One August afternoon, Richard Allen dropped off his last passenger, Mrs. Carey. Lifting two grocery bags, he followed her across the yard and stood on the step of her house. Glancing up, he saw a large wasp（黄蜂） nest under the roof. Allen had heard that wasps can become more likely to sting (sting, sting, stung蜇) in summer. He mentioned this to Mrs. Carey, who had opened the door.
“Oh, they don’t bother me,” she said lightly. “I go in and out all the time.”
Anxiously, Allen looked at the nest again—— to see the wasps flying straight at him. “Hurry!” he shouted to Mrs. Carey. “Get in!”
She stepped quickly inside. Allen ran for his mini-bus. Too late; they were upon him. Just as he jumped aboard, half a dozen red spots showed on his arm, and he felt more on his back and shoulders.
As he was driving down the road, Allen felt as if something was burning at the back of his neck, and the “fire” was spreading forward toward his face. And immediate anxiety took hold of him. Allen knew that stings could cause some persons to die. But he had been stung the previous summer and the after-effects soon passed. However, what he didn’t know what that the first sting had turned his body into a time bomb waiting for the next to set off an explosion.
Miles from the nearest medical assistance, Allen began to feel his tongue thick and heavy and his heartbeat louder. Most frightening, he felt his breathing more and more difficult. He reached for the radio mike（话筒）, trying to call the mini-bus center, but his words were hardly understandable. Signals were also poor that far out. He knew a rescue team was on 24-hour duty at the Amherst Fire Department’s north station. So his best chance was to make a run for it.
Rushing down the mountain, Allen tried not to panic, focusing his mind on each sharp turn. He was almost through the last of them when he felt sure he was going into shock（休克）. Just then he reached for the radio mike again.
“Call fire station,” he shouted, concentrating to form the words. “Emergency. Bee sting. Emergency. There in ten minutes.”
“Five-ten,” the center replied.
Hold on, Allen thought. Keep your eyes open. Breathe. Keep awake.
At last he reached the station. Two firemen ran out. Allen felt their hands grasp him before he hit the ground. You made it, he thought.It is mentioned in the passage that wasps are more likely to attack when _______.
| A．there are huge noises |
| B．strangers are approaching |
| C．the air is filled with food smell |
| D．the hottest season comes around |
Allen didn’t know that if stung by wasps again, he would _______.
| A．have no after-effects |
| B．suffer from sharper pain |
| C．surely lose his life |
| D．become more sensitive |
Allen failed at his first attempt to send his message to the mini-bus center because _______.
| A．he was unable to speak clearly |
| B．his radio equipment was poor |
| C．he was in a state of shock |
| D．no one was on duty |
Which would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Allen, A Helpless Driver |
| B．Wasps, Bloody Killers |
| C．A Race Against Death |
| D．War Against Wasps |
SYDNEY （AFP） Nick Bryant reports:
“It gives me great pleasure to introduce the new caretaker of the islands of the Great Barrier Reef, from the United Kingdom, Ben Southall.”
A global recruitment（招聘） drive with the trappings of a TV reality show made it truly a tourism marketing campaign．
The best job in the world’s competition finally has a winner, Ben Southall, a 34-year-old charity worker from Britain．He beat 34,000 candidates from 200 countries in an online competition that became something of an Internet phenomenon．
“To go away now as the island caretaker for Tourism Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef is an extreme honour．I hope I can fill the boots as much as everybody is expecting, my swimming hopefully is up to standard and I look forward to all of the new roles and responsibilities that the task involves.” [Ben Southall]
For a disappointing Australian tourism industry currently in the doldrums, this has been an unexpected encouragement．Tourism Queensland deliberately chose the middle of winter of the northern Hemisphere to launch the campaign back in January, but didn’t expect anywhere near the global response．They think the only countries where people didn’t visit their website were North Korea and a few African nations．
What’s said to be the best job in the world comes with a $110,000 （about 750,000 yuan） contract for six months’ work, a luxury beachside home and a plunge pool．
In return, the island caretaker will be expected to stroll the white sands, enjoy the sun, diving and taking care of the reef, “maybe clean the pool”-- and report to a global audience via weekly blogs, photo diaries and video updates.
