IV. Reading Comprehension (40 points)
Directions: Read the following four passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A,B,C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read.
(A)
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.
She said, “Hi, girl! My name is Rose. I’m 87 years old. Can I give you a hug?”
I laughed and enthusiastically（热情地）responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze.
“Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked. She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel!”
“No seriously,” I said. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
“I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me.
Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us.
“We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only two secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor everyday. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die!” she said.
“There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn 20 years older. If I am 87 years old, and stay in bed for a year, and never do anything, I will turn 88. Anybody can grow older. But every minute counts for young men,” she added.
“The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.”
She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Song of Rose”. She challenged each of us to study the lyrics（歌词）and live them out in our daily lives.
At the year’s end, Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.
51. Rose made herself known to the author in a ______ manner.
A. serious B. cold C. humorous D. crazy
52. From the information provided in the passage, we know ______.
A. Rose finished the college degree within a year
B. Rose did realize her dream of meeting a rich husband and getting married through college
education
C. Rose enjoyed her campus life very much
D. Rose grew so old that she stopped playing
53. Rose delivered the speech ______.
A. at the graduation B. ended with “The Song of Rose”
C. which she prepared carefully D. to challenge all the other speakers
54. According to her speech, ______.
A. whenever you have a dream, you succeed
B. all people don’t grow up while growing older
C. Rose usually regretted having done something
D. a nine-year-old is as old as a 87-year-old if he doesn’t do anything
Remind children that bad things don’t last. It may sound simple, but the message is extremely important. “Children often don’t have the experience to know that when something bad happens—they lose an important game or their best friends lets them down—it’s not the end of the world,” explains Nancy Leffert, a senior research scientist with the Research Institute, an American adolescents’(青少年) and children’s research group. “They think their bad feelings will last for ever， or that one failure will ruin everything.”
Unfortunately, that kind of thinking discourages motivation(动机).“If a child believes that the cause of her upset is lasting, or that nothing she does will make a difference, it decreases her ability to keep on trying,” says Dorothy Rich, president of the Mega Skills Education Center of the Home and School Institute, based in Washington. Any time you can help your child see that a situation is not lasting, that a result can be changed, or that one opinion does not reflect reality, you give her reason to hope.Case in point: “When my daughter Kathy was eight，art was one of her favorite subjects，”says Beth，a mother of two. “Then she got an art teacher who gave a great deal of praise to one student and barely noticed the rest．Kathy was ready to give up until I explained to her，‘Never stop doing your best just because one person doesn’t give you praise.’” Beth had to repeat the advice often，and finally her daughter got the message．“Kathy is twelve now, and art is still one of her strongest subjects.”62. According to the passage we know many children_____.A. know how to face a failureB. try their best to avoid a situation of failureC. don’t want to stay in bad feelings for everD. tend to take a failure as the end of the world63. Which of the following can a parent say to his children to show that one’s opinion does not reflect reality?A. “If you call your friend and apologize，he won’t stay mad at you.”B. “That may be what your teacher thinks, but I see it differently.”C. “You have lost today, but you can try again tomorrow.”D. “Go ahead. Don’t care what other people think.”64. It can be inferred from the passage that_____.A. teachers’ praise is very important to studentsB. good teachers can give students useful adviceC. teachers should not praise their students in classD. good teachers can find each student’s favorite subject65. The best title of the passage is_____.A. Help Children Promote Problem Solving AbilityB. Tell Children Not to Let Failure Ruin ThemC. Set Reasonable Hopes for Your ChildrenD. Teach Your Children to Be Happy
On September 22, 2007, 108 Chinese cities took part in Car-Free Day, a global event held every year, for the first time.
China became the world’s second-largest auto market and third-largest car-maker in 2006. It has also become the second-largest greenhouse gas producer in the world, and is rapidly catching up with the United States. In this sense, China’s participation will greatly promote the Car-Free Day movement.
The number of cars on the road is going up rapidly in China. In Beijing, about 1,000 new cars are added to the streets on an average day.
Cars certainly offer people plenty of freedom to move around. But in many Chinese cities, appearance of too many cars has turned into a major problem. Getting stuck in traffic jams is an everyday experience for drivers.
Even worse is the environmental impact（影响）caused by cars. According to a national report, on a “smog day”, 79 percent of the air pollution is caused by cars.
The growing number of traffic accidents is another problem. Over 100,000 people die from traffic accidents every year in China, which is by far the highest number of road deaths in the world.
108 cities’ participation in Car-Free Day shows growing public concern about the traffic and environmental problems caused by cars.
On this day, all cars were banned from running in selected areas of the participating cities. People were encouraged to walk, cycle and use public transport. According to experts, the carbon monoxide in the atmosphere produced by cars was reduced by 3,000 tons on Car-Free Day.
With cleaner air and smoother traffic flow on the day, more cities will hopefully want to join the event next year. And more people might share the hope that Car-Free Day is not just on September 22, but a possibility 365 days of the year.
