There are classes for the mothers of babies， but there's no helping with your mum and dad growing old．
Old people's wards are hell for old people． Geriatric wards are bedlam and bonkers． A toothless woman screaming when left alone， a cry that reaches the high hospital ceiling． A woman effing and blinding ﹣ the polite curtain will not protect her from the indignity of a happy change． A woman who lives the same moment in repeat， dressed up for going home in a bright red， over the dressing grown， asking for the key to her house， saying over and over： "Am I going home today？"
And though my mum， by the time she was released， knew that her life was charmed compared with the lives of the world's refugees． It seems to me as if the plight （困境） of old people， while not as horrible as the plight of refugees， shares some of the horror． Just as we live in a society that hasn't caught up with technology， the kind of moral choices it gives people， we also live in a world that hasn't kept up with its ageing population． We have the advances in medical science and technology that have kept people alive longer， but not the advances in how to treat our ageing population． Society is lagging behind the old， failing and falling．
There are certain small but piercing similarities between the treatment of the old and the treatment of refugees． The old are often displaced from their homes， moved out against their will； decisions are often made for them that they have no say over． Often， they are treated as fools or halfwits， crowded together in one place， given clothes that don't belong to them， treated as a fallen tribe， incapable of any individuality． Nobody imagined my mother was a secretary of the Scottish peace movement， a primary teacher， a lifelong socialist， a witty woman． Out of hospital， my 85﹣year﹣old mum said： "going into hospital at my age puts years on you． God save from old people's wards． You never think of yourself as old． You look across the ward and think， am I like that？"
（1）The treatment of the old is compared of that of the refugees in order to ．
| A． | prove they have a lot in common |
| B． | show the terrible status of the old |
| C． | display their similarities and differences |
| D． | indicate that old people have to leave their home |
（2）What can be inferred from the passage？
| A． | Refugees lead a better life than old male patients． |
| B． | Old people are ill﹣treated due to their loss of individuality． |
| C． | The author's mom is capable of teaching and being a socialist in the meanwhile． |
| D． | The treatment of the ageing population doesn't develop as science advances． |
（3）The author's mom felt that life in the hospital ．
| A． | made her much older． |
| B． | created her a mature woman． |
| C． | enable her to look back at life． |
| D． | let her full of gratitude to children． |
（4）The passage mainly discussed ．
| A． | the life of refugees and old people． |
| B． | social responsibility to old women． |
| C． | improper treatment of old people． |
| D． | preparing for ageing parents． |
Yesterday's paper had a short article about the Coming-of-Age ceremony in a large city 
in Japan. According to the article, the mayor of the city formally apologized to an enraged professor who delivered a speech at the ceremony that was all but ignored by 20-year-olds in the city.
The officials prepared 7,000 seats in a gymnasium where the ceremony was held for the 17,000 twenty-year-olds residing in the city. But most of the seats were empty during the speech. And many of the 20-year-olds who did show up ignored the professor and spoke among themselves or talked on their mobile phones. Some even made a ruckus (骚动) outside the gymnasium.
One 20-year-old who attended the ceremony said youngsters came to the ceremony not to
listen to speeches but to see their classmates. The mayor criticized the y
oung generation at a news conference on Tuesday, saying such behavior "is symbolic of the postwar era which failed to
nurture healthy character and social intelligece."
Personally I feel people should not generalize the whole generation or the whole era when he criticizes something. But it is also true generation gap is getting bigger and bigger regarding the ceremony of Coming-of-Age Day. So far this ceremony has been held with citizens' tax money. Many older generations understand this festival as an entrance ceremony of adults' world which requires maturity including responsibility, patience, and cooperativeness. Older people tend to be "educational" to younger ones, while younger people tend to feel they finally obtain a right to behave freely because they are now adults. Though, ironically, young people have to ask their parents to buy them new clothes for the ceremony.
It is about time to change the way we celebrate this festival, I think. The idea of blessing new 20-year-olds is not so bad. But there seems to be some other ways to celebrate more properly. The present way seems to me a little superficial and materialistic. It can provide solutionless arguments between different generations, instead of friendships and respects. Instead of eternally complaining about the young's behaviors at the ceremonies, people should consider how they can make their ceremonies worthier, I feel.
1．We can infer from the passage that
A．in Japan, girls and boys, when they are 20 years old, come to their adulthood
B．there are 7,000 twenty-year-olds residents in the city
C．the mayor criticized the young generation at a news conference
D．it’s about time to change the way we celebrate the Coming-of-Age
2．When the professor was giving a speech the 20-years-olds are NOT________.
A．talking with each other B．chatting on their mobile phones
C．talking with the professor D．making ruckus outside
3．According to the author _________
A．the festival is an entrance ceremony of adults’ world which requires maturity including responsibility, patience, and cooperativeness
B．the young people tend to obtain a right to behave freely because they are now adults
C．young people have to ask their parents to buy them new clothes for the ceremony
D．it’s time to end complaining about the young’s behaviors at the ceremonies, and people should consider how to make their ceremonies worthier
4．What’s the best title for the passage
A．There are solutionless arguments between different generations.