For the losers meanwhile, there’s the worst of long journeys home.
55．Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A．The global recruitment mostly took place online．
B．Ben Southall got the job in January.
C．The recruitment started in winter in Australia．
D．The organizers knew the activity would attract attention from all over the world.
56．The caretaker of the islands is expected to be good at all the following EXCEPT ______.
A．swimming B．writing C．photographing D．acting
57．It can be inferred from the report that ______.
A．it’s the easiest job in the world
B．you need to surf the Internet regularly to know what Ben Southall is doing there
C．the organizers of the activity knew North Koreans would never be interested in the job
D．The journey home of the losers of the competition will be dangerous
58．The underlined word “doldrums” probably means ______ .
A．depression B．development C．recovery D．promotion
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，从每篇短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Centuries ago, many houses in a bad state in London were torn down to make way for new streets．However, the construction project was put off for quite some time, and the foundations of the houses pulled down were left in the open.
One day, a team of scientis
ts arrived, only to discover that, on the patches of the foundations blocked from sunlight for years, was growing wild plants, dotted with little flowers．Puzzlingly, some species were native to Mediterranean countries only.
Most of the destroyed houses had been built during the Roman invasion．Weighed down by piles of bricks an
d stones year after year, the seeds possibly brought here in Roman times had almost no hope for survival．However, once bathed in the sun, they came alive.
The little seeds were so fragile yet so persevering．Though bricks piled on them many years, they still remained alive．Once exposed to sunshine and rain, th
ey immediately exhibited signs of life．A little seed, lying underground for hundreds of years, still cherished the hope to live on．But what if a man is stuck in a similar situation?
One year, a British expedition was marching through the boundless Sahara sands．With the sun hanging overhead, ho
t waves of sandy winds were blowing against their faces like hot iron grains．The men were suffering both thirst and anxiety．The last drop of water was gone．Just then, the captain brought out a water bottle, saying, “There is still one bottle of water left．However, no one is to drink any before going out of the desert.”
The bottle of water lent them confidence to get through the desert, and embodied their hope to live on．It was handed down the line of people．This changed into firmness the despair registered on the men’s faces．Finally the men walked out of the desert, shaking off the threat of death．Tears out of joy welled out, and trembling hands were trying to screw off the bottle cap and let out the water, which had supported them spiritually．Now, however, it was sand pouring out—a bottleful of sand!
Was it a bottle of sand that rescued them from the burning sun and the boundless desert? No, it was their firm faith, like a seed that had taken root in their hearts and that finally let them out of the awful desert.
51．Centuries ago, a team of scientists arrived in London and discovered _____, which made them confused.
A．some wild plants
B．some foundations of many old houses
C．many houses in a poor state
D．some little seeds
52．When the British expedition were marching through the Sahara, _____.
A．they had one bottle of water left
B．they had the last drop of water
C．the weather was anything but tolerable
D．they experienced thirst, anxiety and hunger
53．The underlined sentence in Paragraph 6 probably means _____.
A．the bottle of water changed the firmness on the men’s face into despair
B．the bottle of water transformed the men’s desperation into confidence
C．feeling heavy made the men strong rather than weak
D．feeling heavy changed the men’s hope into disappointment
54．What lesson can we learn from the passage?
A．Telling a lie is sometimes necessary.
B．Man can overcome any difficulty whatever it is.
C．A man can do no more than he can.
D．Where there is a seed, there is hope.
Science Daily (Apr 27, 2008) — Dutch ecologist Roxina Soler and her colleagues have discovered that subterranean (地下的) and aboveground herbivorous (食草的) insects can communicate with each other by using plants as telephones. Subterranean insects issue chemical warning signals through the leaves of the plant. This way, aboveground insects are warned that the plant is already “occupied”.
