第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）
My family couldn’t afford to send me to school when I was 16. When my mother took me out of school, I really lost heart about my life and didn’t know what I was going to do.
I worked to help my mother sell newspapers and that was all I could do at the time. When I was 18 years old, my mother started telling me that I would have to live on my own. I felt very frightened of the future. One night while I 
was watching television, a piece of news about joining the army caught my eyes. I had admired soldiers since I was very young. Now the chance came and I felt pleased. The next day I called the number on the news and set up an appointment to meet the recruiter(征兵人员), an elderly officer. When he heard that I didn’t graduate from high school, he told me that I had a slim(微小的) chance. I explained to him that I would study to improve myself and work hard. At last, he agreed to try to help me.
About a month later he asked me to go to his office and explained to me that he would get me in the service（服役） but I had to promise him that I would make the best of this chance he was trying to create for me and I did. He was able to help me join the army and I kept my promise by doing eight years and receiving an Honorable Discharge (光荣退伍证) from the service. After that, I have worked as a guard with good pay.
56. Why did the author drop out of high school?
A. Because he wanted to help his mother.
B. Because his mother wanted him to work.
C. Because he lost interest in study.
D. Because his family was too poor.
57. When the author got out of school, he felt _______.
A. relaxed B. hopeless C. bored D. frightened
58. How did the author succeed in joining th
e army?
A. Through his mother’s encouragement and his luck.
B. Through his great performance before the recruiter.
C. Through his sincere(真诚的) request and an officer’s help.
D. Through his optimistic attitude and serious promise.
59. We can infer from the text that _________.
A. people can achieve success if they don’t give up
B. a person’s achievements depend mainly on other’s help
C. failure in one field doesn’t mean failure in another
D. people should be confident in the face of difficulties
More than a century ago, the composer and bandleader John Philip Sousa warned that technology would destroy music, who said, “These talking machines are going to ruin the artistic development of music in this country. When I was a boy … in front of every house in the summer evenings you would find young people together singing the songs of the day or the old songs. Today you hear these terrible machines going night and day. We will not have a vocal cord (声带) left.”
Music has greatly changed in the past hundred years, which has been everywhere in our world: rivers of digital melody flow on the Internet or on disc; MP3 players with forty thousand songs can be put in a back pocket or a purse. Yet, for most of us, music is no longer something we do ourselves, or even watch other people do in front of us. It has become a radically virtual medium, an art without a face.
Ever since Edison invented the phonograph cylinder(留声机), people have been assessing what the medium of recording has done for and to the art of music. Sousa was a spokesman for the party of doom; in the opposite corner are the utopians(乌托邦), who argue that technology has not imprisoned music but liberated it. Before Edison came along, Beethoven’s symphonies could be heard only in select concert halls. Now the recordings carry the man from Bonn to the corners of the earth. Glenn Gould, after renouncing live performance in 1964, predicted that within the century the public concert would disappear into the electronic air.
Having discovered much of my favorite music through LPs and CDs, I am not about to join Sousa’s party. Modern urban environments are often so soulless or ugly that I’m grateful for the humanizing touch of electronic sound. But neither can I accept Gould’s slashing futurism. I want to be aware of technology’s effects, positive and negative. Fortunately, scholars and critics have been methodically exploring this terrain for many decades, trying to figure out exactly what happens when we listen to music with no musicians in the room.The first paragraph is intended to .
| A．defend an argument | B．make a prediction |
| C．criticize an attitude | D．summarized a viewpoint |
The author’s attitude towards the recorded music may best be described as .
| A．dissatisfied | B．defensive | C．optimistic | D．objective |
The underlined word “terrain” in the last paragraph most nearly means .
| A．region | B．subject | C．land | D．distinction |
The primary purpose of the passage is to .
| A．explain different attitudes of scholars and critics |
| B．defend the view of one group from the criticism of another |
| C．advocate an unexpected solution to a pressing problem |
| D．present the key issues in an ongoing debate |
“Enough” with the multivitamins already. That’s the message from experts behind three new studies that tackled an often debated question: Do daily multivitamins多种维生素make you healthier?
“We believe that the case is closed - supplementing(补充) the diet of well-nourished adults with (most) mineral or vitamin supplements has no clear benefit and might even be harmful,” concluded the authors of the editorial summarizing the new research papers. They urge consumers to not ‘waste’ their money on multivitamins. “The ‘stop wasting your money’ means that perhaps you’re spending money on things that won’t protect you long term,” editorial co-author, Dr. Edgar Miller said, “What will protect you is if you spend the money on fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, low fat dairy, and things like that. Exercising would probably be a better use of the money.”
