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第二部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每题2分，满分40分）
（共25小题。第一节每小题2分，第二节每小题1分；满分45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。
Long bus rides are like television shows. They have a beginning, a middle, and an end — with commercials thrown in every three or four minutes. The commercials are unavoidable. They happen whether you want them or not. Every couple of minutes a billboard glides by (滑过) outside the bus window. Only if you sleep, which is equal to turning the television set off, are you spared the unending cry of “You Need It! Buy It Now!”?
The beginning of the ride is comfortable and somewhat exciting, even if you’ve traveled that way before. Usually some things have changed — new houses, new buildings, sometimes even a new road. The bus driver has a style of driving and it’s fun to try to figure it out the first hour or so. If the driver is particularly careless or daring, the ride can be as thrilling as a horror story. Will the driver pass the truck in time? Will the driver move into the right or the left-hand lane? After a while, of course, the excitement dies down. Sleeping for a while helps pass the middle hours of the ride. Food always makes bus rides more interesting, but you’ve got to be careful of what kind of food you eat. Too much salty food can make you very thirsty between stops.
The end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning. You know it will soon be over and there’s a kind of expectation and excitement in that. The seat, of course, has become harder as the hours have passed. By now you’ve sat with your legs crossed, with your hands in your lap, with your hands on the arm rests — even with your hands crossed behind your head. The end comes just at the right time. There just no more ways to sit.
41. The long bus rides and TV shows are alike, because         .
A. they both can offer people with thrilling stories                     
B. they both are boring
C. they both have a beginning, a middle, and an end, with commercials in between              
D. they both force people to sit for a long time
42. During the whole bus ride, what come to the passengers’ eyes most frequently?
A. Some salty food on the bus.    B. The programs on TV.
C. Advertisements on the road.    D. Trucks on the road.
43. In order to pass the middle hours of the ride, you can         .
A. read the billboards           B. have something to eat
C. watch TV shows             D. sleep
44 The purpose of the passage is to         .
A. show how much bus rides differ from TV shows              
B. teach us how to deal with each period of a long bus ride
C. persuade readers to take a long bus ride              
D. give the author’s opinion on long bus rides