Aboveground, leaf-eating insects prefer plants that have not yet been occupied by subterranean root-eating insects. Subterranean insects send out chemical signals through the leaves of the plant, which warn the aboveground insects about their presence. This messaging makes it possible for spatially-separated insects to avoid each other, so that they do not compete for the same plant.
In recent years it has been discovered that different types of aboveground insects develop slowly if they feed on plants that also have subterranean residents and vice versa (反之亦然). It seems that a system has developed through natural selection, which helps the subterranean and aboveground insects to notice each other. This avoids unnecessary competition.
Through the “green telephone lines”, subterranean insects can also communicate with a third party, namely the natural enemy of caterpillars (毛虫). Parasitic wasps (寄生的黄蜂) lay their eggs inside aboveground insects. The wasps also benefit from the signals sent by the leaves, as these help them find more insects for their eggs.
The communication between subterranean and aboveground insects has only been studied in a few cases. It is still not clear how widespread this phenomenon is. But scientists are looking into it. This research was carried out at the Netherlands Institute for Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) by Roxina Soler, Jeffrey Harvey, Martijn Bezemer, Wim van der Putten and Louise Vet. The PhD project, in which this study was carried out, was funded by the Free Competition of NWO Earth and Life Sciences.
51. After finding a plant occupied by subterranean insects, aboveground insects usually ____.
A. send out warning signals B. choose to give up the plant
C. compete for the plant D. share it with the subterranean insects
52. Aboveground insects will develop more quickly if they ____.
A. feed on plants occupied by subterranean insects
B. feed on plants not occupied by subterranean insects
C. become cleverer through natural selection
D. compete with subterranean insects
53. Subterranean insects communicate with a third party through ____.
A. caterpillars B. parasitic wasps C. wasps’ eggs D. a plant’s leaves
54. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. Other animals may communicate in the same way.
B. There will be further research into this phenomenon.
C. Part of the study is a PhD project.
D. The Free Completion of NWO Earth and Life Sciences has the patent for these results.
55. What would be the best title for this passage?
A. Insects use plants as a telephone. B. Insects live in harmony with each other.
C. No species can live alone. D. Plants and animals have an effect on each other.
From the earliest times，man has been interested in art．People have often worked together to collect and save the world's art treasures．
Fine art treasures from many countries are kept in an art museum called the Louvre in Paris，France．The works of art have been collected by the people of France over many centuries．
The Louvre has not always been a museum．The first building was a fort（炮台）．In 1190，it was the king's castle with high walls and a round tower．It had a moat to keep out his enemies．
Over the years，the number of buildings around the castle grew．By 1350，the castle was no longer needed as a fort．The Louvre became a palace home for French kings and queens．
During times of peace，new treasures were brought in．During days of war，many treasures were stolen，and the buildings were damaged．
When Francis I became king of France in 1515，he brought in artists from many countries．One of the artists was Leonardo Da Vinci from Italy．Da Vinci's"Mona Lisa"is the best known painting in the museum today．
In 1793，the Louvre became a public museum，just as it is now．It is a place where art treasures have been saved for everyone to enjoy．
46．On the whole，this passage is mainly about____. ．
A ．an art museum called the Louvre B ．an Italian artist named Leonardo Da Vinci
C ．a king of France named Francis I D ．the best known painting in Louvre
47．Which of the following is not true？
A ．The Louvre used to be a fort a very long time ago．
B ．French kings and queens once lived in it．
C ．The Louvre was taken by enemies in 1190．
D ．Many treasures were brought into the Louvre over the years．
48．Why is it good for great art to be kept in public museums？
A ．It helps people remember who the King of France is．
B ．It keeps people out of the palaces．