B．Coming-of-Age ceremony should be much worthier.
C．Old people should be educational to young people
D．The younger ones’ behaviors stand for an era which failed to nurture healthy character and social i
ntelligence
第二部分阅读理解(共两节，满分50分)
第一节阅读下列短文，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。(共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分)
Mickey’s Goal
Last night was the last game for my eight-year-old son’s soccer team. It was the final quarter. The score was two to one, my son’s team in the lead. Parents surrounded the playground, offering encouragement.
With less than ten seconds remaining, the ball suddenly rolled in front of my son’s teammate, Mickey O’ Donnel. With shouts of “Kick it!” echoing（回响）across the playground, Mickey
turned around and gave it everything he had. All around me the crowd erupted （沸腾）. O’ Donnel
had scored!m
Then there was silence. Mickey had scored all right, but in the wrong goal, ending the game in a tie. For a moment there was a total hush. You see, Mickey has Down syndrome（综合症）and for him there is no such thing as a wrong goal. All goals were celebrated by a joyous hug from Mickey. He had even been known to hug the opposing players when they scored.
The silence was finally broken when Mickey, his face filled with joy, hugged my son tightly and shouted, “I scored! I scored. Everybody won! Everybody won!” For a moment I held my breath, not sure how my son would react. I need not have worried. I watched, through tears, as my son threw up his hand in the classic high-five salute and started chanting, “Way to go Mickey! Way to go Mickey!” Within moments both teams surrounded Mickey, joining in the chant and congratulating him on his goal
Later that night, when my daughter asked who had won, I smiled as I replied, “It was a tie. Everybody won.
1．What was the score of the soccer matchm
A．Two to two, equal to both the teams.
B．Three to one in Mickey’s team’s favor.
C．Two to one in the opposite team’s favor.
D．Everybody won because of Mickey’s goal.
2．What did the author worry about when Mickey scored and hugged his son?
A．The result of the match would fail his son.
B．His son would shout at Mickey for his goal.
C．Mickey would again hug the opposing players.
D．His son would understand Mickey’s wrong goal.
3．It can be inferred from the passage that________.
A．both teams liked and respected Mickey.
B．both teams were thankful to Mickey for his goal.
C．Mickey didn’t mind though his goal was wrong
D．Mickey was a kind-hearted boy and hoped everybody won.
4．The purpose of the author in writing the passage is _______.
A．to tell a joke to make readers laugh.
B．to suggest we should not mind losing .
C．to show enjoying a game is more than winning a game
D．to present his son’s fine qualities of understanding others
Mobile phones should be banned from cars altogether, according to Dr Hole, senior lecturer in psychology, Dr Hole has emphasized the worrying combination of mobile phones and cars in his new book, The Psychology of Driving.
Mobile phones, fatigue（疲劳）, eyesight, drugs and age are among the issues considered by Dr Hole as he examines the factors that influence on driving. The book explores the role of each of these elements in increasing the chances of an accident and was inspired by the author’s conversations with road safety experts across the country.
He says: “The government should have banned mobile phones in cars altogether. It has sent out the wrong message by forbidding hand-held phones because this gives the impression that hands-free phones are safe. The problem with mobile phones is not vehicular（车辆的）control and only having one hand on the wheel, but rather it is taking away attention from what is happening outside the car.”
Myths（荒诞的说法）about older people making worse drivers and claims（说法）about an improved reaction time among younger people are explored in the book. Questions about how drivers decide what to attend to while driving, the role of a driver’s expectations in determining what they see and how they respond to the road are among the areas covered in the book. Satellite navigation systems and new design aimed at transforming cars into a mobile office, are among the modern developments which he says now compete for driver’s attention behind the wheel.
Dr Hole says: “We need to be very careful about how we go about handling modern technology in cars, because we are opening a Pandora’s Box. When anyone is driving there is a lot of information outside the car and if there is too much going on inside, then there is a danger of overloading the driver.”