59. From the passage, we can know that China ______.
A. has the world’s highest number of road deaths
B. has the world’s largest auto market
C. is the world’s largest greenhouse gas producer
D. is the world’s second-largest car-maker
60. Which of the following is discussed in the passage?
A. The causes of car growth in China.
B. The effects of car growth in China.
C. The history of World Car-Free Day.
D. The popularity of World Car-Free Day.
61. Car-Free Day in China will ______.
A. be held all the year round
B. stop air pollution and traffic jams
C. attract more people to join in
D. reduce the production of cars
Can trees talk? Yes, but not in words. Scientists have reason to believe that trees do communicate (交际) with each other. Not long ago, researchers learned some surprising things. First a willow tree attacked in the woods by caterpillars (毛虫) changed the chemistry of its leaves and made them taste so terrible that they got tired of the leaves and stopped eating them. Then even more astonishing, the tree sent out a special smell---a signal (信号) causing its neighbors to change the chemistry of their own leaves and make them less tasty.
Communication, of course, doesn’t need to be in words. We can talk to each other by smiling, raising our shoulders and moving our hands. We know that birds and animals use a whole vocabulary of songs, sounds, and movements. Bees dance their signals, flying in certain patterns that tell other bees where to find nectar (花蜜) for honey. So why shouldn’t trees have ways of sending message?
55．It can be concluded from the passage that caterpillars do not feed on leaves that ______.
A．are lying on the ground B have an unpleasant taste
C．bees don’t like D have an unfamiliar shape
56．The willow tree described in the passage protected itself by ______.
A．changing its leaf chemistry
B．communicating with birds and bees
C．growing more branches
D．shaking caterpillars off
57．According to this passage, bees communicate by ______.
A．touching one another B．making special movement
C．smelling one another D．making unusual sound
58．The author believes that the incident described in the passage ______.
A．cannot be taken seriously B．should no longer be permitted
C．seems completely reasonable D．must be checked more thoroughly
One day, four lawyers were riding their horses along a country road. There had been a rain. Water was dripping(滴) from the trees, and the grass was wet. They rode slowly, talking and laughing. Suddenly they heard some noises from the tree above them. “What is the matter?” asked the first lawyer. “Oh, it’s only some old birds!” said the second lawyer， “The storm made one of the babies fall out of the nest. It is too young to fly, and the mother bird is very worried.” “What a pity! It’ll die down there in the grass,” said the third lawyer. “It doesn’t matter. It’s only a bird,” said the second lawyer. Then they rode on, talking and laughing as before. But the fourth lawyer, whose name was Abraham Lincoln, stopped. He got down from his horse and took the little one in his big warm hands.
“Never mind, my little fellow,” said Mr. Lincoln， “I will put you back in your little nest.” He climbed up the tree and put the bird softly into their warm little home. A few minutes later, Mr. Lincoln joined them again. His shoes were covered with mud and he was wet. Then the other three laughed at him. They thought it was foolish for a strong man to do so much just for a young bird. “Gentlemen,” said Mr. Lincoln, “I could not sleep tonight if I had left the helpless bird in the grass.” Later Abraham Lincoln became very famous as a lawyer. He also became the president of America. He was one of the greatest American presidents.
51. The reason why the mother bird was worried was that ______.
A. there was a rain B. the lawyers were under its tree
C. one of its babies fell out of the nest D. it could not fly
52. We can learn about the other three lawyers from the passage that ______.
A. the second lawyer was kind
B. they were all cold-hearted
C. they did something to save the baby bird
D. the third lawyer put the bird into its nest
53. The underlined phrase “little fellow” in paragraph 2 means ______.
A. the mother bird B. Lincoln’s little friends
C. the other three lawyers D. the baby bird
54. From the passage we know Lincoln ______.
A. liked riding horses
B. was very kind and loved birds and animals
C. liked being laughed at
D. wanted to be the president of America then
People are being invited to sit down to eat with their neighbors in a nationwide lunch party designed to promote community spirit. The Big Lunch is the idea of the Eden Project in Cornwall. It aims to persuade people up and down the country to hold street lunch parties.
Tens of thousands of vegetables, fruits and flowers were used to construct a giant 2,000-square-foot lunch invitation in London’s Convent Garden. More than 9,000 cauliflowers and 800 bananas were used.
According to the organizers, people who decide to take part in the activity will get support from large companies which will supply many of the necessities, including plants to be given out to people to grow. The organizers think that the Big Lunch is a great opportunity for people to get together and spend time with their neighbors, friends and families. Events like this also help build strong communities. People can show their talents, get over their embarrassment, shake hands and get to know their neighbors, and realize that the neighborhood where they live can be a great source of happiness and enjoyment.
The Eden Project’s leader, Tim Smith, says, “It’s a good way to face this recession. Imagine a day on which millions of us, throughout the UK, sit down to have lunch together with our neighbors in the middle of our streets, around our tower blocks, and on every patch of common ground. We’ll have cooked our own food, made our own entertainment, and created our own decorations. It will be a day to share bread with our neighbors, and put a smile on Britain’s face.”
62. The Big Lunch aims to _____.
A. persuade people to eat healthy food B. encourage people to cook at home
C. help poor people in the community D. develop community spirit
63. Which of the following is false?
A. Large companies will give participants enough money to hold the lunch parties.
B. The Big Lunch may be a good opportunity to show talents and make friends.
C. The Big Lunch is a nationwide activity designed by The Eden Project.
D. The giant lunch invitation in London used a lot of vegetables, fruits and flowers.
64. Big Lunch is a good opportunity for people to _____.
A. enjoy free food B. have fun with neighbors and families
C. shop on the street D. eat without cooking
65. The underlined word “recession” in the last paragraph probably means_____.
A. nice environment B. grand ceremony
C. rapid progress D. economic decline
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