C ．It gives everyone a chance to enjoy good art．
D ．It helps people to know who is the greatest artist．
49．From the passage we know that _____．
A ．It is not possible for treasures to be stolen
B ．Old forts always make the best museums
C ．Great art should be shared with all the people
D ．King Francis I of France brought in artists from an old fort
50．In the third paragraph the word "moat" probably means_____．
A ．a high tower built in former times where soldiers watched out for enemies
B ．a long and deep ditch(沟) dug round a castle and was usually filled with water
C ．a cart pulled by horses on which soldiers fought
D ．a long and high wall around castle
Ⅲ 阅读 (共两节，满分40分)
第一节阅读理解 (共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
The old shopkeeper led me through to the back of the shop．The room was filled with boxes and
photographs of people dressed in old-fashioned clothes，holding packages in their hands．
“Who are these-people?”I asked．
“Satisfied customers，”answered young Mr. Hopkins．“We have a very wide choice of items for
sale．Whenever I serve a new customer, I always take their picture．”Mr. Hopkins pointed to an ancient
camera standing next to one wall．“Now, how can I serve you?”he added．
By this time，I had started to trust Mr. Hopkins and had begun to appreciate the lovely items on
sale. I needed to buy Christmas presents for my family and friends，and this seemed to be the perfect
place to purchase them．I spent a very pleasant hour being shown the commodities in Mr. Hopkins’shop．
No matter what I asked for, Mr. Hopkins found it for me．Finally, I bought an antique jewelry box，a pair
of riding boots，a leather-bound edition of the Complete Works of Mark Twain, and a sewing machine．
I was very excited that I had found such a good little shop．I promised Mr. Hopkins that l would
come back soon. “I will tell all my friends about your lovely place，”I told the shopkeeper．
“Please do not do that, sir" , said Mr. Hopkins．“This is a special place for special people．You must
keep this shop a secret．” Then he took my photograph and handed me the picture straight away．
“That was quick!”I exclaimed．I looked at the photograph．In the picture I looked proud and excited holding the presents I had bought in Mr. Hopkins’dusty shop．
On Christmas Day, my friends and relatives were delighted with the presents I had bought for them．
For weeks．my brother begged me to show him where to find this wonderful little shop．I finally agreed to take him to London to show him．
When we arrived in London，we walked along Oxford Street，past the department store and
Found nothing．The little shop was no longer there．In its place was an empty space being used as a car
park．I checked the area again。There was the music shop，and there was the department store．In between
should have been Hopkins and Son, but it wasn’t there．
As l was staring at the place where the shop should have been, a old policeman came along．“Are
you looking for something sir?”he asked．
I turned and said“I am looking for a little shop called Hopkins and Son．I thought it was here．”
“Oh yes，”said the policeman．“There was a shop here once called Hopkins and Son．It sold all
sorts of things，but it was knocked down over 30 years ago．”
I looked again at the place where the shop had been．Then I reached into my pocket and took out
the photograph that Mr. Hopkins had taken of me holding my presents in the little shop．
“How strange”I exclaimed．
41．The photos in the back of the shop showed
A. the items that Mr. Hopkins had sold B．Mr. Hopkins’family members
C．Mr. Hopkins’former customers D．the antique paintings
42．How did the writer like the shop?
A．He found it a modem big shop．
B．He thought it a wonderful shop for all Christmas presents．
C．He thought it a good shop with an ancient camera．
D．He found it a dusty, old but friendly and lovely little shop．
43．Which of the following is true about the shop?
A．It was a well-known little shop in London。
B．It was a special shop selling special presents．
C．It was between a music shop and a department store．
D．It was knocked down a few weeks ago.
44．The word “the commodities’in the 4th paragraph means ．
A．the goods in the shop B. the writer’s works
C．Mr. Hopkins' photographs D．Some presents left by other customers
45．Which of the following is the best title of this passage?
A．Christmas Shopping B．Hopkins and His Son
C．The Strange Experience D．The Strange Little Shop
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