Charles V |
| B．since the time of Cardinal Richelieu |
| C．before the seventeenth century |
| D．since 1370 |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is FALSE?
| A．Anyone who did something wrong could find himself suddenly in the Bastille. |
| B．The Bastille was only for those who were opposed to the King. |
| C．Things done in the Bastille were hardly known to people outside. |
| D．Voltaire was twice put in the Bastille. |
At the time of its fall, the Bastille housed ______.
| A．a large number of prisoners |
| B．a lot of writers who had been against the government |
| C．some dozens of people who believed in free speech and free thinking |
| D．only a few prisoners |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The King could put people in, or let them go out, as he wanted. |
| B．Over the years the number of prisoners in the Bastille was getting more and more. |
| C．All prisoners in the Bastille had to stay there for life. |
| D．At the time it was captured, there were so few prisoners in it that it meant little to the people. |
This passage mainly ______.
| A．tells how the prisoners were controlled by the King |
| B．tells how little was known about the Bastille |
| C．shows the inner workings of the Bastille |
| D．gives a brief history of the Bastille |
Coffee is one of the most popular drinks throughout the world today. In fact, according to some estimates, over 30% of all adults in the world drink coffee at least once a day on the average. Coffee contains a kind of drug called caffeine. Caffeine is a chemical that stimulates (刺激) the nerves of the body. Drinking coffee tends to make people a little bit more awake―at least for a short time―because of this stimulating effect on the nervous system. A cup of coffee has, on the average, about 3% caffeine in it.
One story of the discovery of the coffee plant relates to this effect of caffeine. According to the story, coffee was discovered in East Africa. The story says that coffee was first found by a goat farmer named Kaldi. This was about the year 850. Kaldi was leading his animals through the mountains and the goats were stopping repeatedly to eat the plants near the path. Suddenly, some of the goats started jumping up and down in a very strange way. Kaldi figured out that the goats were acting this way because of the plants they were eating. Kaldi himself tried eating some of the green beans (豆荚) that the goats had been eating. He, too, felt the stimulating effect of the beans. Kaldi wanted to prove what had happened, so he picked some of the beans and took them back to the village, where he told his story.
The green bean got the name "Kaffa" and later "coffee" because the beans were discovered in a place called Kaffa in Africa. Then for years, people used to eat a few of the green Kaffa beans when they were in the mountains and needed extra energy to do their work. It was later found that the coffee beans could be picked and then dried until they turned brown, and then they could be stored. If the beans were dried and stored, they could be used at any time.What is the purpose of drinking coffee?
| A．To become more awake. | B．To become more healthy. |
| C．To become more happy. | D．To become more clever. |
How did the goats react after eating the plants?
| A．They fell asleep. |
| B．They could not find their way home. |
| C．They started jumping up and down. |
| D．They wanted to eat more. |
Why did the green bean get the name "Kaffa"?
| A．Because Kaldi loved his home village very much. |
| B．Because Kaldi's goats loved the green bean very much. |
| C．Because the beans were discovered in a place by this name. |
| D．Because the beans could be picked and dried. |