三、阅读理解(40%)
A
February has long been a month of romance. With the sweet smell of roses in the air, romantic films hit cinemas and love stories fill newspapers and magazines.
On the 14th day, it is a custom for a boy to take his girlfriend out to dinner, buy her flowers and chocolates, write poems, sing to her or even spell out her name with rose petals! This is what you see on Valentine’s Day, a day named after Valentine who was a priest in the third century Rome. When the emperor decided that single men could become better soldiers than those with wives, he didn’t allow marriage. But Valentine continued to perform marriage ceremonies for young lovers in secret. When his actions were discovered, the emperor sentenced him to death. While in prison, it is said that Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his prison guard. Before his death, he wrote her a letter, which he signed “From your Valentine”, an expression that is still in use today. Valentine died for what he believed in and so he was made a Saint (圣徒), as well as becoming one of history’s most romantic characters. Nowadays, Valentine’s Day is also popular among Chinese young people. Some students are planning to make Valentine’s cards for parents, teachers and friends. Others want to hold parties at which they will exchange small gifts and eat heart-shaped cakes. The idea is to have fun and encourage people to share in the spirit of St. Valentine.51. Which of the following is not a custom for a boy to do on Valentine’s Day? A. to take his girlfriend out to dinner B. to buy his girlfriend flowers and chocolates C. to make Valentine’s cards for teachers and friends D. to spell out his girlfriend’s name with rose petals52. Why did the emperor in Rome not allow marriage in his country? A. Because there were few women in his country at that time. B. Because he thought men without wives could be bet
ter soldiers. C. Because there wasn’t enough food for so many people. D. Because he wanted to control the birth rate.53. Valentine was put into prison because ______. A. he killed one of the soldiers B. he stole a lot of food C. he didn’t obey the emperor’s order D. he didn’t want to be a soldier
54. The last paragraph mainly tells us ______. A. students in China send cards to their teachers B. it is a good idea to celebrate Valentine’s Day in China C. it is interesting to celebrate Valentine’s Day in China D. Valentine’s Day is also popular in China now
1. Summer came early to Middlesbrough yesterday, as temperatures shot up to 22°C (71°F), a record for March. But local NFU agent Jim Wilkes says it could be bad news for farmers. “The crops will think it's summer,” he told our reporter, “and start sprouting (发芽) four weeks before time.”
2. The death toll (死亡人数) of the Burnside train crash rose to four yesterday when John Phillips, 32, of Petersville died in Wallsend Hospital. Another six people are still on the danger list. Mr. Phillips, an electrical engineer leaves a wife and two children.
3. China and the United States reached an agreement on the protection of intellectual property rights (知识产权) yesterday, after difficult marathon talks.
The agreement is good news for all parties concerned. The Chinese Foreign Trade Minister described the agreement as a "turning point" in Sino-US trade relations that "promises further progress" in the future. The agreement will not only favorably influence trade relations between China and the United States. It may favorably influence the overall relations between the two countries. What do you get to know from article 1?
| A．It is as cold as usual in Middlesbrough, and the farmers are pleased. |
| B．It is hotter than usual in Middlesbrough, and the farmers are pleased. |
| C．It is hotter than usual in Middlesbrough, and the farmers are worried. |
| D．It is colder than usual in Middlesbrough, and the farmers are worried. |
How many people have died in the train crash in article 2 ?
| A．Only John Phillips has died. |
| B．Ten people have died in the crash, including John Phillips. |
| C．Four people have died in the crash, including John Phillips. |
| D．John Phillips, his wife and children all died in the crash. |
Who are on the danger list?
| A．Petersville and Wallsend. | B．An electrical engineer and John Phillips. |
| C．John Phillips' wife and two children. | D．Another six people who were on the train. |
What agreement did China and the United States reach in article 3?
| A．It is an agreement on a marathon race. |
| B．It is an agreement on trade relations. |
| C．It is an agreement on overall relations. |
| D．It is an agreement on intellectual property rights protection. |
What are relations going to be like between China and the United States?
| A．Relations between China and the United States are going to be sometimes worse and sometimes better. |
| B．Relations between China and the United States are going to be better. |
| C．Relations between China and the United States are going to be worse. |
| D．Relations between China and the United States are going to remain the same. |
In 1977, a dead author of detective stories saved the life of a 19-month-old baby in a most unusual way. The author was Agatha Christie, one of the most successful writers of detective stories in the world.