1. Dr Hole’s strong belief that mobile phones should be banned from cars lies in___________.
A. the inconvenience of having only one hand on the wheel caused by mobile phones
B. the correct message of getting rid of hand-held phones sent out by the government
C. the increase of chances of accidents
D. the advice given by some road safety experts
2. Which of the following is not included in his book?
A. Hand-free phones are safer than hand-held phones.
B. What drivers have to attend to while driving.
C. Whether older age and slower reaction is related.
D. Bad eyesight is one of the factors of causing an accident.
3. Which of the following is true?
A. Older people are better at preventing accidents.
B. younger drivers’ reaction time is relatively shorter.
C. It is a myth that some old people can still drive.
D. A driver’s expectations are not covered in the book.
4. What can we know from the underlined sentence?
A. What is going on outside is of equal importance to what inside.
B. Modern developments call for drivers’ attention behind the wheel.
C. Satellite navigation systems require more cars as mobile offices.
D. Modern technology is responsible for the distraction（分心）of one’s attention while driving.
I told my friend Graham that I often cycle two miles from my house to the town centre but unfortunately there is a big hill on the route．He replied,“You mean fortunately．”He explained that I should be glad of the extra exercise that the hill provided．
My attitude to the hill has now changed．I used to grumble as I approached it but now I tell myself the following．This hill will exercise my heart and lungs．It will help me to lose weight and get fit．It will mean that I live longer．This hill is my friend．Finally I comfort myself with the thought of all those silly people who pay money to go to a gym and sit on stationery exercise bicycles when I call get the same value for free．I have a smile of satisfaction as I reach the top of the hill．
Problems are there to be faced and overcome．We cannot achieve anything with an easy life．Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to gain a university degree．Her activism and writing proved inspirational．She wrote，“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet．Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened，vision cleared，ambition inspired and success achieved.”
One of the main determinants of success in life is our attitude towards adversity(逆境)．From time to time we all face hardships，problems．accidents、afflictions and difficulties．Some are of our making but many confront us through no fault of our own．While we cannot choose the adversity we can choose our attitude towards it．
Douglas Bader was 21 when in 193l he had both legs cut off following a flying accident．He was deter-mined to fly again and went on to become one of the leading flying aces in the Battle of Britain with 22 aerial victories over the Germans．He was an inspiration to others during the war．He said,“Don't listen to any-one who tells you that you can’t do this or that．That's nonsense．Make up your mind，you'll never use crutches(拐杖)or a stick，then have a go at everything．Go to school，join in all the games you can．Go anywhere you want to．But never，never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible.”
The biographies（传记）of great people are full of examples of how they took steps to overcome the difficulties they faced．The common thread is that they did not become depressed．They chose their attitude．They chose to be positive．They took on the challenge．They won．
Nevertheless．there is still the problem of how you change your attitude towards adversity．
1. Which of the following is true according to the author of the passage?
A．Climbing hills on bicycles is the best way to take exercise．
B．People are silly to pay to go to the gym．
C．Those who want to achieve success can't expect to live all easy lire．
D．People's attitude towards adversity is the only factor that determines whether they will succeed．
2．By quoting what Douglas Bader said，the author intends to tell us“___________．”
A．Failure is the mother of Success．
B．A fall into the pit，a gain in your wit．
C．If you venture nothing，you will have nothing．
D．Nothing is difficult to the man who will try．
3．Following this passage，the author will further talk about___________．
A．how his friend helped him to change his attitude towards the adversity he faced
B．what steps to take to change your attitude towards the adversity you face
C．what great people have in common
D．why it is important to keep optimistic in face of adversity
4．Which of the following can best function as the title of the passage?
A．Face adversity with a smile B．Different attitudes towards adversity
C．Nothing is impossible D．Life is full of adversity
Australians have been warned they face a life or death decision over their water—drink recycled sewage(污水)or die．
With the drought(干旱)continuing，the country is set to be forced to use purified(净化的)waste water for drinking．even though there is great opposition to the measure．
Queensland has become the first state to introduce tile policy after a warning from its premier．
“I think in the end，because of the drought，all of Australia is going to end up drinking recycled purified water．”said Peter Beattie．
“These are difficult decisions，but you either drink water or you die．There’s no choice．It’s liquid gold．It’s a matter of life and death．”
Beanie said Australia's second largest state would become the first to use recycled water for drinking．
Water is recycled in Britain and pans of northern Europe along with the US and Israel．
But Australians have never liked the idea．
To try to change the way Australians think，Prime Minister．John Howard and Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull have adhered to Queensland’s move．
“I am very strongly for recycling and Mr．Beattie is right and I agree with him completely．”Howard said．
“Australian cities．all now facing water shortages because of the worst drought on record．must start to use recycled water．”added Turnbull．“All of our big cities have to widen tile range of water sources to include sources which are not dependent on rainfall．”
1．According to the passage，which of the following is TRUE?
A．Nobody disagrees to the idea of drinking recycled purified water
B．Australia’s second largest state has become tile first state to introduce the policy
C．No other countries but Australia decide to drink recycled water
D．The drought is tile worst one in tile droughts recorded in Australian history．
2．What call we learn from the last paragraph?
A．Australians have never like drinking purified waste water
B．Australians should develop more water sources to live through the hard time
C．Australians can’t depend upon rainwater，which is not suitable for drinking．
D．Australian government has no ability to solve the problem of water shortage
3．The underlined phrase“adhered to”in Paragraph 9 probably means
A．disliked B．gone against C．supported D．doubted
4．It can be inferred from what Premier Peter Beattie said that
A．he gives orders to drink purified waste water
B．It is painful for him to see his people drink recycled sewage
C．If the decision is made，people won’t survive the drought
D．It’s up to you to either make a life or death decision