"They tell me that you'd like to make a statue（塑像）of me﹣is that correct，Miss Vinnie Ream？"
The deep，gentle voice helped calm the nervous girl．Asking a favor of the President of the United States was no casual matter，especially for a seventeen﹣year﹣old girl．
"Yes，sir，" she replied，her dark eyes meeting his．"I wouldn't have dared to ask you，but my teacher，Mr． Mills，says I am ready．I plan to make it in an admirable manner． "
President Lincoln smiled．"Painters，sculptors﹣they've all tried to make the best of this ordinary face，but I'm afraid there's not much hope．What did you have in mind，Miss Ream？A bust（半身像）？"
Before Vinnie could say yes，the President hurried on，a shade of apology in his voice．"Of course﹣I shouldn't have asked．A full﹣length pose would be much too big a project for a young woman your size． "
Vinnie's face turned red．She realized she looked like a child，with her tiny figure．"Small does not mean weak，sir，" she defended herself．"I was born in the country of Wisconsin．I've driven teams of horses and carried water．Making a full﹣length clay（粘土）figure would not exhaust my strength﹣and that is what I intend to do!"
The President's eyes，brightened at her show of spirit．"Sorry，madam，I have underestimated you as I didn't know your background．"
But his smile faded as he rubbed his beard with bony fingers，in thought．"Miss Ream，" he sighed，"I'd like to let you do it，but as you know，we are in the middle of a war．How could I possibly take the time to pose for a sculpture now？I hardly have a minute to myself．"
Vinnie glanced around and noted the size of his office．"I work quickly，" she said．Her voice was soft but confident as she pointed to the corner near the windows．"If I were to bring my clay here and work for three hours every afternoon，I could complete most of the project while you are at your desk．"
The President seemed to consider her idea seriously．He got up and shook Vinnie's hand warmly， "I've heard that you are a talented young woman，and I have found you charming and intelligent as well．I cannot make my decision immediately，but you will hear from me soon．"
The very next day，Vinnie received an invitation from the President．
（1）What gave Vinnie confidence to make her request of President Lincoln？
| A． |
Her aggressive personality． |
| B． |
Mr． Mills's encouraging remark． |
| C． |
President Lincoln's gentle voice． |
| D． |
Her interest in a challenging job． |
（2）How did President Lincoln first respond to Vinnie's request？
| A． |
Pleased． |
| B． |
Thrilled． |
| C． |
Regretful． |
| D． |
Doubtful． |
（3）Vinnie confirmed her ability to make a full﹣length statue by highlighting ．
| A． |
her experience from other projects |
| B． |
her innocent childhood in the country |
| C． |
the heavy labor she had done before |
| D． |
the skill she picked up in Wisconsin |
（4）Vinnie wanted to choose the corner near the windows to ．
| A． |
achieve effects of natural lighting |
| B． |
keep all her tools within easy reach |
| C． |
observe the President at a right angle |
| D． |
avoid disturbing the President's work |
（5）What message does the story convey？
| A． |
A strong﹣willed soul can reach his goal． |
| B． |
Experience helps to promote excellence． |
| C． |
Ups and downs make one strong． |
| D． |
Devotion requires enthusiasm． |
第三部分: 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和D)中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。 A
Do you enjoy reading? Do you read newspapers or magazines? Chances are, if you do any of these activities, your pre-school child is on his way to becoming a reader.
The process of learning to read is complex, and one of the most important things to know is that parents can help their children learn to read. As children have conversations with adults, they hear both new and familiar words and their vocabulary grows.
There are many opportunities for adults and children to talk together, such as when riding in the car or in a bus, doing housework like fixing dinner, or bathing and getting ready for bed. A major part of conversation is listening. When children talk, adults listen and respond. Then children listen and respond, and so the flow of conversation happens.
Have you watched you pre-school child pretend to read to his younger sisters or brothers? Have you read his favorite story over and over? These experiences tell children that reading is fun. And when things are fun and they are repeated, your child will see letters. He begins to connect them to familiar words, especially the letters that make up his name. A natural next step for him to take is to write the letters.
When children see parents make a grocery list, they want to use a pencil and paper to make their own list. To encourage these beginning writing activities, have pencils, markers, crayons and scrap paper within your children’s reach.
The more children get connected with talking, listening, reading and writing, the easier it is for them to become active readers. While you as a parent have a big influence on these early behaviors, it is important to remember that opportunities for literacy experiences happen when you and your child share in the basic routines（日常生活）of everyday life.