In June 1977, a baby girl became seriously ill in Qatar, near Saudi Arabia. Doctors were unable to find out the cause of her illness with confidence, so she was sent to Hammersmith Hospital in London. She was then only semi-conscious (半清醒状态) and on the "Dangerously Ill" list. A team of doctors hurried to examine the baby only to discover that they, too, were confused by the very unusual symptoms (症状). While they were discussing the baby's case, a nurse asked to speak to them.
"Excuse me," said Nurse Marsha Maitlan, "but I think the baby is suffering from thallium poisoning. (铊中毒)"
"What makes you think that?" Dr. Brown asked. "Thallium poisoning is extremely rare."
"A few days ago, I was reading a novel called A Pale Horse by Agatha Christie," Nurse Maitlan explained. "In the book, somebody uses thallium poison, and all the symptoms are described. They're exactly the same as the baby's."
"You're very thoughtful and you may be right," another doctor said. "We'll carry out some tests and find out whether it's thallium or not."
Tests showed that the baby had indeed been poisoned by thallium, a rare metallic substance used in making special glass. Once they knew the cause of the illness, the doctors were able to give the baby the correct treatment. She soon recovered and was sent back to Qatar. Later it was reported that the poison might have come from an insecticide (杀虫剂) used in Qatar.The one who first suggested the correct cause of the baby's illness was _____.
| A．a doctor in Qatar | B．Nurse Maitlan |
| C．Dr. Brown | D．Agatha Christie |
The baby was sent to London because _____.
| A．she was born there |
| B．the hospitals in Qatar were full at that time |
| C．she was the daughter of a doctor in London |
| D．the Qatar doctors were not sure whether they could cure her |
As far as we can tell from the passage, Agatha Christie _____.
| A．had never met this baby |
| B．had spent a long time studying the baby's case |
| C．visited the baby in the hospital at Hammersmith |
| D．gave Nurse Maitlan some advice on the phone |
It seems likely from the passage that the baby's illness had something to do with _____.
| A．a dangerous pair of glasses |
| B．the water in Qatar |
| C．a harmful substance used to kill insects |
| D．a dead writer |
When the baby was sent to the hospital in London, her case was considered to be _____.
| A．an urgent one | B．quite a simple one |
| C．a usual one | D．the result of thallium poisoning |
You are watching a film in which two men are having a fight. They hit one another hard. At the start they only fight with their fists. But soon they begin hitting one another over the heads with chairs. And so it goes on until one of the men crashes (撞击) through a window and falls thirty feet to the ground below. He is dead！Of course he isn't really dead. With any luck he isn't even hurt. Why? Because the men who fall out of high windows or jump from fast moving trains, who crash cars or even catch fire, are professionals (专业人士). They do this for a living. These men are called stuntmen. That is to say, they perform tricks. There are two sides to their work. They actually do most of the things you see on the screen. For example, they fall from a high building. However, they do not fall on to hard ground but on to empty cardboard boxes covered with a mattress (床垫). Again, when they hit one another with chairs, the chairs are made of soft wood and when they crash through windows, the glass is made of sugar! But although their work depends on trick of this sort, it also requires a high degree of skill and training. Often a stuntman' s success depends on careful timing. For example, when he is "blown up" in a battle scene, he has to jump out of the way of the explosion just at the right moment.
Naturally stuntmen are well paid for their work, but they lead dangerous lives. They often get seriously injured, and sometimes killed. A Norwegian stuntman, for example, skied over the edge of a cliff a thousand feet high. His parachute (降落伞) failed to open, and he was killed. In spite of all the risks, this is no longer a profession for men only. Men no longer dress up as women when actresses have to perform some dangerous action, for nowadays there are stunt girls too!Stuntmen are those who ______.
| A．often dress up as women |
| B．prefer to lead dangerous lives |
| C．often perform seemingly (表面上) dangerous actions |
| D．often fight each other for their lives |
Stuntmen earn their living by ______.
| A．playing their dirty tricks | B．selling their special skills |
| C．jumping out of high windows | D．jumping from fast moving trains |
When a stuntman falls from a high building, ______.
| A．he needs little protection |
| B．he will be covered with a mattress |
| C．his life is endangered |
| D．his safety is generally all right |
Which of the following is the main factor (因素) of a successful performance?
| A．Strength. | B．Exactness. | C．Speed. | D．Power. |
What can be inferred from the author' s example of the Norwegian stuntman?
| A．Sometimes an accident can occur to a stuntman. |
| B．The percentage of serious accidents is high. |
| C．Parachutes must be of good quality. |
| D．The cliff is too high. |
When my first wartime Christmas came, I was in basic training in New Jersey and not sure if I could make it home for the holidays. Only on the afternoon of December 23 was the list of men who would have three-day holidays posted. I was one of the lucky soldiers. It was Christmas eve when I arrived home, and a light snow had fallen. Mother opened the front door. I could see beyond her, into the corner of the living room where the tree had always stood. There were lights, all colors, and ornaments (装饰物) shining against the green of a pine. “Where did it come from?” I asked.