The strong message was based on a review of the findings from three studies that tracked multivitamins link to cancer protection, heart health, and brain and cognitive(认知的) measures. The first study looked at vitamin supplementation’s role in preventing chronic(慢性的) disease. The next study looked at whether long-term use of multivitamins would have any effect on slowing cognitive decline. The third study looked specifically at multivitamins and minerals role in preventing heart attack. “The three studies found no difference in rates of chronic disease, heart attack and the need for hospitalization between vitamin-takers and placebo(安慰剂)-takers.” Dr. Edgar Miller stated.
One expert agreed some nutrient-deficient people may still benefit from multivitamins. “There might be an argument to continue taking a multi(vitamin) to replace or supplement your not healthy diet,” Dr. Edgar Miller added. He also notes that vitamins can benefit people with celiac disease and those who are pregnant.This text is likely to be selected from a book of .
| A．medicine | B．education | C．food | D．business |
Which of the following is NOT Dr. Edgar Miller’s opinion according to the passage?
| A．Vitamins should not be used for chronic disease prevention. Enough is enough. |
| B．Having a balanced diet and exercising would probably be a better way to keep healthy. |
| C．The three studies do not provide support for use of multivitamin supplements. |
| D．Taking vitamins to replace or supplement your healthy diet is necessary. |
What can be inferred from the text?
| A．Vitamin supplements have proved harmful to the health of adults. |
| B．Vitamin supplements are beneficial in certain conditions. |
| C．Nowadays taking vitamin supplements is common to most people. |
| D．Daily multivitamins will make you healthier. |
The author’s purpose of writing the text is most likely to___________. .
| A．persuade | B．describe | C．inform | D．instruct |
This place was darker than I expected, and, in spite of the rain, dirtier. Used to the life of rural Puerto Rico(波多黎各), I had to adjust to the similarly arranged, aggressive two-dimensionality of New York. Everywhere I looked, my eyes met gray and brown straight-edged buildings with sharp corners and deep shadows. Every few blocks there was a cement(水泥) playground surrounded by chain-link fence.
A girl came out of the building next door, a jump rope in her hand, and she hopped over. “Are you Hispanic?” she asked. “No, I’m Puerto Rican.” “Same thing. Puerto Rican, Hispanic. That’s what we are here.” She skipped a tight circle, stopped abruptly, and shoved the rope in my direction. “Want a turn?”
“Sure.” I hopped on one leg, then the other. “So, if you’re Puerto Rican, they call you Hispanic?”
“Yeah. Anybody who speaks Spanish.”
I jumped a circle, as she had done, but faster. “You mean, if you speak Spanish, you’re Hispanic?”
“Well, yeah. No . . . I mean your parents have to be Puerto Rican or Cuban or something.”
“Okay, your parents are Cuban, let’s say, and you’re born here, but you don’t speak Spanish. Are you Hispanic?”
“I guess so,” she finally said. “It has to do with being from a Spanish country. I mean, you or your parents, like, even if you don’t speak Spanish, you’re Hispanic, you know?” She looked at me uncertainly. But I didn’t know. I’d always been Puerto Rican, and it hadn’t occurred to me that in New York I’d be someone else.
Later, I asked. “Are we Hispanics, Mami?” “Yes, because we speak Spanish.” “But a girl said you don’t have to speak the language to be Hispanic.” “What girl? Where did you meet a girl?” “Outside. She lives in the next building.” “Who said you could go out to the sidewalk? This isn't Puerto Rico. Something could happen to you.”
I listened to Mami’s lecture with depressed eyes and the necessary respect. But inside, I quaked. Two days in New York, and I’d already become someone else. It wasn’t hard to imagine that greater dangers lay ahead.The first paragraph suggests that the author experienced New York as .
| A．mysterious and unknowable |
| B．regular and depressing |
| C．orderly and appealing |
| D．impressive and dangerous |
For the author, being considered Hispanic represents .
| A．a restriction to be overcome |
| B．an opportunity for self-redefinition |
| C．the loss of her former identity |
| D．an unavoidable result of movement to a new place |
The mother refers to “Puerto Rico” in order to impress upon the author that .
| A．she should not miss her birthplace |
| B．New Yorkers may not like newcomers |
| C．different rules apply to life in New York |
| D．life was more restricted in Puerto Rico |
The author’s mood can best be described as
| A．angry and confused | B．fearful and uncertain |
| C．excited but lonely | D．worried and resistant |
OSCAR THEATRE
BOOKING
- in person
The Box Office is open Monday to Saturday, 10 am-8 pm.