56. The third paragraph tells us that parents can talk with their children__________.
A. during daily routines B. only in quiet places
C. in their spare timeD. when they are eager to walk
57. During the process of learning to read, children may _________.
A .copy the action of the adults.
B. prefer to talk with those of their own age.
C. keep their interest in reading all the time.
D. waste a lot of paper and other materials.
58. When do children want to learn to write?
A. When their parents ask them to do so.
B. When they believe they can write well.
C. When they remember what their parents taught them.
D. When they can connect letters with familiar words.
59. The passage is written to _____________.
A. talk about parents’ influence on their children’s behavior
B. encourage parents to set a good example to their children
C. advise parents to make reading a part of their children’s daily life
D. make parents believe in the importance of early reading
C
In the mid 1990’s, people started doing business on the Internet. At that time, there were two kinds of companies. First, there were traditional companies. They sold things in stores. Then there were Internet companies. They didn’t have a store, and they only sold things on the Net.
Traditional companies didn’t want to lose any business. Quickly they made their own websites and began selling things on the Net. These are the so-called “brick and click” companies. Many stores are made of brick. And you click on your mouse to buy things with your computer. That’s where the name “brick and click” comes from.
By the late 1990’s, e-business like amazon.com, buy.com and etoys.com were in trouble. Their profits（利润） were not very high. Competition was great. Many of these business were losing lots of money. In 2000, many e-business went out of business.
Why are “brick and click” companies, like Barnes and Noble, Toys RVs and Walmart so successful? First, many customers know and trust their names. Their websites like walmart.com. are easy to remember. These companies also have lots of experience. They know how to run a successful business.
In the world of e-commerce, companies are fighting for every dollar and every customer. Will “brick and click” companies win the war? Only time will tell.
64 . Which of the following would be a “brick and click” company?
A. A restaurant.
B. A clothing company with no website.
C. A bookseller with five stores and a website.
D. A video seller with a big website but no stores.
65 What did many traditional companies do in the mid 1990’s? .
A .They went out of business. B. They made their websites.
C. They bought Internet companies. D. They sold their companies.
66 What gave Internet companies lots of trouble in the late 1990’s?.
A. Heavy competition B. They were short of money.
C. They didn’t know what to do. D. people didn’t believe in them.
67 . “Brick and click” companies are so successful because______.
A. people trust them B. their names are easy to remember
C. they are experienced D. all the above
68 . Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. All the “brick and click” companies run a successful business.
B. “Brick and click” companies are certain to win the business competition.
C. It is uncertain whether “brick and click” companies will win the competition.
D. Both “brick and click” companies and Internet companies will be successful in the future.
B
Chinese are very generous when it comes to educating their children. Not caring about the money, parents often send their children to the best schools or even abroad to England, the United States and Australia. They also want their children to take extra-course activities where they will either learn a musical instrument or ballet, or other classes which will give them a head in life. The Chinese believe that the more expensive an education is, the better it is. So parents will spend an unreasonable amount of money on education. Even poor couples will buy a computer for their son or daughter.
However, what most parents fail to see is that the best early education they can give their children is usually very cheap.
Parents can see that their children are very skilled in some areas while poor in others. What most parents fail to realize though, is that today’s children lack self-respect and self-confidence.
The problem is that parents are only educating their children on how to take multiple-choice tests and how to study well, but parents are not teaching them the most important skills that they need to be confident, happy and clever.
Parents can achieve this by teaching practical skills like cooking, sewing and doing other housework.
Teaching a child to cook will improve many of the skills that he will need later in life. Cooking demands patience and time. It is an enjoyable but difficult experience. A good cook always tries to improve his cooking, so he will learn to work hard and gradually finish his job successfully. His result, a well-cooked dinner, will give him much satisfaction and lots of self-confidence.
Some old machines, such as a broken radio or TV set that you give your child to play with will make him curious and arouse his interest. He will spend hours looking at them, trying to fix them; your child might become an engineer when he grows up. These activities are not merely teaching a child to read a book, but rather to think, to use his mind. And that is more important.
61.Parents in China, according to this passage, ____________.
A.are too strict with their children
B.are too rich to educate their children
C.have some problems in educating their children correctly
D.are too poor to educate their children
62.The writer of this passage does not seem to be satisfied with_______.