“I asked the Gates boy to cut it,” my mother said. “I wouldn’t have had one just for myself, such a rush！He just brought it in this afternoon…” The pine reached to the proper height, almost to the ceiling, and the tree top crystal star was in its place. A few green branches reached about a little awkwardly at the side, I thought, and there was a bit of bare trunk showing in the middle. But the tree filled the room with warm light and the whole house with the pleasant smell of Christmas. “It’s not like the one you used to find,” my mother went on. “Yours were always in good shape. I suppose the Gates boy didn’t know where to look for a good one. But I couldn’t be fussy (挑剔的)．”
“Don’t worry,” I told her. “It’s perfect.” It wasn’t, of course, but at the moment I realized something for the first time: all Christmas trees are perfect． From the passage, we can infer that ______．
| A．the writer spent his first Christmas during the war |
| B．soldiers did not all go home for Christmas during the war |
| C．all the soldiers had three-day holidays |
| D．the writer could not go home for Christmas |
When the writer got home, ______．
| A．it was December 23th |
| B．it was snowing heavily |
| C．he found a Christmas tree in the living room |
| D．the Gates boy was cutting a Christmas tree for his mother |
From this passage，we can conclude that ______．
| A．the writer used to cut very beautiful Christmas trees |
| B．his mother didn’t like perfect trees |
| C．his mother didn’t want to have a tree |
| D．the writer wouldn’t have a tree cut by someone else |
“All Christmas trees are perfect”，because they can remind you of ______．
| A．the wartime | B．the green of a pine |
| C．the pleasant smell | D．the sweet home |
The best title for this passage would be “______”．
| A．How to Choose a Christmas Tree |
| B．How Soldiers Spent Christmas |
| C．The Perfect Christmas Tree |
| D．The Christmas Without a Tree |
Most of us fear getting up and speaking in public. Many people don’t like to go gathering where they don’t know anyone, but while most of us soldier on (迎难而上), those with social anxiety disorder are often stopped by the terror and worry.
Research shows that around fifteen million Americans suffer from social anxiety disorder. People in this condition feel that they are always being watched. Even though they know these fears are unreasonable, they cannot overcome their fears on their own.
Social anxiety disorder sufferers are often misdiagnosed with conditions such as schizophrenia (精神分裂症) and personality disorder. Many feel lonely, and are unsure whether anyone else can understand their thoughts and emotions. This can lead to withdrawal from most social situations, even to being unable to hold employment.
Those who suffer from social anxiety disorder are often dismissed(辞退)as being shy. This is simply not the case; shyness is not even a symptom of social anxiety disorder. The majority of sufferers find their symptoms linked to specific situations, rather than all types of social interactions.
An important step in overcoming social anxiety disorder is seeking out a therapist who specializes in training this type of disorder. Group treatment has been shown to be especially effective. Medication also help reduce the symptoms, but it should not be used as a replacement for psychotherapy (心理疗法).
On your own, you can help reduce the symptoms by taking deep breaths and practising medication or prayer. Alcohol and nicotine should be avoided, as both can cause panic attacks. Exercises can relieve the symptoms, because it burns up the chemicals in your body that cause stress.
54.Patients with social anxiety disorder_________________.
A. are shy in all situations
B. feel they don’t understand themselves
C. are anxious and terrified while speaking in public
D. feel it is unreasonable to be watched by others
55. We know from the passage that___________________________________.
A. most people will try to fight against social anxiety disorder
B. shyness is the main symptom of social anxiety disorder
C. people who feel lonely are often misdiagnosed with social anxiety disorder
D. psychotherapy is very important in treating social anxiety disorder
56. According to the passage, if Jack suffers from social anxiety disorder, he should_________.
A. burn up some unsafe chemicals B. ask for help from a doctor
C. practise speaking in public D. resign from his present job
57. We are most likely to find this passage in__________.
A. American Culture B. Cross Country
C. Family Doctor D. English Nature
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