- by post
Stating the performance and choice of seats, enclosing a cheque, postal order, or your credit card details to Oscar Theatre Box Office, PO Box 220, Main street. All cheques should be made payable to Oscar Theatre.
- by telephone
Ring 0844 847 2484 to reserve your tickets or to pay by credit card (Visa, MasterCard accepted).
- on-line
Complete the on-line booking form at www.oscartheatre.com.
DISCOUNTS
Saver: $2 off any seat booked any time in advance for performances from Monday to Thursday inclusive, and for all matinees(下午场). Savers are available for children up to 16 years old, over 60s and full-time students.
Supersaver: half-price seats are available for people with disabilities and one companion. It is advisable to book in advance. There is a maximum of eight wheelchair spaces available and one wheelchair space will be held until one hour before the show (subject to availability).
Standby: best available seats are on sale for $6 from one hour before the performance for people eligible(有资格的) for Saver and Supersaver discounts and thirty minutes before for all other customers.
Group Bookings: there is a ten per cent discount for parties of twelve or more.
Schools: school parties of ten or more can book $9 tickets in advance and will get every tenth ticket free.
Please note: we are unable to exchange tickets or refund money unless a performance is cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.How can you pay for a ticket when you book by post?
| A．By visiting the website of a post office. |
| B．By going to you local bank in person. |
| C．By enclosing your MasterCard in an envelope. |
| D．By providing your credit card information. |
What benefit can bookers enjoy according to the text?
| A．A group of ten adults going to a performance can claim a discount. |
| B．A school party of 15 persons that book in advance pay $135 in total for a performance. |
| C．Someone accompanying a wheelchair user to a performance receives a discount. |
| D．An 18-year-old teenager is eligible for Saver discounts. |
According to the text, who can get Standby tickets?
| A．Full-time students buying tickets 45 minutes before a performance begins. |
| B．65-year-olds buying tickets an hour and a half before a performance begins. |
| C．Theatre-goers who are unexpectedly unable to be present at a performance. |
| D．Anyone who buys tickets an hour before a performance begins. |
As a professor I have grown accustomed to the opinion regarding American education. We are repeatedly told that American schools are failing, that colleges are not teaching, and that the students of today are not as good as the students of the past.
There are, of course, problems with the education system. Because of economic inequality some schools are significantly better than others and the ideas of equality of education and equality of opportunity are cruel jokes. However, the mere fact that there are some serious problems does not mean that all the dire claims are true.
One stock (陈腐的) claim is that America has fallen behind the world in education in terms of performance on various tests. While the fact that America is behind other countries is a point of concern, there are at least three points worth considering here. The first is the above-mentioned economic inequality which will tend to result in poorer performance when taking the average for America. The second is that many countries have put considerable effort into improving their education systems and hence it is worth considering that America’s decline is also due to the improvement of others. The third is the matter of the measures— do they, in fact, present an accurate picture of the situation? I am not claiming that the data is bad. I am merely raising a reasonable concern about how accurate our picture of education is at this time.
Another stock claim is that American students are doing badly on standardized tests. While there is clearly value in assessment, it is reasonable to consider whether or not such tests are a proper and adequate measure of education. It is also worth considering whether the puzzle with these tests is itself causing damage to education. That is, as teachers teach for the test and students learn for the test, it might be the case that what is being taught is not what should be taught and what is being learned is not what should be learned.According to the professor, many people’s attitude towards American colleges is .
| A．negative | B．positive | C．approving | D．indifferent |
What does the underlined word “dire” in the second paragraph mean?
| A．Exact or precise. | B．Extremely serious or terrible. |
| C．Fair or objective. | D．Long and boring. |
Judging by the text ,the claims are centered on .
| A．what should be taught in the American classroom |
| B．fair judgment of American education |
| C．American students’ performance on tests |
| D．an accurate picture of American colleges |
The passage is written mainly to .
| A．defend American education |
| B．show dissatisfaction with American education |
| C．explain why American students do badly on tests |
| D．offer advice on American education reform |
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