A. the parents’ ideas of educating their children
B. the education system
C. children’s skills
D. children’s hobbies
63.Doing some cooking at home helps children_________.
A. learn how to serve their parents
B. learn how to become strong and fat
C. benefit from it and prepare themselves for the future
D. make their parents believe that they are clever
阅读理解（共13 26分）
阅读下面几段文字，理解文章大意，并从A 、B、 C、 D 四个选项中选出最佳选项。
A
People need to relax and enjoy themselves. One way they can have a good time is to watch a baseball game or another sports event. Even thousands of years ago, groups of people gathered to watch skilled athletes.
Over 2000 years ago in Greece, certain days in the year were festival days. These were holidays when people stopped work and enjoyed themselves. They liked to watch athletes take part in races and other games of skill.
The most important festival was held every four years at the town of Olympia. It was held in honor of the Greek god Zeus (Zus). For five days, athletes from all parts of the Greek world took part in the Olympic Games. At the Olympic Games, people could watch them box, run, jump and so on. There was a relay race between two reams of men in which a lighted torch was passed from runner to runner. The Olympic Games were thought to be so important that cities which were at war with one another had to stop fighting. People were allowed to travel to the games safely. Thousands of people came to Olympia from cities in Greece and from her colonies (殖民地)in Africa, Asia and Italy. They met as friends to cheer their favorite athletes and to enjoy themselves.
56.What happened in Greece over 2000 years ago?
A. People stopped work and enjoyed themselves.
B The cities there were often against one another.
C People watched baseball games.
D People didn’t go to any games at all.
57.What were those countries in Africa?
A. Friends. B. Enemies. C. Colonies. . D Other cities.
58.What did people do at the games?
A. They fought.
B They just talked to friends.
C They cheered for good athletes.
D They tried to find friends.
59.Greek cities then were fighting so they ____
A. were weak.
B were strong
C couldn’t go to other cities freely.
D could see each other.
60.The best title for the story is “ _____” .
A. Greece at War
B. Together for the Games
C. Stop Fighting
D. Sport
E
"Opinion" is a word that is used carelessly today. It is used to refer to matters of taste, belief, and judgment. This casual use would probably cause little confusion if people didn’t attach too much importance to opinion. Unfortunately, most do attach great importance to it. "I have as much right to my opinion as you to yours, '' and ''Everyone’s entitled(授予…权利) to his opinion, '' are common expressions. In fact, anyone who would challenge another's opinion is likely to be branded intolerant.
Is that label（标签）accurate? Is it intolerant to challenge another's opinion? It depends on what definition of opinion you have in mind. For example, you may ask a friend ''What do you think of the new Ford cars?" And he may reply, "In my opinion, they're ugly." In this case, it would not only be intolerant to challenge his statement, but foolish. For it's obvious that by opinion he means his personal preference, a matter of taste. And as the old saying goes, ''It's pointless to argue about matters of taste."
But consider this very different use of the term, A newspaper reports that the Supreme Court has delivered its opinion in a controversial case. Obviously the justices did not state their personal preferences, their mere likes and dislikes. They stated their considered judgment, painstakingly arrived at after thorough inquiry and careful consideration.
Most of what is referred to as opinion falls somewhere between these two extremes. It is not an expression of taste. Nor is it careful judgment. Yet it may contain elements of both. It is a view or belief more or less casually arrived at, with or without examining the evidence.
Is everyone entitled to his opinion? Of course, this is not only permitted, but guaranteed. We are free to act on our opinions only so long as, in doing so, we do not harm others.
72. Which of the following statements is TRUE, according to the author?
A. Everyone has a right to hold his own opinion.
B. Free expression of opinions often leads to confusion.
C. Most people tend to be careless in forming their opinions.
D. Casual use of the word "opinion" often brings about quarrels.
73. According to the author, who of the following would be labelled as intolerant?
A. Someone who turns a deaf ear to others' opinions.
B. Someone who can't put up with others' tastes.
C. Someone who values only their own opinions.
D. Someone whose opinion harms other people.
74. The new Ford cars are mentioned as an example to show that ________.
A. it is foolish to criticize a famous brand
B. one should not always agree to others' opinions
C. personal tastes are not something to be challenged
D. it is unwise to express one's likes and dislikes in public
75. Considered judgment is different from personal preference in that ________.
A. it is stated by judges in the court
B. it reflects public like and dislikes
C. it is a result of a lot of controversy (争论，争议)
D. it is based on careful thought